The Influence of the Doctrine of Scripture: How Beliefs about the Bible Affect the Way It Is Read

All over the UK, Evangelical Anglicans read and study the Bible, in churches and in homes, in groups and as individuals. They do this because they believe the Bible is God’s word, a collection of texts that is authoritative, inspired, consistent, clear and sufficient. But what does this mean for the way the Bible is read? Should the Bible always be read as historically accurate? As theologically accurate? As relevant for today? In other words, how do the beliefs that such readers have about the nature of the Bible, affect the way that they interpret and the conclusions that they come to? To answer these questions, Anna Hutchinson conducted field work analysing Evangelical Anglicans as they study the Bible. Utilizing qualitative methodology, she argues that the doctrine of Scripture is often narrowly conceived amongst Evangelical Anglicans, such that its influence in interpretation is often qualified and overshadowed by various factors including beliefs about God, genre and personal experience.