The Bible

[gtmyers]

We do not really have a theology section for the ELCA so I hope its ok to post this here. This is copied from the ELCA website.
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[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Bible[/FONT]​

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The word Bible means books. As do other Christians, Lutherans understand this collection we call The Bible to be authoritative for faith and life. Together the 66 books in The Bible read by most Protestant Christians today, including Lutherans, comprise what is called the canon, or canonical (approved) books. This canon came into being over several centuries. At first individual books were used for teaching and worship during both the Jewish Old Testament period and the Christian New Testament era. At various times and places a combination of books was recognized as canonical. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians include an additional number of Old Testament canonical books, often called deutero-canonical, which are sometimes printed between the testaments in Protestant Bibles. (See "Apocrypha" for an explanation of this material and how Lutherans utilize it.) [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The 39 Old Testament books were written over many centuries, the last one around 165 B.C., and, as in the Hebrew Bible they are grouped by literature type rather than chronologically. Most Christians group these books into several blocks of literature which, except for the interspersed Writings are found in this order in our Bibles: [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Law – Genesis through Deuteronomy – first recognized as Holy Scripture by about 400 B.C. and often called The Books of Moses or Torah[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]History – Joshua through Esther (except for Ruth)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Wisdom Literature (Job through Song of Songs)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Prophets (The major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and the so-called 12 minor prophets – recognized as Scripture by 200 B.C.)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The Writings, a group (including Ruth and Jonah) which gained stature over the years until they were accepted into the present Old Testament of Hebrew Bible about A.D. 100, well into the first Christian century. In the third century B.C., the Hebrew Bible began to be translated into Greek in order to meet the needs of many Greek-speaking Jews who were living outside of Palestine. This translation, which took several centuries to complete, is called The Septuagint and includes deutero-canonical books. The Roman Catholic canon has been based on the traditional inclusions of this translation, whereas Lutherans and other Protestant denominations have followed what was included in Hebrew Scripture.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The New Testament books were written over a period of time beginning about the middle of the first century A.D. Various of these, as well as other writings sometimes called the New Testament Apocrypha, enjoyed widespread use throughout the early church. By A.D. 200 the letters of Paul (probably the first New Testament era writings), the four Gospels and several other books were considered canonical. The 27 New Testament books, as we know them, were not firmly recognized until around A.D. 350. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]ELCA Lutherans find the creative and redemptive acts of God disclosed in Scripture - first revealed in the history and faith of the Jewish people, then in God’s ultimate self revelation in Jesus. God’s emptying of self into Jesus provides not only the promise but the precursor for gathering all humanity into this divine relationship. We turn to the Bible to see where God has been and, guided and instructed by it, discover God’s activity in our world and God’s will for all creation.[/FONT]
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[RevCowboy]

I don't see what is not to agree with... there are no issues of hermeutics raised in this statement, its more of a factual synopsis of the formation of scripture. (I am not accusing anyone of agreeing or not agreeing).

 

[gtmyers]

I don't see what is not to agree with... there are no issues of hermeutics raised in this statement, its more of a factual synopsis of the formation of scripture. (I am not accusing anyone of agreeing or not agreeing).

Hi there Rev,
I get the feeling that there are lot of folks in some of the forums that would not agree with this. Just wanted to post it here, even though I know most the ELCA folks will agree.
Thanks.

 

[D.W.Washburn]

Well, folks on CF will disagree with almost anything. But, that seems to be a fairly straightforward factual account of what the Bible is. I think it was written to allow all sorts of interpretation. A inerrantist and an historical-critical thinker could both agree to it.

 

[gtmyers]

Well, folks on CF will disagree with almost anything. But, that seems to be a fairly straightforward factual account of what the Bible is. I think it was written to allow all sorts of interpretation. A inerrantist and an historical-critical thinker could both agree to it.

Yeah I think you are right. The ElCA tried to write it to fit both.

 

[D.W.Washburn]

Yeah I think you are right. The ElCA tried to write it to fit both.

Well our church body was born in compromise. In some ways I think we are paying a price for that.

At the time of the mergers, the differences weren't big enough to separate us. Now, the little differences may be dividing us.

 

[porterross]

We don't consider ourselves Protestant.....does the ELCA?

Sorry, guys. Didn't realize I wasn't in the combined threads so I changed my post. I am blonde.

 

[D.W.Washburn]

We don't consider ourselves Protestant.....does the ELCA?

I don't have a definitive answer. There may not be one. But, I would have to say "yes and no."

Luther protested the abuses and corruption that he found in the Roman Church of his day. The Lutheran church was founded in protest and, for this reason we might rightly be called protestant.

But our theology is different than that of the later denominations that took the name "Protestant." Many ELCA Lutherans prefer to think of ourselves as "Evangelical Catholics." Luther liked the term "Evangelical."

It's not the ELCA, of course, but some years ago I attended worship in a Lutheran church in Strasbourg which had "Protestante" as part of its name.