Thomas Farrar, in “Christadelphian Ecclesial Deism (2)” wrote the following against Christadelphians who believe in sola and tota scriptura and holding to the view that the Holy Spirit (not Holy Spirit gifts merely) ceased being active after the completion of the New Testament (emphasis added):
Ecclesial deism logically results
in either theological narcissism/elitism or theological retreat
If the Bible ‘is the only source
of knowledge concerning God and His purposes at present extant or available in
the earth,’ as the BASF asserts, then how can one know that one’s theological
understanding of the Bible is correct? This question is very pertinent given
the proliferation of competing, mutually exclusive doctrinal systems, particularly
over the past two centuries. The ecclesial deism paradigm is closed to answers
given by Protestants (one can know through the internal witness of the Holy
Spirit) and Catholics (one can know through submission to a visible,
divinely sanctioned ecclesiastical authority). In fact, in answering this
question the ecclesial deist can appeal to no higher authority than himself.
I can be as confident in the soundness of my theology as I am confident in my
own intellectual prowess and honesty. Indeed, if I am condiment in my theology,
it is perfectly reasonable for me to boast about it (and I may even give my magnum
opus the title, ‘I have found it’, Eureka!, like any other natural
scientist might.) [RB: ‘Eureka’ was a 3-volume work on the book of Revelation
authored by John Thomas so Farrar’s point is really apropos!]
According to our Evangelical Protestant critics, the
"internal witness of the Holy Spirit" is rejected whenever they
discuss theology and scripture with Latter-day Saints as such is explicated in
uniquely Latter-day Saint scripture (Moroni 10:3-5 in the Book of Mormon, for
e.g.) As a result, as with Christadelphians, they must, functionally,
hold to a form of "ecclesiastical deism" and, ultimately, admit their
knowledge of (what they perceive to be) the true Gospel is down to their own intellectual
abilities (which would be a refutation of the
Reformed understanding of Total Depravity as man, prior to regeneration, is
totally depraved, spiritually, morally, and even intellectually/epistemologically).
