Is it wrong to quote extrabiblical writings in lessons?
Question:
Dear Jeffrey,
I have a question and would like to seek your views on it. I have, on several occasions, observed preachers and Bible class teachers quoting denominational leaders (whom I classify as false teachers). Quotations made from Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther King Junior, Tertullian, etc. The quotations made are not doctrinal in nature, such as emphasizing that God is omnipotent or that God is love.
I am of the view that quoting from these leaders would appear to condone the idea that they are worthy examples for us to follow. It may cause ignorant Christians to go search them out, eventually stumble on their false doctrines, and be led astray. In short, I am opposed to quoting leaders of non-biblical churches. But the arguments for condoning this include:
- Paul quoted poets, and poets are not believers (Acts 17:18).
- Joshua quoted from the Book of Jasher, an unscriptural writing (Joshua 10:13).
- Jude cited a noncanonical saying about the prophecy of Enoch (Jude 14).
I believe that whatever noncanonical sayings quoted by the inspired writers in the Bible are inspired by God. Today, we no longer have that kind of inspiration from God to quote non-biblical church leaders.
Paul wrote: "For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.' This testimony is true" (Titus 1:10-13). Paul cited a quote from a prophet who was not a disciple of Christ and did not believe in the God of heaven. In this situation, Paul cites a Cretan poet to demonstrate how deceitful the people are, to the point that even their fellow Cretans are critical of them. (So it is not just Paul pointing his fingers; even a Cretan himself admits it). Titus is to work with the church leaders to address this and prevent it from perpetuating within the church. Whether the poet himself is deceitful, we do not know. But the objective here is to point out that there are unruly behaviors threatening the church.
By citing Augustine (even non-doctrinal teachings), we know that Augustine is a false teacher (a deceiver) and has spreaded many falsehoods. The damage he has done on Christianity is immense. Approximately 80% of Christianity (including denominations, Roman Catholic, etc) are embedded in his false doctrine of original sin. He has many writings published and are easily available on the Internet. We should in fact caution Christians about these deceivers, just as what Paul is instructing Titus to do. To encourage Christians to dwell in his or any other denominational leaders' teaching is inappropriate. Jesus himself caution: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
I will be happy to hear your views.
Answer:
As you started to note, it is not the citing of sources outside the Bible that is wrong, nor is it wrong to quote someone you know to teach false doctrine. The problem lies in the purpose for which the quotes are being used.
A false teacher or group can be quoted to establish what they are actually teaching in their own words. Such citations help avoid creating strawman arguments.
A false teaching can be quoted to establish what a group believes. Thus, Paul showed the Athenians in Acts 17:28 that the idea that people are the creation of a god and that god has an intimate relationship with his creation is not a radical idea. It was expressed by several poets. It also helped boost Paul's credibility among a group of scholars. The quote demonstrates that Paul is well educated.
Paul's quote of a Cretan prophet in Titus 1:12-13 proved that his assessment of the people of Crete was not driven by prejudice. He pointed out that one of their own people made the assessment, and Paul agrees that that assessment is true. He is not indicating that anything else this man had written is true.
Jude does not state he is quoting a written document. "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'" (Jude 14-15). Jude does not say Enoch wrote, only that Enoch said. See "If the Book of Enoch isn’t an authoritative book, then why is Jude in the Bible?"
Joshua 10:13 only tells us that the account of the sun standing still is also recorded in the Book of Jasher. It is not a quote from the book. David's "Song of the Bow" was also recorded in the Book of Jasher (II Samuel 1:17-18). Just as a children's Bible storybook might copy a passage from the Bible for a child to learn, the writer notes that the Song of the Bow can be found elsewhere. But just as we don't refer to a children's Bible storybook as inspired, there is no need to conclude that the Book of Jasher was inspired. It was just a book that happened to contain a copy of some inspired writing.
Quotes from uninspired sources do not prove the point being made. It only proves others had thought of the point. Thus, if I want to document the origin of the idea that men are born sinful, I would quote Augustine. The quote doesn't mean I think Augustine is right or wrong. I'm only proving the idea existed and that Augustine promoted it.
Now, if someone were quoting an uninspired source as proof of his point, then I would agree with you that he failed. We can't put the writings of men on the same plane as the writings of God.
