biblicism

Biblicism is a scholarly and theological term describing a stance that gives the Bible primary authority for belief and practice, often coupled with the claim that Scripture alone provides sufficient and final guidance for Christian faith. In its broad sense, biblicism prioritizes biblical texts as the ultimate norm for doctrine, ethics, and church life, and it may accompany a preference for a literal or plain-sense hermeneutic, minimal reliance on tradition, creeds, or church authority.

Scholars distinguish biblicism as a methodological stance from broader religious commitments. In some contexts it is allied with evangelicalism or Protestant fundamentalism, and it is sometimes described as a benchmark of movements that appeal to sola scriptura, the principle that 'scripture alone' governs faith. The term is also used critically to denote a particular hermeneutical posture that privileges biblical sources above historical-critical methods and doctrinal developments within the church.

Historically, biblicism emerged in debates about the authority of the Bible in the modern era, as scholars and theologians weighed the role of tradition, reason, and historical criticism. It can appear as a positive emphasis on clarity and sufficiency of Scripture or as a charged label implying rigidity and neglect of contextual interpretation.

Critics argue that extreme biblicism can obscure genres, historical context, and the development of doctrine, while supporters contend that Scripture should be the ultimate authority for belief and practice. The term remains widely used in theology and religious studies as a shorthand for a spectrum of positions emphasizing scriptural primacy.