THE BIBLE Twice Denied falls into three parts. The first part
begins with a sketch of Luther's interpretation of Paul. Paul's
negative anthropology, man's helplessness: "I can will what is
right but I cannot do it;" Paul's belief in demonic powers, "we
fight not with flesh and blood but with the spiritual host of
wickedness, the world rulers of this present darkness;" Paul's
insistence that sin is not an act but an invasion, a condition of
bondage, "it is no longer I that do it but the sin which dwells
within me," or, as the Augsburg Confession defined it, "a disease
of origin." Part one ends with the Council of Trent, the Catholic
rebuttal to the Augsburg Confession. The response is stunning
Luther's interpretation of Paul is confirmed as correct but
irrelevant Yes, Paul saw sin as a condition, not an act, but the
Curia never accepted Paul as authoritative. Final authority was not
in the Bible, but in opinions prevailing in the church. This, the
first denial of The Bible was beneficial. It strengthened the
conviction of the Reformers. Even their opponents agreed, their
view of Scripture was correct They could side with the prophets,
"Thus saith the Lord " The second denial of The Bible was by
adherents, not opponents. A Lutheran professor insisted that the
negative anthropology of Paul, the view of man as helplessly
invaded, was archaic and antiquated, had to be set aside. Scripture
had to be rewritten. The language and the logic of this second
denial were the same as at Trent. But, where Trent spurred the
Reformers onward, demythologizing deflated them. The church lost
its anchor. Scripture was not rewritten but rejected. The authority
of the Bible abandoned. Treasured traditions were forfeit.
Protestantism was adrift. The final third of the book begins by
citing the damage done by demythologizing, but moves to offer a
cure, a pathway to the restoration of the vigor of the original
church. Parts of the book rise to the level of Pulitzer
Prizewinning prose. Chapter Two, the confrontation of Luther and
Tetzel, is dramatic. Chapter Six, Luther's condemnation at Worms,
has never before been so touchingly told. The chapters outlining
the optimistic anthropology prevailing both at Trent and during the
second denial are classic. This book is "A Cure for the Continuing
Collapse of Christian Influence," which is the primary problem of
our time.
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