In effect, the scholastic theological agenda meant that the ongoing task of reading the Bible as text was superseded by the publication of the skilled theologian's magnum opus. If the goal of the theological inquiry was to extrapolate the system of propositions the divine Communicator had inscripturated in the pages of the text, it would seem that systematic theology could--and eventually would--make the Bible superfluous. Why should the sincere believer continue to read the Bible when biblical truth--correct doctrine--is more readily at hand int he latest systematic compilation offered by the skilled theologian? Why read, that is, for any reason except to determine for oneself that the theologian's conclusions are indeed biblical truth--that this theologian had captured the one, true biblical system of doctrine?...In this way, theologians exchanged the desire to give voice to the text itself for the attempt to read through the texts to the doctinal system the texts concealed. Despite the well-meaning, lofty intentions of conservative thinkers to honor the Bible as scripture, their approach in effect contributed to the silencing of the text in the church.
Stanley Grenz and John Franke, Beyond Foundationalism (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001), 63.
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