Introduction to Inerrantcy Part 1

This will most probably be several entries into this blog, because of the complexity it entails. Books are written on this subject, and condensing it down to a few paragraphs will never do this subject justice. It is sure to bring questions of my salvation to some, my mental stability to others, and cognitive dissonance to most. It has to do with our scriptures. The need for respectful dialog is a must. 

According to most evangelicals I've spoken to, their view on biblical inerrancy is as follows.

Strict Inerrancy: This view holds that the Bible is completely without error in all areas, including historical, scientific, and moral matters. Proponents often argue that any perceived errors are due to human interpretation or translation errors, not flaws in the original text.

This doctrinal stance was codified in 1978 with the publishing of The Chicago Statement of Innerantcy. This was when hundreds of evangelical leaders gathered together for a three-day conference to discuss the matter. In my opinion and that of many others (much smarter than I am), it was a bit short-sighted and brought unnecessary criticism to the scriptures. I believe it may have even caused many of our youth to fall away. And created a thorn in our flesh that was not necessary.

By propagating an all-or-nothing stance (If all of it isn't true, and perfect, then none of it is) we put ourselves at a disadvantage. Why? It's relatively easy for someone to point out the inconsistencies in our scriptures. Example;

Conflicting genealogies of Jesus: The Gospels of Matthew and Luke present different genealogies for Jesus, with discrepancies both in the number of generations and the names listed.

This is just one of many items that the critics use to discredit our scriptures thereby questioning our faith, and attempting to nullify our belief system. I'll produce more in later posts. 

As the arguments against our scriptures become more sophisticated, our answers must do the same. This is imperative, by not doing so, our opponents will view us as biased, dull-witted, and uneducated.

What I hope the reader understands is, that if one looks at our sacred writings with a critical eye, the continuity of the redemptive storyline from the Old to the New Testament is amazing and does what it is supposed to do, testify of Jesus.

Bro. Scott

NEXT Part 2

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