Abstract:
Many if not most of the theological arguments during the Reformation revolved around a fundamental disagreement concerning the authority of Scripture, in relation to the authority of the Papacy. Remarkably, these arguments continue today, as the Roman Catholic papacy continues to claim the authority to interpret Scripture by the extra-biblical inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the importance of the disagreement grows ever greater, as an increasing number of Protestant churches adopt the same claim of the Papacy. The Lutheran doctrine of Sola Scriptura, meanwhile, is commonly mischaracterized, even among Lutherans, as a rejection of Catholic tradition—something the Lutheran Confessions explicitly deny. This paper will outline the Lutheran claim to the historic Catholic tradition of Sola Scriptura, and demonstrate some of the manifest historical and modern-day causes of theological dishonesty, in contrast to which Confessional Lutheranism remains a shining beacon and a summons to all people, to reflect a sincere, devout acceptance of the quiet whisper of God’s Word alone, amid a noisy, babbling, polluted world.
