A Book Review: Word and Church, by John Webster- Part 1

Its no secret that the Christian community has felt the need to take a defensive posture in the face of questions that modern culture has raised against traditional belief. The conclusions of modern philosophy and science have made it difficult not simply for Christian belief to remain rooted in mainstream culture, but more importantly, they have made it difficult for the modern theologian to feel at home in his own skin. What I mean, is that the modern theologian has had a difficult time saying anything because he has been expected to deal first with all of these questions that have been raised against his craft- that is, to attemtpt to explain the nature of God's providential hand in this world among men as it is revealed in Scripture.


Bearing in mind the plight of the modern theologian, it has been exhilirating to begin reading John Webster's book, Word and Church, which is a collection of essays discussing his views on the nature of Scripture itself and its consequent interpretation, Jesus in culture, the church, and ethical reflection. Originally, I expected to wait until I finished reading this book before offering any of my own impressions of the content, but I was so inspired by what Webster had to say in the first essay, that I felt the need to express myself.


In this first chapter, entitled, The Dogmatic Location of the Canon, Webster sets out to explain his doctrinal conception of the canon. While I must warn the prospective reader that the material is fairly dense, his essential argument, which is finely nuanced, can broadly, and crudely, be reduced to this:

1. Modern attempts to account for the formation of the canon that primarily emphasize hisotorical, socio-political, and philosophical factors, highlight the human element in this process at the expense of accounting for God's providential and sovereign hand in the ordering of our Scriptural canon.


2. This means, essentially, that modern academic accounts of this process have cut God's role out of the picture.


3. In addition, Webster argues, that God's role in the formation of the Scriptural canon is fundamental to its functioning in the church, because it is the basis for Scriptural authority in the church.
   

When we look beyond the essential contours of the argument, the wonderful thing about Webster's position is that he is unapologetic about his conservative position on Scripture. He acknowledges the existence of philosophical issues for some, but makes clear that, at some point, the theologian must set those aside in order that fruitful theology be done for the benefit of the church.

In the end, whether or not we have a direct interest in modern theology and academics, the lay-Christian should be encouraged to know that there are some influential and articulate theologians representing our cause for the Kingdom of God!

Norman Jeune III