Jumpstarter 2 of 10

Direct Answer Clifton’s approach requires us to be willing to say “no” even to admired Christian voices when their handling of Scripture softens or reshapes what the text actually says. It calls for humility toward teachers, but a stronger loyalty to the plain authority of Scripture.

Support from Transcript:

• He states his rule clearly: “The Bible is received as the sole and fallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice.”
• He models disagreement with a favorite author: “I like Justin Martyr, but when he thinks that David’s concubines are just an allegory… I said, no, I think you’re wrong, Justin. He had concubines.”
• The moral pressure in the example is explicit: Justin “couldn’t handle the idea of King David having concubines,” so he allegorized it.
• Clifton repeatedly highlights what the early church relied on: “They reason and they argue from the scriptures.”
• He says you don’t get the same “vocabulary” of divine authority for other sources as you do for Scripture (“accepted it… as what it really is, the Word of God”).