Scholarship or Foolishness?

I read the following short e-mail interchange concerning biblical studies earlier this week which stimulated some thoughts:

Biblical scholar:
Scholarship cannot be religious. The only agenda of scholarship is scholarship.

Atheist:
Does this, then, mean that "evangelical scholarship" is an oxymoron?

Biblical scholar:
I am afraid so, which does not say that an evangelical person cannot do scholarship. An evangelical approach, not to say a plain fundamentalistic one, is legitimate as long as it can be falsified.

That last predicate struck me. Why must an approach be falsifiable in order to be scholarly? What are the implied assumptions for this thinking? I assume it falls somewhere within this spectrum.

        1. Absolute truth does not exist.
        2. Absolute truth exists but is unknowable.
        3. Absolute truth exists and is knowable, but man cannot ascertain it.
        4. Absolute truth exists and is knowable, but man has not ascertained it.
        5. Absolute truth exists and is knowable; man ascertains and rejects it.
        6. Absolute truth exists and is knowable; man ascertains and accepts it.

If there is an absolute truth, one assumes a truth-giver with absolute authority. Option one attempts to eliminate the truth-giver as an impossibility., while the second through fourth rest in the warm comfort that the truth-giver can have no jurisdiction over the actions of the human race because the standard, precept, or grand plan has not been properly communicated. If man cannot understand, he cannot be accountable. Most of human philosophy has fallen somewhere within this range.

The Bible gives a completely different take on this. In Romans 1:18-23 we find the fifth option above as the apostle Paul writes:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Notice that the truth-giver, God, is knowable through what he has demonstrated in nature. Further, mankind deliberately suppresses that knowledge in their unrighteousness turning rather to their own thought processes and replacing God with a charicature of their own individual or collective foolishness. To make matters worse, God has communicated his intentions by way of various people through the centuries. As certainly as God has made himself known in creation (Psalm 19:1-6), he has made himself known in words (Psalm 19:7-11). This dual witness leaves mankind without any excuse.

The positive side to all this is that by accepting who God is and what he has done for his creation, we can be reconciled to him for our sinful disobedience. And what has he done for us that deserves all this accolade?  Only give the ultimate gift, his son, to cover and remove the sin that separates us from him. The apostle Paul wrote that he had "delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Of Making Many Books

Yesterday, I received what promises to be the first in a fairly large number of academic book catalogs that fill my mailbox each autumn. This annual deluge coincides with the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society and Society of Biblical Literature, both in which I have membership. I look forward to these catalogs, because they are filled with titles of recently or soon-to-be released titles. It gives me a chance to see the what academia considers important for the church to address. The professional discounts several of these publishers offer are also welcome.

Flipping through the catalog, I see titles that stir my interest. For instance, there is a commentary on Ecclesiastes, on of my favorite biblical books. Because of an interest in the early church, I am drawn to a title on apocalyptic thought in that era. And then there are subjects I have yet to investigate and look intriguing--philosophical hermeneutics, post-modernism, war v. non-violence to name some. One title that jumped out is written by a former Mennonite turned Catholic who posits that Protestantism fosters individualism, and this mentality needs to be unlearned and replaced by a new catholicity.

While descriptions of these new offerings are enjoyable, for every book that appears to be substantive, there are three or four others in the same topical category that appear to be written in order to sell the cover art. For instance, one description relates how the author relates the "virtues required to read the Old Testament well." Hunh? Or then there is the author who advocates Christians living a secret faith. Maybe these two have something real to offer, but the catalog entry leaves much to be desired. And do not get me started on the number of book series being developed and released. But I digress.

After all that one might wonder how many new books I purchase in a year. Very few actually. The level of scholarship in the 21st century is abysmal. There are few contemporary authors that I would recommend. And I still hold these words as some of the best:

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 12:11-12

Someone might consider me inconsistent after my introductory remarks. No, it is simply keeping things in proper perspective: better to follow the rule of faith than the speculations of so-called teachers. Secondarily, there is simply not enough money for purchases. I simply do not want to throw money after poorly-written books so try to find reviews pro and con before buying one. For instance, I just read a post at Son of the Fathers concerning a book that looks worth my while. (Now if I can somehow get a free copy.)