Jersild's book deals with the challenge of postmodernity, understanding pluralism, the nature of biblical criticism and attacks upon it, and the role of the believing community and the Spirit in appropriating Scripture. 'Absolutely essential,' says Jersild, 'to any discussion of scriptural authority for the moral life is the ongoing engagement of the church with the moral environment of society and the issues that this raises for the church.' This means that Christians and Christian churches cannot simply adopt a once-for-all set of rules, nor can they simply cite Bible verses against the latest sins.
