Adventist Views on Inspiration 3

BY ALBERTO R. TIMM* dations found special space in his partial reading of the Bible and of “casebook” (as opposed to “code - the writings of Ellen White. Frank book”) approach to Scripture. Holbrook and Leo Van Dolson even For Thompson, “the one great law alleged in the preface that Thomp - of love,” the two commandments to son’s study illustrated “the fruits of love God and to love humanity, and the historical-critical method,” ADVENTIST VIEWS the Ten Commandments “form a which had been regarded by the pyramid of law that embodies the 1986 Annual Council as “unaccept - eternal principles of God’s kingdom,” able” for Adventists. 5 which are normative “to all mankind While the previous developments ON INSPIRATION at all times everywhere.” “All other of the Seventh-day Adventist doc - biblical laws are applications of those trine of inspiration have been largely principles in time and place.” 2 confined to the phenomena of His casebook approach to Scrip - Scripture and the writings of Ellen Conflicting views of inspiration among Seventh-day ture also provided for a high position White, Fernando Canale, professor for human reason. According to him, of systematic theology at Andrews Adventist scholars indicate that they are still divided in their “the casebook approach allows us—in - University, in the summer of 1993 personal understanding of this important topic. deed, forces us—to recognize that reve - began a five-part series in the An - lation and reason must work together. drews University Seminary Studies , uring the period of 1991-2000, suggested that “the most crucial Revelation always deals with specific proposing a “new approach” to the Alden Thompson’s Inspiration: point” of his book was perhaps the cases. Reason, in dialogue with the doctrine of revelation and inspira - Hard Questions, Honest Answers idea that “the Bible does not say that Spirit, determines which of those cases tion. Canale suggested that “a new (1991) brought the debate on all Scripture was given by revelation.” 1 are most helpful in informing the deci - theological model about the origin D 3 inspiration down from the Thompson evidently intended to sions we make day by day.” of Scripture” could be developed on scholarly realm into the church level. come up with a model of inspiration Thompson’s book was controver - the basis of an understanding of The author, a professor of biblical that could provide enough room for sial from the very beginning. While God and of human nature derived studies at Walla Walla College, re - both difficulties and cultural accom - some endorsed the book, others from Scripture rather than from garded revelation in this book as modations. Room for errors, mis - strongly opposed it. The most signif - Greek philosophical concepts. “some kind of special input from takes, and “fatal contradictions” in icant response to it was the Adventist Canale criticized conventional God, a message from Him to His the Bible (although Thompson tried Theological Society’s Issues in Reve - Rom an Catholic and Protestant mod - creatures on earth” and as “a visible or to avoid such words) was provided lation and Inspiration (1992), 4 with els of revelation-inspiration for their audible intervention by God.” He de - by the human side of his “incarna - articles by Raoul Dederen (two), indebtedness to a timeless view of fined inspiration as “the Spirit’s spe - tional model.” Cultural accommo - Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, Norman God and to an immortalist concept of cial urging of a messenger to speak or Gulley, Richard Davidson, Gerhard the human soul. He explained, in re - write” and “a means to indicate that *Alberto R. Timm, Ph.D., is rector of Hasel, Randall Younker, Frank Hasel, gard to the concept of God, that the Holy Spirit has been active in a the Latin-American Adventist Theo - and Miroslav Kis. “when God is conceived to act within special way.” While acknowledging logical Seminary (LATS), South- The basic consensus of those au - a timeless realm, the theological con - that “all Scripture is given by inspira - American Division of SDAs, Brasilia, thors was that Alden Thompson’s tent of Scripture (which is brought tion” (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16), Thompson DF, Brazil. model of inspiration was based on a into being by God) will also pertain 44 45 to the timeless realm. In this case, the grammatical method and the liberal In 1995, Robert S. Folkenberg, then president of the historical side of Scripture is consid - historical-critical method). Canale ered to belong, not to its divine cause, dealt with this new methodology in General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, stated in the but rather to the human condition some later publications. Adventist Review that “our unequivocal, historic emphasis necessary for the expression of its di - The spring 1994 issue of the Jour - upon the divine inspiration and trustworthiness of Scripture vinely (timelessly) originated con - nal of the Adventist Theological Society tent. Thus, the Scriptures are said to came out with several papers on in - has strengthened our church. It has helped us resist the error be ‘historically conditioned.’ On the spiration presented at the 1993 Schol - of treating some parts of Scripture as God’s Word, while contrary, the concept that God is ca - ars’ Convention of the Adventist The - pable of acting genuinely in history ological Society, which convened in ignoring or rejecting other parts. (that is, ‘historically’) leads to a con - Wash ington, D.C., on November 18, ception of the biblical writings as and Silver Spring, Maryland, on No - being ‘historically constituted.’ Ac - vember 19-20, 1993. The overall tenor cording to the former view, the his - of those papers was the emphasis on landmarks in that debate was Samuel technique” in which “at one extreme torical side of Scripture is external the infallibility of Scripture, with spe - Koranteng-Pipim’s provocative book it sets up the ‘right’ position, which and incidental to its religious and the - cific responses to some charges raised Receiving the Word . Pipim, who was at is very, very right, while at the other ological contents; according to the against the trustworthiness of the that time a Ph.D. candidate in system - extreme is the ‘wrong’ position, lat ter view, the historical side of Bible. atic theology at Andrews University, which is very, very wrong.” 12 Knight’s Scrip ture belongs to the very essence In 1995, Robert S. Folkenberg, called the attention of his readers to a own view of inspiration was more of its divinely revealed and inspired then president of the General Con - significant variety of historical-criti - clearly expressed in his book Read - contents.” 6 ference of Seventh-day Adventists, cal attempts to undermine the au - ing Ellen White , in which he argued The development of a new model stated in the Adventist Review that thority of the Scriptures within the (1) that “inspiration is not infallible, of revelation-inspiration based on the “our unequivocal, historic emphasis Seventh-day Ad ventist Church. He inerrant, or verbal” 13 ; (2) that several sola Scriptura principle would re - upon the divine inspiration and also tried to uplift the trustworthiness factual “mistakes” can be found in quire, according to Canale, the para - trustworthiness of Scripture has of the Bible by demonstrating that the inspired writings 14 ; and (3) that digmatic shift to a “temporal-histori - strengthened our church. It has many of its alleged “errors” are either those writings are infallible only “as cal conception of God’s being and helped us resist the error of treating distortions added in the transmission a guide to salvation.” 15 The views of actions” that allows Him to act “his - some parts of Scripture as God’s process of its original text, or short - Pipim, on one side, and of Knight, torically in history.” The multiform Word, while ignoring or rejecting cuts in our present understanding of on the other, are representative of “divine revelatory activity” in history other parts. If we accept it as God’s its true meaning. 10 the two main conflicting poles was viewed as comprising “theo - Word, we must accept it all, whether That not everybody fully agreed around which gravitate the contem - phanic, direct writing, prophetic, his - or not we like what it says. To us the with Pipim’s approach is evident porary discussions on inspiration. torical, and existential” patterns, 7 sup - Scriptures should be the ultimate from George R. Knight’s response to Meanwhile, the concept of models porting the notion that “the whole revelation of God’s will for our it. Knight, a professor of church his - of inspiration was much further de - Bible is revealed and the whole Bible lives.” 9 tory at the Seventh-day Adventist veloped in 1996 by Juan Carlos Viera, is inspired.” 8 For Canale, this change Several other publications helped Theological Seminary, criticized director of the Ellen G. White Estate, of paradigm would require also “a to keep alive the ongoing debate on Pipim (1) for still believing in “in - in his Adventist Review article entitled new exegetical methodology” (differ - inspiration during the second half of errancy and verbalism” 11 and (2) for “The Dynamics of Inspiration.” While ent from both the classic historical- the 1990s. One of the most influential using the “well-known debater’s George Rice had spoken only of two 46 47 Rejecting “verbal, inerrant inspiration” for implying that the wrong with that—because we all un - a “court stenographer,” Douglass ar - gued for “thought inspiration” be - prophet would have to function simply as a “recording ma - derstand what they mean: that what we may be reading at the moment cause “God inspires the prophet, not chine” or as a “court stenographer,” Herbert Douglass argued comes from a mind inspired by the his or her words.” But the “divinely re - for “thought inspiration” because “God inspires the prophet, Spirit of God.

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