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A member in another thread asked me an interesting question, which I have posted here to avoid derailing the thread and also to not give the misleading appearance of criticizing anyone participating in that thread, for nothing in this reply was written in response to the comments or beliefs of anyone in that thread, which is a positive, polite, friendly and engaging discussion over the merits of Once Saved, Always Saved. So, without further ado, here we go:
Sola scriptura, if we look at the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Belgic Comfession of Faith, the Lutheran formulas of Concord, or in the case of Anglicanism, the Book of Common Prayer, which although primarily a liturgical manual and a prayer book, is similar to Orthodox and Assyrian liturgical manuals and prayer books in that it from it the Anglican faith is chiefly derived, although it does also have a catechism and the 39 Articles, relies on an exegesis which Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, Wesley and other “Magisterial Protestants” have derived from their interpretation of the doctrines of the Early Church, what Calvinists called the consensus patrum. In other words, Sola Scriptura churches at least seem to implicitly agree with St. Vincent of Lerins regarding the dangers of misinterpretation, since various heretics, including the Soccinians, the first true Unitarians since the corrupt third century bishop Paul of Samosata, and Servetus, a Binitarian, both emerged in the 16th century, argued their case using the same canon of scripture the Protestants used.
Thus, the Magisterial Reformers, both in opposition to Roman Catholicism, heresies, and also other reformers, especially the Radical Reformers like the Anabaptists, Puritans and Quakers, took to heart St. Vincent’s two paradigms, the first being that what has been believed always and everywhere by everyone can alone be properly called Catholic (thus rejecting perceived and actual Roman Catholic innovations, partially, in the case of Lutheranism, on the basis of what their early theologians thought they knew about the Eastern churches, which turned out to be largely wrong), and his second paradigm, which is best summarized by a famous quote from another Latin Church Father, St. Hilary of Poitiers: “Scripture is not in the reading but the interpretation.”
Nuda scriptura on the other hand sees itself as unconstrained by historic interpretations, often believing there to have been a great apostasy between the time the last book of the New Testament was written and the founding of their church. Of course, most people who use Nuda Scriptura call it Sola Scriptura, but the term Nuda Scriptura was coined to refer to those who are unfettered by continuity with the Early Church Fathers or the Ecumenical Councils or St. Augustine, whose influence on all of the magisterial Protestant reformers of the 16th century (Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Melancthon, etc.) was enormous.
This is why there is less difference in the Christological aspect of Soteriology between traditional Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Roman Catholicism than there is between all of the above and Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East, but more than that, its also why Anglican and Lutheran worship is so similar to Roman Catholic worship, specifically the Roman Rite and its derivatives the reformers would have commonly encountered, such as the Rite of Cologne and other minor German variants, as well as Augustinian liturgical practices, among the Lutherans, and the Sarum Rite, Hereford Rite, York Rite and Durham Rite among the Anglicans, and in all of these churches, as well as the surviving Moravians, the Dominican Rite, which was the first pan-European standardized liturgy, and the Norbertine and Carmelite Rites, which were created for the same purpose. The liturgical calendar of the churches reflects the influence of the Roman Rites, the Anglican Divine Office was based on a radical reform of the Roman Breviary proposed by Cardinal Quinones around 1515, and after the Counter Reformation, the Council of Trent, and the emergence of the standard Tridentine mass, some of the Lutheran churches did revise their collects, if memory serves, and in the 19th century, when traditional vestments ceased to be taboo among Protestants, the liturgical colors adopted were from the Tridentine Mass.
So basically, Presbyterianism, and the Reformed churches of Continental European origin (which refer to their presbyteries as “classis”; the Crystal Cathedral and Robert Schuller of blessed memory were part of a mainline Reformed church of Dutch-American origin), the later post-Puritan Congregationalism, Methodism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Moravianism, the Huguenots, and the Waldensians, all resemble in doctrine and worship the Roman Catholics, especially the Lutherans and Anglo Catholics, owing to the implicit acceptance of the doctrine of St. Vincent of Lerins and of St. Hilary of Poitiers of the need for a continuity of interpretation.*
In contrast, Radical Reformation and Reconstructionist churches, like Baptists, Anabaptists, almost all Non Denominational churches, Pentecostal churches, the Calvary Chapel, and most Evangelical churches, which adhere to Sola Scriptura tempered mainly by their denomination’s own historical interpretation, articles of faith, traditions, and ministerial priorities, look much less like the Roman Catholic Church.
And then with Nuda Scriptura, we go way beyond that, because whereas Radical Reformation and Reconstructionist churches like the Calvary Chapel, and Baptists are entirely orthodox, and at least agree with the Nicene Creed even if it or the Apostles Creed is not recited at their services (I especially love the Southern Baptists), with people who are strictly Nuda Scriptura, there is no guarantee of orthodoxy, because they are going to interpret the Bible purely on their own understanding (Baptists, if I understand their doctrine correctly, claim this as the right of every Christian, but rather than producing chaos, because Baptists, particularly Southern Baptists and some of the smaller Baptist churches like the Primitive Baptists, are incredibly good at education, catechesis, and homiletics, so when a Baptist sits down to read the Bible, they are going to interpret it in a doctrinally orthodox manner, which will most likely also agree with the most prominent distinctives of Baptism). Although I disagree with them on most things related to worship, I love the Southern Baptists, especially Al Mohler, who is an amazing professor and theologian.
So in summary, nuda scriptura doesn’t have the links to the early church that characterize traditional, conservative Lutheranism, and it doesn’t have the unitive values derived from a shared, well established interpretation, which in the case of the Anabaptists dates from when Luther was still around, as well a common statement of faith and denominational traditions.
Indeed, adherents of nuda scriptura will dismiss all of these as “traditions of men”, misinterpreting as applying to the Church our Lord’s condemnation of Pharisaical Jewish traditions, which after the destruction of the Temple were compiled into the Mishnah, which in turn formed the basis for the Talmud, which is a radically different, complex, and I would argue, counterintuitive and irrationally legalistic interpretation, and the fact that the Pharisees could get from the same 22 book subset of the Old Testament that all doctrinally orthodox Christian denominations accept as the minimum or entire OT canon, depending on the church, to the doctrine found in the Mishnah and Talmud, which is summarized in the Sulchan Arav, underscores the importance of either a denominationally-informed or Patristically-linked interpretation, which ensures that Trinitarian, Nicene churches stay on the narrow path of correctness.
Many Nuda Scriptura adherents, including all of those present in this forum, are doctrinally orthodox, in that their interpretation agrees with the Nicene Creed, and the other parts of the ChristianForums.com Statement of Faith. However, they still frequently have unusual ideas which are not shared, and when they criticize members of traditional churches, evangelical churches, Baptists and so on for following “traditions of men,” it makes having a mutually edifying discussion challenging.
Note that this post is a reply only to the question asked, and is not a criticism of any individual member, nor does my concern apply to all adherents of Nuda Scriptura, many of whom, especially on ChristianForums, are well educated, doctrinally orthodox conscientious and a joy to converse with.
* At least, this was the case until liberal theology, modernist theology, liberation theology, womanist theology, queer theology, Death of God theology (yes, thats a thing, from the 1960s), postmodern theology, and the theological offshoots of various other Nihilistic and crypto-Nihilistic toxic philosophies, such as deconstructionism, came to dominate in many of the mainline Protestant churches, however, there still remains even in some of the most liberal churches, like the Episcopal Church USA, a strong resemblance to Roman Catholic worship, because these denominations, which have been shrinking at a distressing rate, especially the Episcopal Church USA, are trying to attract new members by appealing to disaffected liberal Catholics, indeed “Liberal Catholicism” is now a major theological movement in the Episcopal Church along with High Church / Anglo Catholicism, Low Church Evangelism, and the ever popular Broad Church movement, which was historically about satisfying High Church Anglo Catholics and Low Church Evangelicals, often in the same parish.
This is vitally important to the ECUSA, which is at risk of literally dying off outside of major metropolitan areas, cathedrals and high profile churches due to the advancing age of its parishioners, and which also has a diocese that was recently forced to sell off its cathedral church (which to be fair was an ugly, brutalist building from the 1960s, although some people did love it, including one of the canons who took a photographic survey). Of course, a safer and surer way to fix the problem would be to stop ignoring scripture on human sexuality and abortion and accomplish a reunion with the ACNA, which, along with Continuing Anglican churches, is at risk of failure.
How do you define nuda scriptura that differs from sola scriptura?
Sola scriptura, if we look at the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Belgic Comfession of Faith, the Lutheran formulas of Concord, or in the case of Anglicanism, the Book of Common Prayer, which although primarily a liturgical manual and a prayer book, is similar to Orthodox and Assyrian liturgical manuals and prayer books in that it from it the Anglican faith is chiefly derived, although it does also have a catechism and the 39 Articles, relies on an exegesis which Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, Wesley and other “Magisterial Protestants” have derived from their interpretation of the doctrines of the Early Church, what Calvinists called the consensus patrum. In other words, Sola Scriptura churches at least seem to implicitly agree with St. Vincent of Lerins regarding the dangers of misinterpretation, since various heretics, including the Soccinians, the first true Unitarians since the corrupt third century bishop Paul of Samosata, and Servetus, a Binitarian, both emerged in the 16th century, argued their case using the same canon of scripture the Protestants used.
Thus, the Magisterial Reformers, both in opposition to Roman Catholicism, heresies, and also other reformers, especially the Radical Reformers like the Anabaptists, Puritans and Quakers, took to heart St. Vincent’s two paradigms, the first being that what has been believed always and everywhere by everyone can alone be properly called Catholic (thus rejecting perceived and actual Roman Catholic innovations, partially, in the case of Lutheranism, on the basis of what their early theologians thought they knew about the Eastern churches, which turned out to be largely wrong), and his second paradigm, which is best summarized by a famous quote from another Latin Church Father, St. Hilary of Poitiers: “Scripture is not in the reading but the interpretation.”
Nuda scriptura on the other hand sees itself as unconstrained by historic interpretations, often believing there to have been a great apostasy between the time the last book of the New Testament was written and the founding of their church. Of course, most people who use Nuda Scriptura call it Sola Scriptura, but the term Nuda Scriptura was coined to refer to those who are unfettered by continuity with the Early Church Fathers or the Ecumenical Councils or St. Augustine, whose influence on all of the magisterial Protestant reformers of the 16th century (Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Melancthon, etc.) was enormous.
This is why there is less difference in the Christological aspect of Soteriology between traditional Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Roman Catholicism than there is between all of the above and Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and the Assyrian Church of the East, but more than that, its also why Anglican and Lutheran worship is so similar to Roman Catholic worship, specifically the Roman Rite and its derivatives the reformers would have commonly encountered, such as the Rite of Cologne and other minor German variants, as well as Augustinian liturgical practices, among the Lutherans, and the Sarum Rite, Hereford Rite, York Rite and Durham Rite among the Anglicans, and in all of these churches, as well as the surviving Moravians, the Dominican Rite, which was the first pan-European standardized liturgy, and the Norbertine and Carmelite Rites, which were created for the same purpose. The liturgical calendar of the churches reflects the influence of the Roman Rites, the Anglican Divine Office was based on a radical reform of the Roman Breviary proposed by Cardinal Quinones around 1515, and after the Counter Reformation, the Council of Trent, and the emergence of the standard Tridentine mass, some of the Lutheran churches did revise their collects, if memory serves, and in the 19th century, when traditional vestments ceased to be taboo among Protestants, the liturgical colors adopted were from the Tridentine Mass.
So basically, Presbyterianism, and the Reformed churches of Continental European origin (which refer to their presbyteries as “classis”; the Crystal Cathedral and Robert Schuller of blessed memory were part of a mainline Reformed church of Dutch-American origin), the later post-Puritan Congregationalism, Methodism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Moravianism, the Huguenots, and the Waldensians, all resemble in doctrine and worship the Roman Catholics, especially the Lutherans and Anglo Catholics, owing to the implicit acceptance of the doctrine of St. Vincent of Lerins and of St. Hilary of Poitiers of the need for a continuity of interpretation.*
In contrast, Radical Reformation and Reconstructionist churches, like Baptists, Anabaptists, almost all Non Denominational churches, Pentecostal churches, the Calvary Chapel, and most Evangelical churches, which adhere to Sola Scriptura tempered mainly by their denomination’s own historical interpretation, articles of faith, traditions, and ministerial priorities, look much less like the Roman Catholic Church.
And then with Nuda Scriptura, we go way beyond that, because whereas Radical Reformation and Reconstructionist churches like the Calvary Chapel, and Baptists are entirely orthodox, and at least agree with the Nicene Creed even if it or the Apostles Creed is not recited at their services (I especially love the Southern Baptists), with people who are strictly Nuda Scriptura, there is no guarantee of orthodoxy, because they are going to interpret the Bible purely on their own understanding (Baptists, if I understand their doctrine correctly, claim this as the right of every Christian, but rather than producing chaos, because Baptists, particularly Southern Baptists and some of the smaller Baptist churches like the Primitive Baptists, are incredibly good at education, catechesis, and homiletics, so when a Baptist sits down to read the Bible, they are going to interpret it in a doctrinally orthodox manner, which will most likely also agree with the most prominent distinctives of Baptism). Although I disagree with them on most things related to worship, I love the Southern Baptists, especially Al Mohler, who is an amazing professor and theologian.
So in summary, nuda scriptura doesn’t have the links to the early church that characterize traditional, conservative Lutheranism, and it doesn’t have the unitive values derived from a shared, well established interpretation, which in the case of the Anabaptists dates from when Luther was still around, as well a common statement of faith and denominational traditions.
Indeed, adherents of nuda scriptura will dismiss all of these as “traditions of men”, misinterpreting as applying to the Church our Lord’s condemnation of Pharisaical Jewish traditions, which after the destruction of the Temple were compiled into the Mishnah, which in turn formed the basis for the Talmud, which is a radically different, complex, and I would argue, counterintuitive and irrationally legalistic interpretation, and the fact that the Pharisees could get from the same 22 book subset of the Old Testament that all doctrinally orthodox Christian denominations accept as the minimum or entire OT canon, depending on the church, to the doctrine found in the Mishnah and Talmud, which is summarized in the Sulchan Arav, underscores the importance of either a denominationally-informed or Patristically-linked interpretation, which ensures that Trinitarian, Nicene churches stay on the narrow path of correctness.
Many Nuda Scriptura adherents, including all of those present in this forum, are doctrinally orthodox, in that their interpretation agrees with the Nicene Creed, and the other parts of the ChristianForums.com Statement of Faith. However, they still frequently have unusual ideas which are not shared, and when they criticize members of traditional churches, evangelical churches, Baptists and so on for following “traditions of men,” it makes having a mutually edifying discussion challenging.
Note that this post is a reply only to the question asked, and is not a criticism of any individual member, nor does my concern apply to all adherents of Nuda Scriptura, many of whom, especially on ChristianForums, are well educated, doctrinally orthodox conscientious and a joy to converse with.
* At least, this was the case until liberal theology, modernist theology, liberation theology, womanist theology, queer theology, Death of God theology (yes, thats a thing, from the 1960s), postmodern theology, and the theological offshoots of various other Nihilistic and crypto-Nihilistic toxic philosophies, such as deconstructionism, came to dominate in many of the mainline Protestant churches, however, there still remains even in some of the most liberal churches, like the Episcopal Church USA, a strong resemblance to Roman Catholic worship, because these denominations, which have been shrinking at a distressing rate, especially the Episcopal Church USA, are trying to attract new members by appealing to disaffected liberal Catholics, indeed “Liberal Catholicism” is now a major theological movement in the Episcopal Church along with High Church / Anglo Catholicism, Low Church Evangelism, and the ever popular Broad Church movement, which was historically about satisfying High Church Anglo Catholics and Low Church Evangelicals, often in the same parish.
This is vitally important to the ECUSA, which is at risk of literally dying off outside of major metropolitan areas, cathedrals and high profile churches due to the advancing age of its parishioners, and which also has a diocese that was recently forced to sell off its cathedral church (which to be fair was an ugly, brutalist building from the 1960s, although some people did love it, including one of the canons who took a photographic survey). Of course, a safer and surer way to fix the problem would be to stop ignoring scripture on human sexuality and abortion and accomplish a reunion with the ACNA, which, along with Continuing Anglican churches, is at risk of failure.