90 books in 90 days -- ecclesial reflection

Edward Farley's Ecclesial Reflection:  An Anatomy of Theological Method deals with the crisis of authority in all the traditional "houses of authority" -- Scripture, dogma, experience.  As heirs of the European Enlightenment, Farley insists, we have inherited a persistent and consistent allergy to the notion of authority in general.  So how are Christians, then, to make theological judgments at all?

That's the question Farley answers in this book.  The basic question here:  What do we mean by Scripture and what sort of authority is it?

When separated from the life of the Church, Scripture becomes, itself, yet another domineering power that Jesus refused.  Jesus refused to apply ultimacy to religious doctrines or traditions (Matthew 5.21ff).  And he refused the same authority for claims of the state (Mark 12.13ff).  This is precisely the point that modern liberals and modern conservatives both miss.  And miss in precisely the same way, even if by different means.  The remarkable biblical refusal to accept any form of idolatry -- including bibliolotry! -- means we have to be careful how we think of Scripture.

In our own cultural climate, Farley's Ecclesial Reflection offers a way forward for Christians who want to reflect critically on our faith and its relationship to the world.