A guy whose writings I am becoming more and more endeared to as the hours pass on, Thom Stark, is putting together a series tackling the issue of Biblical inerrancy and infallibility. Really, he is tackling the doctrine of inerrancy and infallibility. And by tackling I mean taking it to task. I am reminded of the immortal words of Bill McNeal:
You ripped out it’s heart and shoved it down it’s throat. Then you put the whole thing into a meat grinder. Then you cooked it up, ate it with a spoon and barfed it back onto a cassette tape.
Classic line. Unforgettable.
In this series, Thom
will argue that the doctrine of biblical inerrancy cannot be sustained in light of textual, historical and archaeological evidence surrounding the biblical canon (especially the Hebrew Bible canon).
But more to the goal,
I’m convinced that a commitment to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy tends to produce unfaithful readings of our scriptures, thereby producing political visions that are unfaithful to the God in whose reign we hope. **
He goes on to clarify that further:
When I say that these doctrines lead to unfaithful readings of Scripture, I mean predominantly two things: (1) Having the prior commitment to biblical unity forces interpreters to misread the text to make it fit with “itself,” which is unfaithfulness in a hermeneutical sense to the texts themselves. (2) Having the prior commitment to biblical unity forces interpreters to reconcile ethical contradictions (e.g. Joshua’s violence versus Yeshua’s nonviolence) resulting in the watering down or “death by qualification” of Jesus’s radical ethic, which produces unfaithful Christian practice. (This is just one example.) **
Thom makes a very good case for why we should engage this issue and discuss the points and arguments. I believe, as many, that this particular doctrine is a distraction and stumbling block in the lives of many disciples of Christ. And a Bible that is not inerrant and infallible is not necessarily unreliable, untrustworthy, faulty, in error, or even useless. I would say The Bible comes to life.
I urge you to go through the series. Engage with the points and examples. Have a discussion. Let us learn and grow together. Some of you who hold dearly to the idea of an inerrant, infallible Bible might simply scoff at the notion of such a series. I would offer that such dogma has no place at the feet of Christ. Give the discussion a chance. Maybe you won’t change your mind; but at least you’ll be more informed and we’ll all be that much more knowledgeable.
The series so far:
