The Bible Made Impossible

by Smith, Christian

• ISBN13: 9781587433290
• ISBN10: 158743329X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-01
• Publisher: Brazos Pr

Summary

Biblicism, an approach to the Bible common among some American evangelicals, emphasizes together the Bible's exclusive authority, infallibility, clarity, self-sufficiency, internal consistency, self-evident meaning, and universal applicability. Acclaimed sociologist Christian Smith argues that this approach is misguided and unable to live up to its own claims. If evangelical biblicism worked as its proponents say it should, there would not be the vast variety of interpretive differences that biblicists themselves reach when they actually read and interpret the Bible. Smith describes the assumptions, beliefs, and practices of evangelical biblicism and sets it in historical, sociological, and philosophical context. He explains why it is an impossible approach to the Bible as an authority and provides constructive alternative approaches to help evangelicals be more honest and faithful in reading the Bible. Far from challenging the inspiration and authority of Scripture, Smith critiques a particular rendering of it, encouraging evangelicals to seek a more responsible, coherent, and defensible approach to biblical authority.

Author Biography

Christian Smith (PhD, Harvard University) is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame. He is the award-winning author of numerous books.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
The Impossibility of Biblicism
Biblicism and the Problem of Pervasive Interpretive Pluralism	p. 3
The Extent and Source of Pervasive Interpretive Pluralism	p. 27
Some Relevant History, Sociology, and Psychology	p. 55
Subsidiary Problems with Biblicism	p. 67
Toward a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture
The Christocentric Hermeneutical Key	p. 93
Accepting Complexity and Ambiguity	p. 127
Rethinking Human Knowledge, Authority, and Understanding	p. 149
Conclusion	p. 173
Afterword	p. 179
Notes	p. 199
Index	p. 233
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