Written with laypersons, college students, and seminarians in mind, the purpose of this brief work is to examine WHY we accept the Bible as Scripture. Why is it authoritative for us? According to the author, the common reason expressed is not the real reason and the real reason is so much in the background that it goes unnoticed.

Chapter 1 deals with the tension between those who approach Scripture as literalists and those who use Biblical criticism techniques. Chapter 2 establishes that there can be only one source of authority at a time. Chapter 3 explores the "Word of God" concept. Chapter 4 reinterprets "faith" to provide the resolution for accepting the authority of Scripture. Chapter 5 reaffirms that this work provides a viable resolution for accepting the authority of Holy Scripture, allowing us engage in a "ministry of reconciliation" and be "ambassadors for Christ." (One excursuses explains the author's use of the term "God of the gaps", and another briefly examines how a few different denominations view the authority of Scripture.)

The author, Fred Polacek, is a retired Cumberland Presbyterian minister who served for many years as the stated clerk of Nashville Presbytery.