Here are some of my thoughts on Stanley Grenz’s view of Scripture as described in a wonderful book entitled Theology for the Community of God.
The key to understanding Grenz’s approach to inspiration, illumination and the authority of Scripture is the recognition of the primary role of the Holy Spirit. Grenz does a great job at reminding us that “it is ultimately not the book itself we are affirming” (403) but the Spirit who speaks to us through the sacred text. He reminds us that “the book” points to God as the One who has “authority”, and how inspiration and illumination is best emphasized as “one act” of the Holy Spirit. For as we engage in the theological task through the interrelated sources of scripture, heritage and culture, the end goal is to hear what the Spirit has to say to us as we are on mission in our local neighborhoods. Without inspiration and illumination of the Spirit happening together in the people of God and the early church, we would have no Scriptures. For the development and confirmation of the canon required the interrelatedness of inspiration and illumination.
What I appreciate about Grenz’s approach is his emphasis on the faithfulness of the Spirit from creation until new creation. Practically speaking, as our faith communities here in Hollywood and Santa Monica listen to the Spirit through immersing ourselves in the story of scripture, the events in the past – like the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; as well as the picture of the future – the new heavens and new earth, we are being filled by the Spirit to join God in the renewal of all things. By faith our local community is seeking to be a sign, foretaste and instrument of God’s coming kingdom by walking with the poor, being agents of reconciliation and cultivating inclusive communities who live with God at the center. This can only happen through the help of the Spirit.
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