A call to a new Reformation in the teaching and life of Jesus' followers
Though I’m far from exhausting the issue of Biblical inspiration, I think it might be useful to turn aside for a moment and look at why I’m going down this road at all. I already stated at the outset that one primary reason is that we have no business making a doctrinal-level claim that cannot be conclusively supported on Biblical texts alone. That is, if … Continue reading Why it matters
I have contended in previous posts that the conventional Christian position designating the entire Biblical canon to be the “Word of God” is in error. But this is not to say that we do not have the Word of God available to us. . .quite the contrary. The role of the “workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 … Continue reading Biblical Inspiration part 4 – Rightly Dividing the Word
Note, please see the follow-on to this discussion linked at the end of this article. “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. . .” (NRSV). Doesn’t this verse conclusively state that our Bible comes straight from God? Well, not exactly. First of all we have to look at the word “Scripture.” While … Continue reading Biblical Inspiration Part 3: But what about 2 Tim. 3:16?
One might reasonably ask whether, when I argue against the inerrancy doctrine of Biblical inspiration, I might not be undercutting the very foundation of our Christian faith. To this I answer an unequivocal “no.” At its core, our faith is not in any text, but rather in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh who dwelt among us, “For no one can lay … Continue reading Biblical Inspiration – Part 2: The Foundation of our Faith
Most Christian churches teach a doctrine about the Bible that comes from outside the Bible itself. The Bible is variously described as the Word of God, the Inspired word of God, and similar terms. Many (most?) Evangelical and/or fundamentalist churches hold to a doctrine they call “Verbal and Plenary Inspiration,” (“verbal:” the words are inspired, and “plenary:” all the words are inspired) which to many … Continue reading Biblical Inspiration, Part 1 – The Error of Inerrancy
Those of you fans of church history have probably already guessed the reason for the title, but for the rest: In 1517, a Catholic priest named Martin Luther realized through his study of the Bible that the current doctrine in his church was messed up–so messed up that some pretty central teachings of the church flew completely in the face of the God he saw … Continue reading Nailing it to the door