Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation (Sacra Doctrina: Christian Theology for a Postmodern Age

Sacra doctrina

by Telford Work, Richard B. Hays

For all of the Bible's popularity both in the church and in Western culture, confusion reigns about what the Bible is, its relationship to God, its relationship to its human authors and readers, and its proper use. Living and Active answers these fundamental questions by looking anew at Scripture from the perspective of Christian doctrine. Rather than treating the Bible as a sourcebook for theology, Telford Work uses systematic theology to build a compelling new doctrine of the doctrine of God establishes the Bible's triune character and purpose; the doctrine of salvation explains the mission of Scripture in ancient Israel, in the career of Jesus, and in the life of his followers; the doctrine of the church relates the Bible's qualities to those of its reading communities, describes the relation of Scripture and tradition, and appreciates the Bible's role in worship and in personal salvation. Drawing in this way on the full resources of Christian dogmatics allows us to see the Bible at work accomplishing God's purposes in the world. Throughout the book, Work incorporates insights from the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, and evangelical traditions in order to produce a truly ecumenical doctrine of Scripture. He also interacts with patristic theology and practice, historical-critical methods of interpretation, and postmodern thought, refusing to draw lines between biblical studies, ethics, history, philosophy, and theology. As a result, Living and Active is the most comprehensive, balanced, and relevant statement of Scripture now available. It clearly portrays the Bible as integral to the economy of salvation and the life of the church, it offers solutions to the current crisis of biblical authority and practice, and it prescribes fruitful ways to preach, teach, and live Scripture in today's world.

Genres: Theology, Religion

Paperback

First published September 30, 2001

Reviews

[Monte Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Telford Work has written a book of extraordinary theological breadth. More importantly, he has written a book that signals a new day for evangelical refection on Scripture. It is a sad reality that many evangelicals are still trapped in liberal-conservative debates regarding Scripture, opting for such theological bankrupt terminology of Scripture as ‘infallible’ and ‘inerrant.’ Finally, with Work’s text we have a vision of Scripture that is theologically rich, ecumenically sophisticated, and intellectually powerful.” – Willie James Jennings (on book jacket)


From Telford Work’s “Introduction:”
“The project that follows develops a fully trinitarian account of Scripture. . . . It claims that the Christian Bible, as divine message . . . participates in the Trinitarian economy of salvation.” (2)

“This is not a book about inerrancy, infallibility, authority, inspiration, the principle of sola Scriptura, or revelation. . . . it is about something more basic and more comprehensive: the Bible’s relationship with God and its role in God’s plan of salvation. Our bibliology stares where the Bible starts: in the eternal purpose of the Triune God.” (9)

“It aims to develop a doctrine of Christian Scripture informed by three main convictions. The first is that if Scripture is God’s Word, then in some sense it reflects God’s character; and if God’s character is Triune, then the bile reflects the trinity of God in some significant way. The second is that Scripture playas a role in the divine economy of salvation in history, then the work of the Bible in human history and in the lives of its respondents can be seen in terms of that same divine economy of salvation. The third is that if Scripture is written, kept and performed principally by, for, and to the Church of Jesus Christ, then in some sense its character confers and reflects the character of the Church.

In theological language, the three claims are that the Bible’s character as the Word of God suggest a Trinitarian ontology of Scripture; that the Bible’s role in salvation suggest a historical and personal soteriology of Scripture,; and that the Bible’s inextricable relationship with the church in its eschatological setting suggest an ecclesiology of Scripture.” (10)

Work, Telford. Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation. Sacra Doctrina: Christian Theology for a Postmodern Age. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002.