ultimate authority. That capacity belongs to the Word, the person of Jesus Christ, who is more than a text” (Work, 2002: 258). So Scripture derives its authority from God, and among the means commonly employed by Christians to discern the will and ways of God, Scripture is primary. But the word “primary” implies other means of discernment with a secondary or supportive role. So what are they? From the patristic era onward, virtually all Christian communities
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