What does “the sufficiency of Scripture” mean for Christian counseling? Marvin Olasky’s answer on the sufficiency of Scripture in Christian journalism has much to teach us.
God has a particular point of view on things. You can see his view as you read the Bible. Some issues are clearer than others. The God’s-Eye point of view is the only objective point of view out there, because only God has the knowledge that allows him to know what the world is made of and what we’re made of, etc. The only objectivity is biblical objectivity.
Our goal as Christian reporters is to try to pick that up as best we can. Again, we are fallen; we are sinners; we are certainly limited in our understanding. But we do have clarity on a variety of issues.
The metaphor that I developed (which we still use at World) is white water rafting. In white water rafting, there are six classes of rapids. Class 1: very easy gently down the stream. Class 6: waterfalls.
Similarly, when we look at certain issues, some are Class 1 issues, where the Bible is very clear. Example? You shall not murder.
On a Class 6 issue, the Bible is very unclear. Example? What should we do about a particular treaty or a certain foreign policy issue?
On Class 1 issues, the biblical teaching is explicit. On Class 2 issues, the Bible is implicit. An example of implicit teaching would be the value of Christian education.
When you understand the different types of issues, you can be very direct in your reporting. Everyone is directed by some philosophy or some worldview. When you are directed by a biblical worldview on those issues spoken to explicitly in the Scriptures, you can report clearly. On Class 5 and 6 issues, the lack of biblical clarity means you should move more towards balancing the different viewpoints.
In between those extremes, there are places where the Bible gives you direction. Take, for example, our duty to fight poverty. The Bible lays out some very clear guidelines. The particular way we fight poverty may not always be that clear, but I think you can always arrive at some conclusions from the Bible. I would label that as a Class 3 issue. The way you fight poverty may not be immediately apparent. Discernment is key.
Read the whole article here.