CLASH OF VISIONS
Populism and elitism in NT theology
By Robert W. Yarborough
Mentor/ Christian Focus. 116 pages. £11.99
ISBN 978 1 527 103 917
Who sets the agenda concerning Scripture in academia? It is a minority ‘elite’ – those critics who come to Scripture with a secular mindset. By contrast, those ‘populists’ who accept the reliability of Scripture and confess biblical faith in Christ constitute an ever-expanding community of hundreds of millions of across the globe. In this slim volume, Robert Yarborough, of Covenant Seminary in St Louis, addresses this ‘elephant in the room’ tension for Christianity.
The book delves into the liberal works of F.C. Baur (1792–1860) and Rudolph Bultmann (1884–1976), which seem to be enjoying renewed interest. Baur’s critical approach led to neo-allegorical ‘interpretation’ of Scripture, whereas Bultmann is known for his agenda of ‘demythologising’ the text. Why are such men, whose works have been ably refuted over the years, still ruling the roost in many university theological departments, while evangelical scholarship is often ignored?
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …