Biblical Authority Notes - Paul Littleton

I know I didn't pass out any notes today, but I thought I'd briefly jot down my talking points from our meeting.

• First, just over 60% of the Bible is narrative. That includes over half of the New Testament (if we at least consider the Gospels as being a form of narrative). Does that/how does that inform our view of the Bible's authority? In what ways are stories authoritative? Does what we read in a book of history differ from a lawn mower manual? Is the Bible more like a book telling a historical story or a manual for human life? What does that mean for the Bible's authority?

Something related that I didn't mention, but that should be considered as well is this: a good bit of the remaining parts of the Old Testament that aren't narrative are poetry. In what ways are poems authoritative?

• Second, if I were to write a Systematic Theology today I would likely order my topics differently than most do. One major change that I would likely make is to deal with the Scriptures as a subset in a discussion of the Holy Spirit. To me, the Scriptures, while authoritative, find their authority in the one who both breathed them and continues to make them real to us both individually and as the church - the Spirit of God. Absolute authority rests in God himself. The Scriptures find their authority through and because of Him. Apart from the work of the Spirit the Bible is just another book. Through the Spirit the Bible becomes something so much more, and becomes authoritative for us.

Hopefully Kyle will post the quotes he passed out. There is so much in those quotes that I attempted to say, but that do a much better job than I do.

Feel free to continue the discussion here in comments.