Many critics of sola scriptura, such as Latter-day Saint and Roman Catholic apologists, often claim that there are 28,000 denominations, though that figure differs on occasion (for instance, I recently heard a Latter-day Saint throw out the [false] claim that there are 43,000[!] denominations).
To be sure, there are many problems, especially exegetical, with sola scriptura, the formal doctrine of the Reformation (search for “sola scriptura” to see many of the key proof-texts refuted). However, this line of argument should be abandoned by critics of this false and rather pernicious doctrine, as it is just wrong.
Protestant apologist, Eric D. Svendsen, wrote a book entitled, Upon this Slippery Rock (2003), and one of the chapters contained therein examines this claim, as presented by Tim Staples (Catholic) and others who employ this lousy apologetic--the chapter can be found online via archive.org here.
I hope that Latter-day Saints, wishing to uphold intellectual integrity, will retire this argument, or, at the very least, modify the argument and use the proper figure of Protestant denominations, too--in reality, the issue of denominationalism is due to poor ecclesiology, not epistemology per se, within the broad spectrum of Protestantism.
To be sure, there are many problems, especially exegetical, with sola scriptura, the formal doctrine of the Reformation (search for “sola scriptura” to see many of the key proof-texts refuted). However, this line of argument should be abandoned by critics of this false and rather pernicious doctrine, as it is just wrong.
Protestant apologist, Eric D. Svendsen, wrote a book entitled, Upon this Slippery Rock (2003), and one of the chapters contained therein examines this claim, as presented by Tim Staples (Catholic) and others who employ this lousy apologetic--the chapter can be found online via archive.org here.
I hope that Latter-day Saints, wishing to uphold intellectual integrity, will retire this argument, or, at the very least, modify the argument and use the proper figure of Protestant denominations, too--in reality, the issue of denominationalism is due to poor ecclesiology, not epistemology per se, within the broad spectrum of Protestantism.
