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Cretiquing Enns Through Manmade Theological Frameworks

Lets play a game, see if you can point out the criteria in the following statement,

“Just for the record, Dr. Gaffin has produced what is, in my opinion, the best critique of Inspiration and Incarnation. Gaffin confronts Enns’ conclusions from a historic, Covenant Theology perspective that places the canon in the covenantal sphere. This is the fundamental flaw in Enns’ work. He is not teaching historic Covenant Theology. I want to also point out that all the reviews listed above work from a distinctive theological perspective when critiquing I & I. For instance, Carson treats it from an OT exegetical perspective, Helm from a philosophical perspective, Beale from a epistemological perspective, Lillback from a Systematic/Confessional perspective, Tipton from a historic Christology perspective, and Frame from a systematic/doctrine of Scripture perspective.”

The statement goes on to say,

“The combination of these, sometimes overlapping, critiques makes for a fairly comprehensive blow at Enns’ deviant view of inerrancy. However, if I could only choose one it would be Gaffin’s.”

In other words, Enns is not judged on the basis of unbiased research and interactions with Enns’ research, but on the basis of favored theological boxes that are human in origin rather than based on God’s word. These men claim Reform Theology yet abandon Sola Scriptura only to replace it with theories and ideas that have more to do with human creativity than with divine revelation.

4 Responses to “Cretiquing Enns Through Manmade Theological Frameworks”

  1. Since I wrote the post above I will start off by saying no one approaches anything from an unbiased point of view. Enns himself would say that he is VanTillian. This means that he believes that everyone has presuppositions that they bring to their study of Scripture. Enns does, I do, and you most certainly do. You are not critiquing my statements from an unbiased perspective. You have already decided to defend Peter Enns on the basis of your presuppositions.

    I am pointing to reviews that do interact with Enns’ research. I was simply pointing out the fact that each of those men, to some extent or another are employing a loci of theology in their review. Enns himself is a
    “biblical studies” prof. He has, whether you like it or not, boxed himself into a sphere of theological study. No one does theology in a vacuum. We are not, each individual self-systematizing theologians. I would rather stand with a group of godly, scholarly men, like the Westminster Divines than to stake my entire theological perspective on the work of one man–Peter Enns.

    Thanks for posting a link to my blog though. I really do appreciate that!

  2. By the way, you have a list of “prophetic leaders” there in the right hand corner of your blog. You have “favored theological boxes that are human in origin rather than on God’s word.”

  3. Thanks for stopping by! You are welcome. I agree that we all have our presuppositions and biases. Stating that a particular group was bias is not denying that all have biases. My point was to show that they were not critiquing Enns on the basis of God’s word, but on the basis of theological opinions that man has come up with.

    So, I was not faulting the men for their theological frameworks, but was pointing out that just like Enns, they are simply committing to their own studies.

    I would like to address the following,

    “I would rather stand with a group of godly, scholarly men, like the Westminster Divines than to stake my entire theological perspective on the work of one man–Peter Enns.”

    You see, the above is a condescending attitude that needs flushed out of the Church. First, Enns is a godly man and a scholar. Secondly, the Westminster Divines are not the standard of truth. Thirdly, your theological perspective is not in conflict with just one man’s opinion (Enns) but a whole bunch of other Biblical scholars that have reached the same conclusion as Enns. As Enns have said in his book, the aim is not novelty but synthesis.

  4. Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.


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