The Divine Authenticity of Scripture: Retrieving an Evangelical Heritage (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780830828791)

Evangelicals have taken extraordinary care in formulating and articulating a high view of Scripture. And yet the doctrine is not without its inadequacies and its internal critics--both past and present. Reviewing the evangelical discussion and formulations over the past century and more, particularly in the Reformed tradition in North America, Andrew McGowan is not content with the present state of the question. The way forward is to reach back within the European evangelical tradition, particularly to the work of the Dutch Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck. The prescription is to anchor the doctrine of Scripture in the work of the Spirit, the divine spiration of Scripture. And the contested idea of inerrancy should be replaced with an informed concept of the infallibility or authenticity of Scripture. The Divine Authenticity of Scripture is not simply a book that argues an academic case for reformulating a thoroughly evangelical doctrine of Scripture. It keeps the pastoral dimensions of the question in view and relates the doctrine of Scripture to the church's confessions and preaching.