The Lost World of Scripture by John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy

Reframing Scripture as Divine Communication Shaped Through Ancient Literary Cultures

Full Title: The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority
Authors: John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy
Publisher: IVP Academic (2023)
Pages: 320
Genre: Biblical Hermeneutics, Doctrine of Scripture, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Biblical Theology
Audience: Seminary students, pastors, biblical scholars, and serious readers seeking a more historically grounded doctrine of Scripture and interpretation

Context:
Written as part of the Lost World series, The Lost World of Scripture addresses modern assumptions about what Scripture is by examining how texts functioned within ancient literary cultures. Walton and Sandy argue that many contemporary debates about inerrancy, authority, and historicity are framed by post-Enlightenment expectations foreign to the biblical world. By recovering ancient concepts of authorship, textuality, and communicative intent, the book seeks to recalibrate how Christians understand Scripture’s authority without diminishing its theological force.

Key Dialogue Partners (Implicit):
Ancient literary culture, doctrine of Scripture debates, evangelical hermeneutics, historical criticism, canonical interpretation

Related Works:
Walton’s Old Testament Theology for Christians; The Lost World of Genesis One; The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest; discussions of Scripture and authority in modern evangelical theology

Note:
The book’s contribution is primarily conceptual. Rather than offering new exegetical conclusions, Walton and Sandy aim to reshape the questions readers bring to the Bible. Their insistence that Scripture’s authority is rooted in divine purpose rather than modern expectations of precision has been praised for opening productive interpretive space, while critics worry that it unsettles established evangelical formulations of inerrancy. As a framing work, The Lost World of Scripture functions best when read alongside concrete exegetical studies, helping readers distinguish between what Scripture intends to do and what modern readers often demand that it be.

Overview and Core Thesis

John Walton and Brent Sandy's The Lost World of Scripture addresses one of the most pressing questions facing contemporary Christianity: How do we maintain Scripture's authority while honestly acknowledging it comes from an ancient world vastly different from our own?

If Walton's other "Lost World" books recover ancient cosmology (Genesis 1), human origins (Adam and Eve), and Israelite conquest (Joshua), this volume recovers ancient literary culture—how texts were created, transmitted, and used in the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world. Understanding this context transforms how we read the Bible without compromising its divine inspiration or authority.

The authors' central thesis is both scholarly and pastoral: Scripture is God's authoritative revelation given through ancient human authors embedded in ancient literary cultures. To interpret it faithfully, we must understand how ancient texts functioned—not imposing modern assumptions about authorship, precision, literary genre, and textual transmission.

The book addresses three fundamental questions:

How was Scripture produced? — Ancient writing involved scribes, oral tradition, collective authorship, literary conventions foreign to us, and textual fluidity across manuscripts. Understanding these realities helps us read Scripture as it actually is, not as we imagine it should be.

What is Scripture's authority? — Authority resides in what Scripture intends to communicate (its illocution), not necessarily in incidental details of how it communicates (its locution). God accommodates Himself to ancient literary conventions to reveal truth.

How should we read Scripture today? — With humility, recognizing our cultural distance; with care, attending to literary genre and ancient context; and with confidence, trusting God's Spirit illuminates His word across cultures and centuries.

What makes The Lost World of Scripture exceptional is how Walton and Sandy combine rigorous scholarship with evangelical commitment. They're not undermining biblical authority but clarifying its nature—helping us avoid both rigid fundamentalism (which misconstrues inspiration) and liberal skepticism (which dismisses divine authorship). The result is a hermeneutic that honors both Scripture's divine origin and its human, culturally-embedded form.

For readers of The Living Text, this book is essential for proper biblical interpretation. We can't read ancient texts through modern lenses. Understanding ancient literary culture prevents misreading Scripture's genre, overstating its precision claims, and mistaking incidental details for theological assertions.

Strengths: Why This Book Matters

1. Orality and Oral Tradition

Walton and Sandy's most foundational insight is that ancient cultures were primarily oral, not literary—and this fundamentally shaped how texts were created and used.

The ancient oral world:

Literacy was rare — Most people in the ancient world couldn't read. Even among elites, literacy rates hovered around 10-15%. The vast majority of people encountered texts aurally (through hearing), not visually (through reading).

Memory was cultivated — In oral cultures, people developed extraordinary memory capacity. Memorizing large texts (laws, genealogies, narratives, poems) was normal, not exceptional.

Performance was primary — Texts were meant to be performed aloud, not read silently. Even literate individuals typically read aloud. The "text" was the communal oral performance, not marks on a page.

Oral composition — Much biblical material originated orally—stories told and retold, laws recited, poems performed, prophecies delivered aloud. Writing came later, fixing oral tradition in more stable form.

Implications for Scripture:

Textual fluidity — Before texts were "fixed" (canonized), oral traditions allowed flexibility in wording while preserving core content. Minor verbal variations across manuscripts don't indicate "errors" but reflect normal oral transmission.

Communal authorship — Many biblical books are products of communal tradition more than individual authors. Moses didn't necessarily write every word of the Pentateuch; he authorized the tradition that scribes later compiled and edited.

Hearing-oriented structure — Biblical books are often structured for oral performance (repetition, rhetorical questions, mnemonic devices) rather than silent reading (linear argumentation, footnotes, systematic organization).

Authority resides in tradition, not autograph — The "original text" ancient audiences heard was oral performance, not a written manuscript. Fixation in writing preserved tradition but wasn't the moment of inspiration.

Why this matters:

Modern evangelicals often assume verbal precision and autograph perfection because we're literacy-oriented. We think inspiration means God dictated exact words to a human scribe who perfectly recorded them. But ancient oral cultures thought differently.

Walton and Sandy show that inspiration can accommodate oral fluidity, communal authorship, and textual variation without compromising authority. God reveals truth through ancient communication patterns, not modern ones.

For Living Text readers: This liberates us from defending indefensible positions (harmonizing every minor discrepancy) while maintaining Scripture's full authority. We read the Bible as God gave it—ancient oral tradition fixed in writing—not as we wish it were (modern precision journalism).

2. Scribes and Textual Transmission

Building on orality, Walton and Sandy explain how scribes functioned in ancient literary culture—not as passive copyists but as active tradents (transmitters and interpreters).

Ancient scribal practices:

Scribes were trained professionals — Writing was specialized skill requiring years of training. Scribes weren't common laborers but educated elites serving temples, palaces, and wealthy households.

Copying involved interpretation — Ancient scribes didn't merely copy letter-by-letter. They updated spelling, clarified ambiguous passages, added explanatory notes, and sometimes harmonized parallel accounts. This was expected, not scandalous.

Textual families emerged — As manuscripts were copied over centuries, different textual "families" developed—clusters of manuscripts sharing distinctive readings. The Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Dead Sea Scrolls represent different textual families.

No "autographs" survive — We don't possess any original biblical manuscripts (autographs). Everything we have are copies of copies, none earlier than centuries after composition. Yet this doesn't undermine authority—ancient cultures didn't fetishize autographs.

Updating was acceptable — Scribes sometimes updated texts to reflect contemporary language, geography, or theological understanding. Anachronisms (like "Dan" in Genesis 14:14 when the city wasn't called Dan until Judges 18) result from scribal updating, not errors.

Implications for biblical interpretation:

Textual criticism is necessary — Since manuscripts vary, scholars must reconstruct the most likely "original" reading. But this isn't undermining Scripture—it's recovering it.

Verbal inerrancy needs nuance — If inspiration encompasses oral tradition, communal authorship, and centuries of textual transmission with minor variations, then "inerrancy" can't mean "every letter in every manuscript is identical." It means Scripture reliably communicates what God intends without error.

God works through process — Inspiration isn't a lightning-bolt moment but a process involving oral tradition, scribal transmission, community reception, and canonical recognition. God superintends the entire process, ensuring Scripture accomplishes His purposes.

Why this matters:

Many Christians panic when discovering manuscript variations (e.g., the ending of Mark, the woman caught in adultery in John 8, 1 John 5:7 in later manuscripts). Walton and Sandy show these variations don't undermine authority—they're expected features of ancient textual transmission.

We can practice textual criticism honestly (acknowledging manuscript differences) while affirming inspiration confidently (trusting God's revelation through the process).

For Living Text readers: This grounds our exegesis in actual manuscripts, not imaginary "perfect originals." We interpret the text we have (informed by textual criticism) rather than speculating about autographs we don't possess.

3. Ancient Literary Genres and Conventions

Walton and Sandy demonstrate that ancient literature operated with genres and conventions foreign to modern readers—and misidentifying genre leads to misinterpretation.

Ancient historiography:

Not modern journalism — Ancient historians didn't aim for "objective reporting" or "comprehensive accuracy." They selected, arranged, and shaped material to communicate theological and moral truths.

Telescoping and compression — Events separated by time could be narrated consecutively without indicating temporal gaps. Jesus' temptations in Matthew/Luke are ordered differently—not because one is wrong but because ancient authors arranged thematically, not always chronologically.

Speeches were composed — Ancient historians routinely composed speeches for characters, capturing the gist of what was said but not verbatim transcription. Thucydides explicitly states he did this; biblical authors likely followed similar conventions.

Round numbers — Ancient authors used round numbers (40 days, 1000 soldiers, 12 tribes) conventionally, not mathematically precisely. These communicate "completeness" or "large amount," not exact counts.

Ancient cosmology:

Phenomenological language — Ancient texts describe the world as it appears (sun "rises," sky is a "firmament," earth has "pillars"), not as modern science describes it. This isn't error—it's using observational language their audiences understood.

ANE cosmic geography — Ancient Israelites shared their neighbors' three-tiered cosmos (heavens above, earth in middle, underworld below) and flat-earth cosmology. Genesis 1 uses this framework to communicate theological truth (God as sovereign Creator), not to teach scientific cosmology.

Accommodated revelation — God reveals truth through ancient conceptual categories without endorsing their scientific accuracy. The incarnational principle: divine revelation takes human, culturally-embedded form.

Genealogies:

Selectivity was normal — Ancient genealogies routinely skip generations, arrange names thematically (groups of seven or ten), and serve theological purposes (establishing legitimacy, showing divine faithfulness) more than providing comprehensive family trees.

Matthew's genealogy — Matthew 1:1-17 organizes Jesus' ancestry into three groups of fourteen, omitting several kings from OT records. This isn't error—it's ancient genealogical convention emphasizing Jesus as Davidic Messiah.

Why this matters:

Reading ancient historiography as modern journalism, ancient cosmology as modern science, or ancient genealogy as comprehensive family records misreads genre. It creates false problems (harmonization nightmares, supposed contradictions) and misses authorial intent.

Walton and Sandy free us to read biblical texts according to their genre, not imposing anachronistic standards. Genesis 1 teaches theology, not geology. Matthew's genealogy establishes Jesus' messianic credentials, not chronological precision. Acts gives us reliable but selectively-shaped history, not comprehensive journalism.

For Living Text readers: This validates our focus on authorial intent and canonical reading. We interpret texts according to their ancient genre and purpose, not modern assumptions about precision and comprehensiveness.

4. Illocution vs. Locution: What Scripture Intends to Affirm

One of the book's most important distinctions is between locution (how something is said) and illocution (what is being communicated/affirmed).

The distinction:

Locution — The specific words, grammar, and cultural forms used. These are time-bound, culturally-conditioned, and sometimes incidental.

Illocution — The intended communicative act—what the author is asserting, commanding, promising, warning, etc. This is where authority resides.

Examples:

Phenomenological language (locution) — The Bible speaks of the sun "rising" (Joshua 10:12-13) and the earth having "pillars" (1 Samuel 2:8). These are locutions using observational language.

What's affirmed (illocution) — God controls celestial bodies and establishes order in creation. The authority is in the theological claim, not the cosmological framework.

Round numbers (locution) — "40 days and nights" appears throughout Scripture (flood, Moses on Sinai, Jesus' temptation). This is a conventional way of expressing "extended period."

What's affirmed (illocution) — The events occurred over a significant duration. The authority is in the event's reality and meaning, not the precise day-count.

Genealogical selectivity (locution) — Matthew omits generations; Luke's genealogy differs from Matthew's. These are conventional genealogical practices.

What's affirmed (illocution) — Jesus is the Davidic Messiah and the new Adam. The authority is in this theological truth, not comprehensive genealogical accuracy.

Why this matters:

Inerrancy concerns what Scripture affirms — When we say Scripture is "without error," we mean it truthfully communicates what it intends to communicate (illocution), not that every incidental detail of how it communicates (locution) conforms to modern precision standards.

Accommodation doesn't compromise authority — God can reveal truth through ancient locutions (round numbers, phenomenological language, ANE cosmology) without endorsing those forms as scientifically precise. The incarnational principle: revelation takes human form.

Genre determines illocution — To identify what a text affirms, we must understand its genre. Poetry doesn't affirm the same things as law; apocalyptic doesn't affirm the same things as historiography.

For Living Text readers: This hermeneutical key unlocks difficult passages. We don't need to defend the "pillars of the earth" as literal geology or harmonize every number in parallel accounts. We discern what the text intends to communicate and interpret that faithfully.

5. The Authority of Scripture Across Cultures

Walton and Sandy address how Scripture functions authoritatively across radically different cultures and time periods—ancient Near East, first-century Mediterranean, modern West, Global South, etc.

Cultural distance:

Ancient Israel ≠ modern America — Ancient Israelites were tribal, agrarian, honor-shame oriented, communal, and embedded in ANE culture. Modern Westerners are individualistic, technological, guilt-innocence oriented, and post-Enlightenment. Scripture addresses both, but not identically.

Same Spirit, different cultures — The Holy Spirit who inspired Scripture illuminates it across cultures. But illumination doesn't erase cultural particularity—it works through it.

Timeless truth in time-bound forms:

The principle — Scripture communicates timeless theological, moral, and spiritual truths through time-bound cultural forms.

Examples:

Head coverings (1 Corinthians 11) — The cultural form (head coverings) is time-bound (first-century Corinthian honor codes). The principle (gender relations reflecting gospel truths, worship order maintaining clarity) is timeless.
Holy kiss (Romans 16:16) — The cultural form (kissing) varies by culture. The principle (genuine affection and fellowship) remains.
Slavery regulations (Ephesians 6:5-9) — Paul addresses first-century slavery without endorsing it as God's ideal. The principles (mutual respect, Christ-honoring relationships) transcend the institution.

Application requires discernment:

Direct transfer — Some commands transfer directly (love God, don't murder, believe in Christ). These are clearly timeless.

Principled application — Other texts require identifying the principle beneath the cultural form and applying it appropriately in our context.

Cultural wisdom — Scripture sometimes offers culturally-conditioned wisdom (Proverbs on parenting, women's roles, economic practices) that we adapt rather than impose rigidly.

Why this matters:

Walton and Sandy navigate between two extremes:

Wooden literalism — Insisting every command applies identically across cultures (women must wear head coverings, greet with holy kisses, slaves obey masters).

Radical relativism — Dismissing any command as "merely cultural" and therefore ignorable (sexual ethics, gender roles, economic justice).

The middle way: Discern timeless principles communicated through culturally-specific forms, applying those principles faithfully in our contexts.

For Living Text readers: This hermeneutic honors Scripture's authority while acknowledging cultural distance. We don't escape hard work of interpretation, but we have tools to distinguish cultural form from theological substance.

6. Evangelical Confidence and Critical Honesty

Perhaps most pastorally significant, Walton and Sandy model how to combine evangelical commitment to Scripture's authority with honest engagement of critical questions.

Honest acknowledgment:

Manuscript variations exist — We don't possess autographs. Manuscripts differ in thousands of places (mostly minor: spelling, word order, synonyms; occasionally significant: Mark's ending, John 8, 1 John 5:7).

Textual difficulties remain — Some passages are genuinely unclear (Hebrew/Greek ambiguities, textual corruptions, obscure cultural references). Honesty admits "we don't know" sometimes.

Historical tensions exist — Parallel accounts differ (Chronicles vs. Kings, Gospels). Ancient historiography didn't harmonize like modern readers expect.

Scientific/cosmological accommodation — The Bible uses ancient cosmology (three-tiered universe, flat earth, waters above the firmament) without teaching it as science.

Confident affirmation:

Inspiration encompasses process — God's revelation includes oral tradition, communal authorship, scribal transmission, and canonical recognition. Inspiration isn't limited to autographic moment.

Authority resides in illocution — Scripture truthfully communicates what it intends (theological, moral, spiritual truths) without error, even when using time-bound cultural forms.

God's purposes accomplished — Despite textual variations, historical tensions, and cultural distance, Scripture reliably reveals God's character, His redemptive work, and His will for humanity. The Spirit ensures Scripture accomplishes God's purposes (Isaiah 55:11).

Textual criticism serves faith — Honestly examining manuscripts helps us recover Scripture as God gave it. Critical methods are tools for faithful interpretation, not enemies of inspiration.

Why this matters:

Many Christians are taught that admitting any difficulty, variation, or cultural conditioning undermines biblical authority. So they either:

Deny problems exist (fundamentalist ignorance)
Abandon Scripture when discovering problems (liberal skepticism)

Walton and Sandy offer a third way: Acknowledge difficulties honestly while affirming authority confidently. Scripture is God's word given through human authors in ancient cultures—fully divine and fully human, like Christ Himself.

For Living Text readers: This models the intellectual integrity and theological confidence we aspire to. We don't fear critical questions—we engage them honestly, trusting God's word endures scrutiny and the Spirit illuminates truth.

How The Lost World of Scripture Informs the Living Text Framework

This book provides crucial hermeneutical grounding for our entire approach:

1. Reading Texts in Their Ancient Context

We can't interpret Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Gospels, or Revelation by imposing modern assumptions. We must recover:

Ancient orality and literary conventions
Ancient cosmology and worldviews
Ancient genres and communicative practices

This validates our heavy use of:

Ancient Near Eastern context (Walton, Heiser)
Second Temple Judaism (understanding NT background)
Greco-Roman culture (interpreting epistles)

2. Distinguishing Cultural Form from Theological Substance

Not every detail Scripture mentions is prescribed—some are described. We discern:

What Scripture intends to affirm (illocution)
What are incidental cultural forms (locution)
How timeless principles apply in new contexts

This grounds our approach to:

Challenging texts (conquest, slavery, women's roles)
Ethical application (distinguishing principle from practice)
Cultural engagement (contextualizing gospel without compromising truth)

3. Affirming Authority Without Fundamentalism

We hold Scripture as fully authoritative without:

Defending indefensible positions (young earth, wooden literalism)
Harmonizing every minor variation (forced concordances)
Imposing modern precision standards (scientism)

Instead, we:

Interpret according to genre and ancient convention
Acknowledge textual/historical complexities honestly
Trust Scripture accomplishes God's purposes reliably

4. Canonical and Theological Reading

Understanding ancient literary culture supports:

Canonical reading (texts were compiled, edited, arranged by inspired tradents)
Theological reading (Scripture's purpose is revealing God, not scientific precision)
Christological reading (all Scripture points to Christ, the ultimate revelation)

5. Engaging Critical Scholarship Faithfully

Walton and Sandy show that critical methods (textual criticism, source criticism, genre analysis) can serve evangelical faith rather than undermine it. We can:

Study manuscripts honestly (textual criticism)
Recognize literary development (redaction criticism)
Identify genres accurately (form criticism)
Interpret culturally (socio-rhetorical criticism)

...all while affirming divine inspiration and authority.

Weaknesses and Points of Clarification

1. Could Develop Theological Implications More

Walton and Sandy focus on hermeneutics and ancient context more than systematic theology. Readers wanting fuller engagement with inspiration, inerrancy, and authority doctrines may want more.

Response: The book establishes foundation. Supplement with works explicitly addressing systematic formulations of inspiration and authority.

2. Some Evangelical Readers Will Resist

Acknowledging oral fluidity, textual variation, and cultural conditioning will challenge readers taught that inspiration requires:

Verbal dictation
Autographic perfection
Modern precision standards

Response: Walton and Sandy are making the most evangelical case possible—defending Scripture's authority by understanding how it actually functions, not imposing alien standards.

3. Limited Treatment of Canonical Process

While touching on canon formation, the book doesn't extensively develop how the canonical process relates to inspiration and authority.

For Living Text readers: Supplement with works on canon like Michael Kruger's Canon Revisited or John Barton's Holy Writings, Sacred Text.

4. Application Sections Sometimes Brief

The book establishes principles but doesn't always extensively apply them to specific interpretive challenges.

Response: This keeps the book focused on foundation rather than becoming a commentary. But readers wanting detailed application should supplement with commentaries and topical studies.

Key Quotes Worth Memorizing

"Scripture is God's authoritative revelation given through ancient human authors embedded in ancient literary cultures. To interpret it faithfully, we must understand how ancient texts functioned."

"Ancient cultures were primarily oral, not literary. Texts were performed aloud, oral tradition was flexible, and scribes actively interpreted while copying. Understanding this transforms how we read Scripture."

"Authority resides in what Scripture intends to communicate (illocution), not necessarily in incidental details of how it communicates (locution). God accommodates Himself to ancient literary conventions."

"Inspiration encompasses the entire process—oral tradition, communal authorship, scribal transmission, canonical recognition. It's not limited to a lightning-bolt autographic moment."

"We can acknowledge textual variations, historical tensions, and cultural conditioning honestly while affirming Scripture's full authority confidently. The text God gave us is fully divine and fully human."

"Genre determines what a text affirms. Reading ancient historiography as modern journalism, ancient cosmology as modern science, or ancient genealogy as comprehensive records misreads genre and creates false problems."

"Discerning timeless principles communicated through culturally-specific forms allows Scripture to function authoritatively across radically different cultures and time periods."

Who Should Read This Book?

Essential Reading For:

Anyone using the Living Text series (crucial hermeneutical foundation)
Seminary students studying hermeneutics or biblical authority
Pastors navigating congregational questions about Scripture's reliability
Christians troubled by manuscript variations, historical tensions, or cultural difficulties
Thoughtful believers wanting evangelical answers to critical questions

Also Valuable For:

Those wrestling with reconciling faith and critical scholarship
Educators teaching Bible in academic contexts
Apologists addressing challenges to biblical authority
Anyone wanting to read Scripture more faithfully in its ancient context

Less Suitable For:

Readers committed to young-earth creationism or wooden literalism (will find this challenging)
Those wanting devotional reading rather than hermeneutical instruction
Complete beginners without basic biblical literacy

Final Verdict: Why The Living Text Recommends This Book

The Lost World of Scripture is essential reading for anyone serious about interpreting the Bible faithfully. Walton and Sandy provide the hermeneutical foundation necessary for reading ancient texts as they actually are—not as we imagine they should be.

After reading this book, you'll:

Understand ancient orality and how it shaped textual transmission
Recognize ancient literary genres and conventions
Distinguish cultural form from theological substance
Identify what texts intend to affirm (illocution vs. locution)
Navigate textual variations and historical tensions honestly
Apply Scripture authoritatively across cultures

This book will transform:

How you read Scripture (according to ancient genre, not modern assumptions)
How you handle difficulties (honestly acknowledging while confidently affirming)
How you apply texts (discerning timeless principles from cultural forms)
How you teach others (modeling critical honesty and evangelical confidence)
How you defend Scripture (on its own terms, not alien standards)

The Lost World of Scripture models the intellectual integrity and theological confidence we desperately need. It refuses false choices between fundamentalist rigidity and liberal skepticism, showing a third way: reading Scripture as God gave it—ancient, human, culturally-embedded, yet fully inspired and authoritative.

Yes, it will challenge some readers. Yes, it requires rethinking assumptions. But for those willing to engage honestly, Walton and Sandy provide tools to read the Bible more faithfully, interpret it more accurately, and trust it more confidently—not despite its ancient humanity but precisely through it.

Highest possible recommendation for pastors, teachers, seminary students, and thoughtful believers.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Thoughtful Questions to Consider

Walton and Sandy show that ancient cultures were primarily oral, and textual fluidity was normal during transmission. How does this change your understanding of biblical inspiration? Can you affirm Scripture's authority while acknowledging oral flexibility and manuscript variations?
The distinction between illocution (what Scripture intends to affirm) and locution (how it says it) is crucial. What biblical texts have you misread by focusing on locution (cultural form) rather than illocution (theological substance)? How does this distinction help?
Ancient literary genres operated differently than modern ones. Where have you imposed modern assumptions (journalism, scientific precision, comprehensive genealogy) on ancient texts? How should understanding ancient genre change your interpretation?
Walton and Sandy argue that discerning timeless principles from culturally-specific forms is essential for application. What passages require this kind of discernment in your context? How do you distinguish cultural form from theological principle?
The book models combining evangelical confidence in Scripture's authority with honest acknowledgment of critical questions. How comfortable are you with this approach? Where are you tempted toward either fundamentalist denial or liberal skepticism?

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