Introduction

Is Scripture the only infallible authority?
Why trust Scripture alone and not oral tradition as equally authoritative?

Before sorting through questions of canon, the Christian must decide who or what is to be considered his or her ultimate authority. Since Christians already agree the apostles are where God has grounded His authority, our next question ought to be how God has preserved His truth (as found in the apostles) through the wear and tear of time. As a Protestant, I have been taught that Scripture alone is the final authority while my Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters strongly believe it is the Church or Tradition (for Orthodoxy, Scripture is a part of tradition) that must be our guide in matters of faith and practice. They also say only the Church can properly interpret Scripture. Otherwise, there would be mass chaos and interpretation would be based upon the authority of the individual.

In this blog, I am going to be exploring these questions and focusing mainly on the Eastern Orthodox view of authority in contrast to the Protestant view. Through these posts, I hope to gain a better understanding of other people's views, make up my own mind and one day share my findings with others who are struggling with these questions like myself.