It is the unique privilege and responsibility of the people of God to perform the Scripture and continue the way. Indeed, the church constitutes a socially embodied, ongoing argument that claims God is good to and for humanity. The church’s lived interpretation of Scripture inevitably partakes of both gospel and culture, however. This is one reason for not making church practices the norm for Christian theology. Neither tradition nor practice can be the supreme norm for Christian theology, because each is susceptible to error. Practices become deformed; traditions become corrupt.
Kevin Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology, p. 22