D. A. Carson on Biblicism

By Matthew Barrett–

Over at Desiring God Jonathan Parnell has interviewed D. A. Carson on the subject of biblicism. Carson addresses the straw man argument of Christian Smith and also discusses proof-texting. Here is the introduction to the video:

Biblicism. Is this good or bad?

Don Carson explains that there are at least two kinds, one that should be cautioned, and another commended.

Selective proof texting — pulling single verses out of context to prove a doctrine — are often used to support conclusions that need to be challenged on a more comprehensive level. Case in point: propitiation. Commenting that this word occurs rarely in the New Testament, Carson makes the case that it’s priority in the gospel must be preserved because it is a repeated conceptual theme in the whole Bible. Just because the specific word is not often used, the biblical storyline shows it to be a major idea — even a “coordinating theme for other facets of the atonement.”

You’ll get what he’s saying in this five-minute video: