NEWS PROVIDED BY
Catholic Answers
Aug. 13, 2024

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 13, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Every argument between Catholics and Protestants boils down to one issue: authority. And that means a dispute over the core Protestant principle of sola scriptura: the belief that the Bible alone is the final, inerrant authority for Christian doctrine and practice.

Many books about this topic have been written from both sides, invoking Scripture and Church history to support or refute it from a theological perspective. But a new book from Catholic Answers Press offers a fresh take on sola scriptura: asking, is it practical?

Sola Scriptura Doesn't Work, by veteran apologist Joel S. Peters, is the first book to leave aside the familiar arguments about whether "Bible alone" is actually biblical. Instead, it evaluates the truth of this core Reformation doctrine according to its real-world suitability as a rule of faith.

"If Jesus had intended the Bible to be the Christian's only final authority," says Todd Aglialoro, director of publishing for Catholic Answers, "it stands to reason that it must be able perform that function effectively over time—or else Jesus' saving mission would fail and many souls would be lost. For it to be true, sola scriptura needs to be more than an intellectually plausible theory. It needs to do its job."

And so, Peters looks at twenty-five questions designed to test sola scriptura's practicality. Does the doctrine clearly explain itself? Does it produce and maintain a biblical canon? Does it make Christian teaching accessible to the masses? Does it preserve from error those who read and interpret it for themselves? Does it promote Christian unity? The answers to these questions and others lay bare a deeply flawed doctrine that can't possibly reflect God's will for his people.

About the Author:
Joel S. Peters is a teacher, catechist, and lay minister.

SOURCE Catholic Answers

CONTACT: Kerry Beck, 619-387-7200, kbeck@catholic.com