Carson vs Piper

Have a look at this video excerpt from the Gospel Coalition:

It is a friendly but important disagreement. On the one hand, you have the great preacher John Piper insisting that the text of Scripture itself is sufficient in and of itself to convey God’s truth. As a result, he says, he would prefer a preacher to become expert in the text itself and not in the historical background to the text.

Don Carson, the scholar and theologian, begs to differ. As Carson sees it, the historical background to the Bible is indispensable for its right interpretation. In fact, without knowledge of the historical context, says Carson, it is likely that a preacher will misinterpret the text entirely, however pious his motives and prayerful his study. To read more, click here.