Scripture First
Author: Daniel B. Oden and J. David Stark
Genre: Religion; Church History; Churches of Christ
Rating: ★★★★☆
Scripture First: Essays on the Stone-Campbell Movement and the Future of Biblical Authority by Daniel B. Oden and J. David Stark gathers a range of scholars to examine how churches shaped by the Stone-Campbell heritage understand Scripture as the primary authority for faith and practice. The collection explores the historic “back to the Bible” impulse of the movement while asking how those commitments function in a postmodern world where questions of interpretation, community, and tradition are being reconsidered. Through a series of thoughtful essays, contributors wrestle with how Scripture, tradition, and communal reading interact, and whether a renewed interpretive lens might help the movement better pursue its long-standing hope of Christian unity.
What emerges is a serious academic conversation about the strengths and limits of a strictly sola scriptura approach within the Stone-Campbell tradition. The contributors engage the tension between honoring Scripture as the church’s central authority while recognizing that interpretation always happens within a community shaped by history and practice. My only concern is accessibility—the scholarship is rigorous and sometimes dense, which may make it difficult for the average lay reader to follow. A follow-up volume translating these insights for non-academic readers would be a welcome next step. Thank you to Abilene Christian University Press for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this thoughtful collection.
