100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura

The prolific Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong has a new book out 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura which was published by Catholic Answers.

Now there is a certain irony in taking apart Sola Scriptura via the scriptures but you have to stay within a certain framework when dialoging with others. Jesus when talking to the Sadducees only quoted from the Pentateuch since this was all they accepted.  So this apologetical pattern certainly applies here.

Now first off when discussing Sola Scriptura it is best to define terms first. How Catholics might define Sola Scriptura can be quite simplistic compared to how many Protestants would understand it.  So Dave Armstrong starts the book by quoting prominent Protestants as to exactly how Sola Scriptura is defined.

Many of the arguments Dave Armstrong used are quite nuanced and interesting and go beyond some run-of-the-mill typical apologetics replies concerning the topic.  In many ways Protestantism stands or falls on this since there must be some method of authority to answer questions. If you abandon the authority of a physical teaching Church  than Sola Scriptura makes what appears as an acceptable fallback position.  It is not enough to just refute Sola Scriptura though. Dave Armstrong as he methodically presents his arguments also sets the case for the understanding of authority presenting the three-legged stool of Scripture-Teaching Church-Sacred Tradition.  He does this in a structured way discussing the authority of tradition, authority of the Church, and then answering common arguments used to defend Sola Scriptura.

Apologetics books of this type can be for dry reading, but I did not find that here as I was so interested by the arguments made and how they were presented.   Certainly an excellent resource for the apologetic toolbox and one that goes in-depth on a fundamental topic.