You might be surprised to learn that your belief in “biblical inerrancy” didn’t come from God, and it didn’t come from the Bible either.
More likely it came from the guys below, who are pictured here signing the “Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy” in October 1978.
If you’ve ever heard the Bible described with words like “infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: to be believed as God’s instruction in all that it affirms, and obeyed as God’s command” – that language comes straight from this document.
(You can read the whole statement here if you like: https://bit.ly/3JH07MD)
With such imposing and authoritarian language, it’s no wonder that so many find the Bible intimidating and distant – Christians included!
Remember though, the Bible never speaks about itself in this way and there are much better ways to appreciate the text for what it actually is.
Yes the Bible is precious, but not in a lofty or unattainable way. More in the way that compost is precious – providing a rich & fertile context for life to flourish.
The point is not to venerate the scriptures as holy in and of themselves, the point is to grow something holy and beautiful from them. This is what it means to discover the word of God.
Find out more by reading “How the Bible Actually Works” by Peter Enns, or as ever, join us anytime at Harbour as we progress in faith together.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
