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Frederick Fyvie (F.F.) Bruce (1910-1991) was an influential textual scholar and Bible commentator. Associated with InterVarsity Fellowship (IVF), Bruce led the way for British “evangelicals” to assume positions of recognized scholarship when he was appointed to the Rylands Chair of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis in the University of Manchester in 1959.
Though Bruce continued to sign the IVF doctrinal statement, which held “the Divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct,” he did not believe it.
In his autobiography Bruce testified: “Occasionally, when I have expounded the meaning of some biblical passage in a particular way, I have been asked, ‘But how does that square with inspiration?’ But inspiration is not a concept of which I have a clear understanding before I come to the study of the text, so that I know in advance what limits are placed on the meaning of the text by the requirement of inspiration” (In Retrospect, p. 311). Iain Murray observes: “There has to be real doubt over his position on Scripture in view of statements in his autobiography. He regrets evangelical intolerance of the Barthian position. Of his continued assent to the IVF’s doctrinal basis he writes: ‘I have been signing the latter basis annually as a Vice-President of the IVF/UCCF for a long time now, but no one imposes its terms on me as a test of orthodoxy’ (In Retrospect, pp. 187-8, 310)” (Murray, Evangelicalism Divided, p. 181).
A reviewer of Bruce’s book Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free observed: “There is a noticeable lack of any detailed consideration of such doctrines as the atonement, election, scripture and apostolic authority. He presents Paul’s teaching as the developing thought of an apostle, formed out of his exceptional experience of Christ, rather than as the inspired truth of God. Whilst for the most part reaching conservative conclusions, he appears to proceed on largely liberal assumptions” (John Wenham, Autobiography, pp. 195-6; cited by Iain Murray, Evangelicalism Divided, p. 181).
A popular commentary series edited by F.F. Bruce and William Barclay (Abingdon Press) is full of modernistic thinking and historical-critical mumbo-jumbo. In the volume dealing with Daniel and Revelation, Bruce and Barclay claim the book of Daniel was written AFTER the fulfillment of the events prophesied therein. In the same volume, we are told that we cannot know who authored the book of Daniel (though Jesus Christ said Daniel wrote it). The volume on 1 and 2 Timothy claims that an unknown author wrote these letters in Paul’s name. The volume on Isaiah claims there were three authors of Isaiah. The Lord Jesus Christ quoted from both major sections of Isaiah and attributed the entire book to the ONE historical prophet, but the commentary series edited by Bruce and Barclay make Christ a liar by claiming there were three Isaiahs!
Bruce denied the eternal fire of the biblical hell and promoted the annihilation theory of judgment.
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