# Independent investigation > We have come to value independent investigation over received authority. **TL;DR** - intentionally review authorities to build a trusted interpretive community. One of the most difficult issues to navigate as a Lay Christian is that of _authority_. It is not possible for an individual to be competent in all aspects of interpretation. Instead, we rely on specialists from many different disciplines to inform our interpretation of scripture. Unless we are competent in the original languages of the Bible, we likely rely on translations of the text into our own language. These include contributions from many different scholars, committees, and reviewers. We also rely on specialists to select the best manuscripts to translate from. Different specialists write lexicons and dictionaries, commentaries and homilies. These all help us to derive meaning, or apply lessons from scripture today. Some authorities are passed down through time, but less well documented. The canon of scripture (what books comprise the Bible) has circled around the same core books for centuries, with a range of texts on the edges. It is difficult to verify these decisions today from our distant historical perspective. Nevertheless, we cannot simply follow whatever whim of circumstance happens to form the interpretive community we inherit; rather, this is something we must actively and intentionally seek to develop. In doing so we cultivate a community of interpretation based on our best investigation of available authorities. These may be assessed against one another, against what we regard as the text, and against the ideals espoused by our best understandings of Jesus. While we each receive authorities through the interpretive community that introduces us to Jesus, we value the work of investigating and refining these for ourselves.