Essay about Theo: Bible and Inerrancy

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Biblical Inerrancy: In Search of the Truth

Submitted to Dr. Todd Buck, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course

THEO 525-DO6
Systematic Theology I

by

William K. Resor Jr.
August 17, 2014

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Biblical Inerrancy Defined 1
The Debate................................................................................................... 3
Inerrancy and the Christian Faith.....................................................................................................4
Limited Inerrancy and Subjectivism................................................................................................5
Oppositional Arguments..................................................................................................................6
Slippery Slope..................................................................................................................................9
Historical Argument.......................................................................................................................10
Biblical Argument..........................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................13

There are many documents in circulation throughout the world. They serve a myriad of purposes. Some are for the pleasure of the reader with illustrated words that the author uses to take them to a faraway place presenting a life or land that may sparkle the imagination of the reader. The there are those books or writings may tell the happenings of history and how things came about. Then there are those that provide direction on how to build something or give the ingredients to a favorite food. These last two illustrations surely point out the need for total accuracy. When the directions are not followed correctly, or in error, the results will fall short of the intended outcome. This leads to the topic of this particular document. Reflecting upon the importance of correct instructions or recipes for that matter, it is realized that these be inerrant. Merriam-Webster defines inerrancy as being without error.1 Of course any type document that requires a specific outcome needs to be without error. This includes the Holy Bible and all of its writings. Elmer Towns defines the term inerrancy as "That which God revealed and inspired (the Bible) is accurate, reliable, authoritative, and without error."2 P. D. Feinberg provides this interpretation: "Inerrancy is the view that when all the facts become known, they will demonstrate that the Bible in its original autographs and correctly interpreted is entirely true and never false in all it affirms, whether that relates to doctrine or ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences."3 Biblical inerrancy is crucial to Christianity and the validity of their faith. Christianity separates itself from other religions based upon the passages of Scripture found through its pages. If this information is not true, then Christianity is not built upon the infallible truths proclaimed in the Holy Bible. Feinberg provides additional support for this view with this statement: "The question of authority is central for any theology. Since Protestant theology has located authority in the Bible, the nature of biblical authority has been a fundamental concern."4 The debate over Biblical inerrancy did not always have the fuel that it appears to have today. Richard J. Coleman explains: "There have been long periods in the history of the church when biblical inerrancy has not been a critical question. It has in fact been noted that
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