Comparing The Dominant Doctrines Of Calvinism, Arminianism, Provisionism, Open Theism, Molinism And Biblicism

Biblicism emphasizes the literal meaning of Scripture using a hermeneutic approach and seeks to understand the intended meaning of a text as it was initially written, considering the meaning of words in their grammatical, historical, and cultural context. Any interpretation must agree with the context of the Bible as a whole.

Biblicism rejects the inclusion of external sources or traditions and insists on the autonomy and sufficiency of the Scriptures. The Bible is the final authority for Christian belief and practice and tends to reject the input of tradition or religious authorities that are not explicitly supported in the Bible.

Biblicism acknowledges that Nature and Scripture are mutually dependent on one another. Natural revelation is clear, authoritative, and sufficient because it is one of God's forms of self-revelation. It complements, supports, and presupposes special revelation. Scripture is the interpretive lens given to the image of God to interpret natural revelation rightly. Any natural theology that is a product of reason apart from revelation is unbiblical. Apart from faith, reason ceases to be a tool that enables humans to think God's thoughts after them and becomes a stumbling block of rationalism. God has unmistakably spoken in His revelation, and what He says is the basis for all reality.

Biblicists rely solely on the text of the Scriptures for guidance and teaching with a literal, fundamentalist interpretation and hold that God divinely inspired the Scriptures and are without error in their original writings and seek to reconcile any initial contradiction or inconsistency in Scripture through theological or contextual explanations with the understanding that human limitations and contextual factors can contribute to any 'discrepancies.' The Biblicist recognizes that the Bible does not tell us everything we want to know about everything or give explicit instructions for many of life's challenges.

Biblicists do not interpret Scripture apart from creeds, confessions, and church traditions. However, everything - tradition and historical teachings - must be tested against the final authority of the Bible. They listen to the whole canon of Scripture and do not ignore passages that present either contrasts or apparent contradictions.

Biblicists do not necessarily reject scientific findings or theories outright and may align their interpretation of scientific evidence with biblical teaching. In contrast, others may hold a more skeptical approach depending on their beliefs and convictions.

The Critics of Biblicism say it is a theological method that is unsystematic and unsuccessful in its goal, which can lead to a rigid and narrow interpretation of the Bible, potentially stifling critical thinking and openness to different perspectives and leading to legalistic interpretation. The Biblicist uses only the Bible as their authority and source of knowledge, mindlessly holding to the Bible to guide them through every situation and inform them on every issue. Biblicists are accused of bibliolatry or Bible worship and see no value in information derived outside of the Bible. They disregard general revelation and reject the ancient confessions and creeds of the church in favor of constructing a personal belief system that ignores the historical and cultural context of Scripture, leading people to an intellectually shallow, naïve view of life and misuse of Scripture.