The Obscurity in Scripture: Disputing Sola Scriptura and the Protestant Notion

Tune into any Christian station in the United States or in the West, and count the number of times you hear the phrase "Scripture clearly teaches [insert topic here]." You can trace this back to the early beginnings of Protestant Christianity, almost 500 years ago, and discover why this is the case.

Five major doctrines emerged during the Protestant Reformation: "Sola scriptura," "sola fide," "sola gratia," "solus Christus," and "soli Deo gloria." Another guiding idea, the philosophy of clarity, sometimes known as perspicuity, underpinned all of these institutions. This idea was defended in some form by all the key Reformers, and it remains important to Protestantism to this day. It holds that the Bible is plain enough that every Believer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, may ascertain at least what is required for salvation, if not much more.

According to the research and analysis presented in The Obscurity of Scripture: Disputing Sola Scriptura and the Protestant Notion of Biblical Perspicuity, the doctrine of perspicuity is not only difficult to understand, but also harmful, counterproductive, and ultimately counterproductive to itself. By illuminating the dead ends of clarity, The Obscurity of Scripture ultimately points to the one way out:  the Catholic teaching on the Bible.

Hardcover. 320 pages.