Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Duane Crowther on Biblical Scholarship being an Important Resource


In a book on the Old Testament, Duane Crowther, a very conservative LDS author, wrote the following favourable (albeit, with some [understandable] qualifications) comments about sound non-LDS scholarship as a tool for one’s scripture study:

A good compilation of Biblical criticism and analysis. This type of book will reveal what scholars have set forth pertaining to the history, authorship, and literary content of the books of the Bible. Although they are often lacking in the attitude of faith and reverence for God’s word, they raise many points of scholarship which must be considered . . . Compare Interpretations with the Findings of Sectarian Scholars. For hundreds of years learned professors at established divinity schools and noted theological seminaries have studied the scriptures and have written penetrating studies concerning them. Their findings in many cases are significant and meaningful. Yet many of them have treated the Bible with irreverence and have led their flocks away from God. They have rejected the very scriptural basis from which Mormonism draws its strength. One should be area of their interpretations, but be willing to challenge them on the basis of revealed knowledge and inspired interpretation. (Duane Crowther, Prophets and Prophecies of the Old Testament [Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers, 1966], 17, 34)