It’s true that not everything in the Bible is of equal weight. But I am worried that we have drawn too stark a line between “essentials” and “nonessentials;” in fact, I am convinced that this maxim leads logically to the idea of a canon-within-a-canon, where it is no longer Scripture that is our normative authority and the confession of faith that summarizes its main teachings. Rather, each of us determines which bits of Scripture and its confessional summary we regard as authoritative and necessary.
Michael Horton (@MichaelHorton_) is the Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. The author of many books, including Core Christianity, he is also the host of the new Core Christianity radio show, a daily Bible question-and-answer show broadcasting nationwide. He lives with his wife Lisa and four children in Escondido, California.
