Inerrancy: the 50 year battle

[Ruiz]

Dr. Mohler's insight and exposition on the modern debate on inerrancy is worth reading.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/08/16/the-inerrancy-of-scripture-the-fifty-years-war-and-counting/

 

[glfredrick]

The battle ground, very simply, comes down to: Is the Bible God's Word or does the Bible have some of God's words within its text?

I've watched for over 25 of the 50-year struggle and after seeing either side draw battle lines in the sand, I've decided that I don't know where to draw the line in the Word itself, and so I'll take my stand on the Bible being God's Word.

 

[Bob Alkire]

Dr. Mohler's insight and exposition on the modern debate on inerrancy is worth reading.

I'm not a fan of Dr. Mohler, our Florida boy, but he is very insightful on this. I don't know about 50 years ago. Wasn't Charles Templeton late 40's early 50's when he walked away from being an evangelist? He didn't believe the Scriptures were inerrant, he didn't believe there could be a God with all the killing of WWII and of the Jews. He was at one time the only evangelist of the National Council of Churches( maybe that tells us a lot).

Wasn't that the same problem of the late 1800's and early 1900's we were getting from Europe. Look at how many of our so called Christian school don't believe in inerrancy, or Christ is the only way to eternal life.

Vance Havner might have had it right:

"The world and the professing church first flirted with each other, and then fell in love, and now the wedding is upon us."

 

[asterisktom]

Dr. Mohler's insight and exposition on the modern debate on inerrancy is worth reading.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/08/16/the-inerrancy-of-scripture-the-fifty-years-war-and-counting/

Thank you for the heads up, Ruiz, on this site. A very good article.

 

[asterisktom]

Speaking still of the Mohler article and the issue of inerrancy. It seems that there is another way that the inerrancy of the Bible is attacked, and that is by implying that it is incomplete. This is an end-run around the Bible's inerrancy but with the same result: lack of confidence in the inspired Word.

Mohler's article dealt well on those who take away from God's Word. But we also have those who add to it, like the Charismatics and their extra revelation; and also teachers like AW Tozer, who so validate the gnostic "revelations" of RC mystics (Juliana of Norwich, Teresa, etc.) that it has the same effect as those who outright deny Scripture.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

Awesome article. Man..it makes me wanna join the fray!

 

[HankD]

Someone famous (Spurgeon?) said words to this effect:

You don't need to defend the Bible. It's like a lion, just turn it loose.

HankD

 

[Mexdeaf]

Someone famous (Spurgeon?) said words to this effect:

You don't need to defend the Bible. It's like a lion, just turn it loose.

HankD

It's a sword- just swing it.

A lot depends upon the definition of "inerrancy". Can a translation have errors yet be called "inerrant"?

Regardless, men who deny that the Bible is whole and complete truth have always existed, perhaps even from the beginning of time.

 

[gb93433]

It is not a battle of the Bible but a battle of the soul and mind.

We are seeing less and less men leading in church activities and leadership. Why? Because men are not leading them. They leaders are not making disciples. The majority of pastors are men, but are are not leading men. Listen to many of them talk and what they do. I have come to the observation that the majority of men I meet in church are not nearly as masculine as those in the classes I teach. Church femininizes them. Men's ministries are usually way down on the list in terms of dollars spent and energy devoted to ministry in almost every church in America. Church is conducive to drawing women. Why would a man want to go to a church where most of the songs and teaching appeals to the feminine side of people. Men make the church grow and make strong. Women create stability and beauty. When the men come to church the women and children follow.

Too many men approach church like an engineer and what follows is the analysis of paralysis. Pastors might do well to take a look at the military. Men in the military are willing to die for our country and fight in wars. Yet the churches are in desperate need for male leadership and wonder why they are not getting men. 90-95% of the churhces in America have women and children's ministries but only 10% have men's ministries. Usually the first person is the pastor followed by a music leader or education man, then a youth leader, an associate pastor, then maybe a real man who makes disciples and doesn't just give training union and Bible study another name. He knows how to make disciples and actually has results.

If Mohler read his Bible he would realize that the battle for the Bible is more than 100 years old. It began since man was on the earth. Just read James 1:22.

There are many who own a family Bible and never touch it. It is simply a good thing to have in a home.

 

[preachinjesus]

I appreciate Dr. Mohler and love his ability to minister so wonderfully for the Kingdom of God. Every year I sign a statement for ETS affirming inerrancy. I agree with Dr. Mohler's view of inerrancy.

That said I believe that while inerrancy is an important issue it is not a hill upon which we should die. When talking with my other Christian brethren across the world I am always more concerned about authority and inspiration than inerrancy. Some people have legitimate concerns about the nature of the text.

As well the inerrancy issue has been, for too long, a political mechanism to weed out people and individuals which some don't like or agree with on other matters. I consider the testimony of so many people I know who have ushered out of ministry because they didn't line up to the jot and tittle of what some small group of fundamentalist leaning Baptists have said about this issue. Inerrancy has been used as a broadsword to defame and damage people who have an honest calling from God. I think too often we have used inerrancy as a way to divinize the Bible and forget that it is not God. Baptists, for some reason, have too often fallen into biblioidolatry over this (and other) issues and seem to forget the true Gospel in pursuing supposed bandits doing away with inerrancy.

While I affirm inerrancy and believe it is an important doctrine, I cannot impugn someone theologically for not holding to it as I do.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

I appreciate Dr. Mohler and love his ability to minister so wonderfully for the Kingdom of God. Every year I sign a statement for ETS affirming inerrancy. I agree with Dr. Mohler's view of inerrancy.

That said I believe that while inerrancy is an important issue it is not a hill upon which we should die. When talking with my other Christian brethren across the world I am always more concerned about authority and inspiration than inerrancy. Some people have legitimate concerns about the nature of the text.

As well the inerrancy issue has been, for too long, a political mechanism to weed out people and individuals which some don't like or agree with on other matters. I consider the testimony of so many people I know who have ushered out of ministry because they didn't line up to the jot and tittle of what some small group of fundamentalist leaning Baptists have said about this issue. Inerrancy has been used as a broadsword to defame and damage people who have an honest calling from God. I think too often we have used inerrancy as a way to divinize the Bible and forget that it is not God. Baptists, for some reason, have too often fallen into biblioidolatry over this (and other) issues and seem to forget the true Gospel in pursuing supposed bandits doing away with inerrancy.

While I affirm inerrancy and believe it is an important doctrine, I cannot impugn someone theologically for not holding to it as I do.

Well brother, then you can stand by and hold the coats of those who will spill my blood over it. I will pour out willingly every last drop of my life's blood to uphold the infallibility, inerrancy, and perfect transmission of God's Holy Word.

Better yet, don't stand by..not sure you can stomach it.

In this battle of the Bible I am begging God to let me fight in...not as a general in a strategy room...but as a footsoldier on the front lines of this war.

Hooah.

 

[gb93433]

Well brother, then you can stand by and hold the coats of those who will spill my blood over it. I will pour out willingly every last drop of my life's blood to uphold the infallibility, inerrancy, and perfect transmission of God's Holy Word.

Better yet, don't stand by..not sure you can stomach it.

In this battle of the Bible I am begging God to let me fight in...not as a general in a strategy room...but as a footsoldier on the front lines of this war.

Hooah.

I will stand by the living word.

 

[Mexdeaf]

Let us make sure it is the TRUTH that we are fighting for and not a TRANSLATION.