Christianity, Cults and Culture

So How Closed Is the Canon?

January 22, 2024

Transcript:

“And dealing with the Revelation and dealing with the understanding, I also say that we are people of the book. You have heard that we’ve talked about the ability to speak on the same level, or write on the same level of authority of the scriptures. And I most assuredly believe that tonight.”

Commentary:

Ray asserts that the COGR is characterized as “people of the book,” a claim that should be challenged. Over the past forty years, the COGR has developed an extensive mythology, which is integrated into their interpretive method. Generally, the common perception of “people of the book” consists of those who interpret Scripture without incorporating external ideas. The COGR is not included in that grouping.

Ray contends that he speaks and writes with the same level of authority as scripture, a claim not unique to him, as other individuals and groups make similar assertions. Some even have volumes of new scripture that their followers read. However, I question the legitimacy of such claims and the authority to interpret or write scripture. Ray, like others, lacks evidence for his unprovable assertion. If his claims were authentic, one would expect God to provide verification, as was the case with past prophets and apostles.

Contrary to the belief in an ongoing scripture-writing authority, most scholars, authors, and religious leaders recognize the closure of the canon. They typically limited the ability to write scripture to the original twelve apostles and their close associates who knew Jesus. The authority of these apostles, marked by their divine influence and their reception of the Holy Spirit, formed the foundation of the New Testament church. The church’s historical consensus was that once the original apostles passed away, it was the end of an era. New apostles were not appointed. This closure of the canon helped minimize the corruption of Christian orthodoxy.

The early church fathers played a significant role in establishing the consensus that the canon was closed and emphasized the importance of the original 12 apostles and their unique authority. Currently, rare instances of individuals claiming to interpret and write scripture under divine guidance are met with skepticism. It appears that for the last two thousand years the claim of religious leaders to have received divine inspiration to interpret and write Scripture has stemmed from an unstable mental state or a lack of integrity. It is hard to see this as anything else.