Why is Sola Scriptura so popular among the newer generation of Protestants? Why are so many modern Pastor Bobs so taken with it? To answer that question, this reporter had a late-night conversation in a nearby hotel bar, with two modern, evangelical ministers attending a Sola Scrptura Symposium.
Deaconette Darlene Dimer told us her feelings about “Sola Scriptura” after the first round of drinks had been served. “I just love the idea of using Scripture, Alone!”, she gushed. “As soon as I heard the word, well, two words, really, I knew I’d found The True Path to Jesus!”
I was taken aback at her enthusiasm. Minister Tubewell, a high-ranking government official who’d heard a higher call to “Helping People”, noticed my reaction. “What the Deaconette means,” he explained, in his slow Texas drawl, “is that Sola Scriptura lets us not jes’ read Scripture, but we kin use Scripture to explain itself. That brings greater unnerstandin’ to our selves and to our congregations.”
As I wondered exactly what it meant to “use Scripture to explain itself”, my thought was interrupted.
“That’s right!” Deaconette Darlene excitedly interjected. “Sola Scriptura lets us get Scripture, and morals, up to date. Now, we can pick one passage out of one place, cancel it out with another passage from another place, and no one can tell us we can’t. Sola Scriptura is like one of those keys that opens all the locks. We can make real progress!”
“What sort of progress?”, I asked, realizing that many of the older Protestants, and all of the Catholics, had another opinion: that Sola Scriptura is sorta silly. Or, maybe a whole lot worse.
“I’ll give you a real example. Some of the older people in my church thought that sex outside of marriage was wrong. Can you imagine? And, we had a lot of people who were having sex outside of marriage and weren’t about to stop. How could we make everybody feel good about themselves and still make our budget numbers? Sola Scriptura let us explain that everyone was right. I told ’em, ‘Scripture commands each of us to ‘Love your neighbor’. Who are we to say someone does not have the Christian and Constitutional Rights to love their neighbor as they think proper?’ With Sola Scriptura as the only authority, they can’t argue with that, as long as no one gets hurt or killed.”
“She’s right!”, Minister Tubewell added, staring at her in deep admiration. “Who’s gonna argue wif’ Jesus? Who’s gonna argue wif’ The Bible? Who’s gonna argue wif’ The Constitution? Tha’s why we jes’ love Sola Scriptura! It brings ever’thang together ‘n lets ever’body do ever’thang they want. Sola Scriptura is the bes’ dang thang since sliced bread.”
As I got up to leave, Minister Tubewell and Deaconette Darlene slid a little closer to each other. I finally understood why so many modern evangelicals liked Sola Scriptura.
I thought to myself, “Minister Tubewell is right. Sola Scriptura does let people do what they want. There are no rules. There are only desires. Sola Scriptura justifies giving into desires by taking Bible passages out of context. No wonder so many of these people are so anti-Catholic. They absolutely hate any higher authority telling them what to do.”
