“The Reformers did not dredge Scripture for prooftexts. The Bible’s light and clarity were not so much a doctrinal source or a blueprint for structural change. Rather, when we read their sermons and pamphlets we find biblical personalities and images swimming up to the surface of their minds. An irruption, explosion, eruption of the biblical imagination of the patriarchs, prophets, psalmists and apostles took place” (Matheson, p. 42).
The first rank of Reformers were a victorious regiment, men who achieved a great triumph in a far country. Coming home afterwards, they marched for us in a jubilant New York ticker tape parade, and it was a time of great joy. The custodians of the Reformation came in after the parade, and swept up all the confetti. They carted it off to warehouses, where they have spent a lot of time and energy sorting out that confetti by size and color. In order to establish some connection between themselves and the warriors they honor, sometimes they have fierce arguments among themselves.