EPS 2017: C. Stephen Evans on Sola Scriptura and being catholic Christians

November 13, 2017
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Labels: 2017 EPS Conference, scripture, stephen evans
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We are so honored to have as our EPS plenary speaker this year the eminent philosopher and Kierkegaard specialist, C. Stephen Evans (Baylor University). 

Dr. Evans’ address is sure to inspire faithful Christian philosophers, motivated by a strong sense of vocation. His intriguing topic is inviting to philosophers and theologians alike: “Why Reformation Christians Should be catholic Christians: Sola Scriptura and the Rule of Faith for Christian Philosophers.”

His session will be on Thursday, November 16th, 2:00-2:50 pm [Convention Center Ballroom A-E], where he will seek to unpack the following:
A key passage from the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” The Nicene Creed is used by Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Roman Catholic Church, but it is also used by many Protestant churches in worship. My question today is what does it mean for Protestants, the children of the Reformation, to be catholic Christians?

I am not going to argue that Protestants should be catholic Christians. I start with the assumption that they should. This assumption is not arbitrary, since all the great Reformers saw themselves, not as separating themselves from the catholic Church, but as reforming that Church.

This talk has two parts: Part 1. What does it mean to be catholic? Part 2. Can a Protestant be catholic in this sense?

  An outline of Evans’ remarks can be downloaded here.