Jumpstarter 4 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 4

Clifton pushes back on the apologetic line “the church gave you the Bible,” saying instead that the *regula fidei* (the deposit of faith) “judges both the scripture and the church”; what would it look like—practically—for a church today to let the apostolic “deposit” correct both individual Bible interpretation and institutional church tradition?

Another way to ask: If the apostolic “deposit of faith” is meant to correct both our Bible readings and church traditions, what would that look like in a real church today when there’s a disagreement?

Direct Answer Practically, Clifton’s point would mean a church continually checks both personal interpretations and church customs against what can be shown as apostolic—what the early church recognized as “what we got” from the apostles in Scripture and the shared rule of faith. It would also mean refusing to treat institutional decisions, standards, or councils as if they can create truth.

Support from Transcript:

He critiques the slogan: “the church gave you the Bible… you need to listen to what the church says,” calling it “a valid argument,” but then says, “no, both are wrong.”
He asserts: “The Regula Fide… the deposit of faith… judges both the scripture and the church.”
He describes the early church response to heresy: “this isn’t what we got” (repeated with Marcion and other heresies).
He says they didn’t default to dogmatic councils: “okay, let’s get together and have a church council… dogmatically decide. That’s not what they had.”
He emphasizes submission to apostolic sources: “what they thought they could definitely prove was apostolic writings or apostolic men.”

Discussion Follow-ups What current ‘church traditions’ in your context feel unquestionable? What process would help a congregation distinguish apostolic teaching from later habits or preferences?

Jumpstarter 4 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 4 of 10