Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 10
On the Apocrypha, Adam says they are “secondary… but useful for instruction,” not to be feared, and helpful because the New Testament alludes to them; how does that stance compare to how your church tradition treats non-canonical writings, and what concrete changes (reading plans, preaching references, private study) would honestly follow if you accepted his “read privately, not publicly” framing?
Another way to ask: Adam says the Apocrypha is not Scripture but can still help teach us, and should be read privately, not in church. How does that compare with your church’s view, and what would you actually change (reading, preaching, or personal study) if you agreed with him?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Adam’s stance treats the Apocrypha as beneficial and spiritually informative without placing it on the same level as the Old and New Testaments. If a church accepted his “private, not public” framing, it would likely encourage personal reading and occasional explanatory reference, while keeping preaching and primary doctrine anchored in the canonical Scriptures.
- He defines “apocryphal” historically as books “that should be read privately, not publicly in church.”
- He says the NT contains “allusions to apocryphal books… important allusions,” but he doesn’t think there are “direct quotations.”
- He testifies personally: he has read them and finds them “very interesting and inspiring… some of the most interesting and inspiring books” related to faith.
- He summarizes: “secondary to the New Testament and the Old Testament, but useful for instruction,” and “should not be the primary focus of teaching and preaching.”
- He encourages practice: “I would encourage people to read them,” and for teachers “to refer… from time to time to illuminate texts of the New Testament.”
- He notes canon disagreements and adopts a “deutero-canonical… secondary” way of thinking, saying whether they’re “canonical or not” won’t change how he uses them.