Document Type
Book Review
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Nemes correctly identifies the key difference between Protestantism and its Catholic and Orthodox siblings as not being about justification, transubstantiation, or the Marian dogmas, but as rooted in the question of theological authority: are there individuals or groups in the church who have “the standing to tell other persons (not) to do or believe something for the sake of friendship with God” (xiii)? Nemes’s contention is that only God has such authority, and he makes the case for this claim in this book primarily by appealing to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The analysis of the New Testament is thus central here, while related philosophical and historical issues are discussed in two of his other books (Nemes 2022 and 2023).
Recommended Citation
Choi, Isaac, "Review of Steven Nemes, Theological Authority in the Church: Reconsidering Traditionalism and Hierarchy" (2025). Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology. 458.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ccs/458
Comments
Originally published in Choi, Isaac. “Steven Nemes. Theological Authority in the Church: Reconsidering Traditionalism and Hierarchy.” Journal of Analytic Theology, vol. 12, 3 Nov. 2025, pp. 743–747, https://doi.org/10.12978/jat.2024-12.081802020708.