Reflective Wanderer

The modern church is, by and large, disconnected with its past. This is, no doubt, an unlooked for result of the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura, yet the Reformers themselves had a much more balanced perspective on the importance of church fathers. If one looks at the average seminary curriculum, there is little to no actual study on the works of the church fathers. Fifteen-hundred of some of the greatest years of the church lie neglected. If you’re Reformed or Lutheran you at least look back 500 years to the Reformers, and as to the modern Baptist or non-denominationals they simply don’t look past the latest publications (well almost). Don’t believe me? Look it up, most seminaries publish course lists. I’m sure there are exceptions, but on the whole, the western church is literally flying blind on their own ideas. This is one of the main reasons we are so shallow, we lack continuity with the past. It’s not like pastors get all they need from studying their Bibles alone. Look at the productions of new books, commentaries, aids, theologies, and books galore, being bought and sold. Even if the pastors neglected all books but the Bible this would not be very healthy. It has been given to the church to be the “pillar and ground of the truth,” not an individual with his Bible. The right interpretation of Scripture should not be divorced from tradition and community. It’s not only a matter of private interpretation and should not be isolated from the church or from church history. It is therefore incumbent upon us to match our interpretation of the Bible to the creeds and confessions of the past and authority of church assemblies today, so long as they are faithful to the clear teaching of the divine Word. The modern church’s emphasis on private interpretation is against the Word of God, and the teaching of the church fathers, and reformers. The more I read of the church fathers, the more I’m blown away by their precision, philosophical insight, and broader worldview; they weren’t moderns. Read St. Athanasius and his brilliant look at the implications of the incarnation, or the Apostolic Fathers who, though far less keenly educated than their later successors, were deeply devout, or St. Augustine with his monumental works that established Christendom for centuries, Middle age scholars like Anslem of Canterbury on Christian philosophy have much to offer, or John of Damascus on how God is pure being, to name a few. This narrow provincialism needs to end, and it’s my hope that a more intellectually sturdy, balanced, aesthetically beautiful, and unified church culture will be the result, in some small way at least.