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Fuller's Statement of Beliefs

I thought it might be helpful to discuss an excerpt from Fuller Seminary's  statement entitled What We Believe and Teach:

We recognize the importance that the word inerrancy has attained in the thinking of many of our scholarly colleagues and the institutions which they serve. We appreciate the way in which most of them use the term to underscore the fact that Scripture is indeed God's trustworthy Word in all it affirms. Where inerrancy refers to what the Holy   Spirit is saying to the churches through the biblical writers, we support its use. Where the focus switches to an undue emphasis on matters like chronological details, precise sequence of events, and numerical allusions, we would consider the term misleading and inappropriate. Its dangers, when improperly defined, are: 1) that it implies a precision alien to the minds of the Bible writers and their own use of the Scriptures; 2) that it diverts   attention from the message of salvation and the instruction in righteousness   which are the Bible's key themes; 3) that it may encourage glib and artificial harmonizations rather than serious wrestling with the implication of biblical statements which may seem to disagree; 4) that it leads those who think that there is one proven error in the Bible (however minor), to regard its whole teaching as subject to doubt; 5) that too often it has undermined our confidence in the Bible by a retreat for refuge to the original   manuscripts (which we do not posses) whenever problems cannot otherwise be resolved; 6) that it prompts us to an inordinate defensiveness of Scripture which seems out of keeping with the bold confidence with which the prophets, the apostles and our Lord proclaimed it.

When  discussing a topic such as inerrancy, it is important to define the term. Some evangelical scholars prefer to still use the term, but in a very qualified sense. Millard Erickson would be an example of this:

"The Bible, when correctly interpreted in light of the level to which culture and the means of communication had developed at the time it was written, and in view of the purposes for which it was given, is fully truthful in all that it affirms."

I'm not saying I buy into that definition. I'm merely demonstrating that the term can be used in different ways. My position is that the term is inadequate and misleading for many of the same reasons that Fuller's statement lists. Unfortunately, when people hear that a person or institution doesn't believe in the inerrancy of the Bible they often come to unwarranted conclusions. Denying the inerrancy of the Bible DOES NOT mean that:

1. the Bible is full of errors
2. the Bible is untrustworthy
3. the Bible is not authoritative

What do you think of Fuller's statement? Why is inerrancy important (or not important) to you?

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Links to the rest of this series: Understanding Scripture, Jesus and the Old Testament, Prophecy, What Counts as Scripture?, Fuller's Statement of Beliefs, How Was Scripture Written?, The LXX, What If?, Conclusions 

I'm Finished!

Liam and I went out a little while ago and turned in my last paper. No more seminary for me!

Meanwhile, Valerie and I are going on our first vacation alone with Liam. We're heading down to Catalina Island on Monday for a two night stay. We got a great deal on a hotel room because of the season. Among other things, we'll be taking a trip on a glass bottom boat while we're there.

Note to Self

Don't try to write a 12-15 page paper in 8 hours, especially when you haven't even finished taking notes.

Change of Plans

I have decided to drop my classes at Fuller for next quarter and probably will not be going back. I value what I have learned while at Fuller, but we have decided to move in a different direction. I will be taking some classes through the UCLA extension program and getting a full time job. I am going to continue to pursue a career in composing for film, etc. and would like to find a short-term job that is at least somewhat related. If you have any ideas or leads, please let me know. I plan on keeping my part time job at the church as long as it does not conflict with anything else.

You can pray for a few things if you're into that sort of thing:

1. that I'll find a good paying job.
2. that I'll find some good student film projects to work on.
3. that we'll be able to find a new place to live when the time comes (we live in student housing).

I think the thing we regret the most about this decision is that we have made such great friends in our intentional community and at Fuller in general. We plan on being in the L.A. area for some time, so hopefully those friendships can continue.

Spring Classes

I registered for classes at Fuller this morning. Here is my schedule:

Theology and Art
Tuesday & Thursday, 1-3 p.m.

Exegeting Musical Culture
Monday to Friday, 3-6 p.m.
May 8th to 19th

That second class is a two week intensive. I'm interested in the music of other cultures, so I'm looking forward to that one. I will also be taking a class and a one day seminar through UCLA's Extension Program. This is a great program that has all sorts of different classes taught by professionals in their field. Here's what I'll be taking:

Survival Guide for Film and Television Composers
Thursday, 7-10 p.m.
April 6 to May 11
 

Composing for Animation: A Seminar with Michael Giacchino
Saturday, June 3, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Michael Giacchino is the composer for Alias and Lost. He also composed the score for The Incredibles and has worked on several video games. I can't wait to tell him that my favorite theme song in the whole world is the one for Lost! (That's a joke, if you've never seen it or haven't been paying attention to how the show opens.)

Paper Season!

Once again, paper writing season is upon me. I've got two of them due on the 14th and one on the 17th. Actually, I already had one due a few weeks ago. I think the title of it was "Holistic Epistemology and Its Implications for Christian Community." I kind of fizzled out on that one, but we'll hope for the best. Here's the gist of my other three:

1. "Paul's Hermeneutic"

Have you ever noticed that Paul quotes and interprets the Bible in some strange ways? I remember asking my hermeneutics professor at Nyack College what we can learn from the way Paul read and interpreted the Old Testament. He basically told me that we can't do what he did because he was "inspired." I think that's a crappy answer! My main source for this paper will be the writings of Richard Hays, who believes that if we can learn how Paul read scripture, our view of the Bible and of the world will change dramatically.

2. "Coffee Shop: A Missional Endeavor"

Actually, I have no idea what the title of this one will be. It hadn't occurred to me that we needed a title until writing this post. This is going to be a collaborative project between my friend Travis and I. We are going to be dialoguing about the possibility of opening a coffee shop as a "mission" of sorts. The purpose would not be to simply proselityze people, however. One of the phrases I've been using is that it would be "a place where spiritual conversations could occur." Our idea is to target it toward independent filmmakers and other artists.

3. "Emergent Dualism"

This paper will deal with the question of what it means to be human. What is a soul? How does it relate to the body? I think the dualistic view that many Christians have is problematic. We tend to dismiss the physical nature of our existence. We place all of our emphasis on an immaterial soul even though the Bible seems to clearly point to a physical resurrection as our hope for the future. This paper would probably spend some time arguing against "nonreductive physicalism," an appealing but problematic view that my professor holds to. Her view basically says that there is no soul in the traditional sense. Everything that we think of as related to our souls can be explained from a physical standpoint.

Cosmic-Level Spiritual Warfare

Is it just me or does this class look a bit bizarre? Anybody else have issues with this kind of thing?

Mega Church: The Game

I really hope that some of the classes at Fuller start implementing this great new game as part of their curriculum!

My Masters Degree: Part 2 of 8

I start school again tomorrow and I'm a little nervous. We are on a quarter system and this will be my second of eight. Will I like my classes? Will I understand Nancey Murphy? Will I like John Drane, who I have as a professor for two classes? Will I be able to sit through seven straight hours of classes on Tuesdays? Will I be able to keep up with the reading? Will I write some more meaningful papers? Will this degree actually help me? Will these next three classes help my faith or hinder it? Too many questions!

Hebrew Prophets Final

Last night my good friend Travis Hardy once again rescued from complete ignorance about the material covered on a major Hebrew Prophets test. Our whole grade is based on a paper, mid-term, and final so the essays I write about the "New Constitution" in Ezekiel or Habakkuk's view of theodicy or distinctive aspects of the "Day of Yahweh" will be crucial.

If you're the praying type, and you don't mind my junior-high-ish request, I'd appreciate a little intercession this morning!

Update: The test went well...hoping for a B, which is what I got on the mid-term. The T.A. couldn't find the essay portion of the test at first. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if it hadn't been located!