Is the Bible Inerrant?
According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 24% of Americans believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. 47% believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God whereas, 26% view the Bible as a collection of secular stories. This begs a number of questions:
- Who wrote the bible?
- Is there genuine evidence that the books are dictated by God?
- Are the books authentically written by their claimed authors?
- How did the Canon, those books having sacred status, come to be?
- Is a literal interpretation necessary for the book to provide meaning?
John MacArthur is an American Protestant conservative pastor and head of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. MacArthur, a bible literalist, asserts. “ the Bible claims for itself every word of God is pure like silver refined seven times in a furnace all Scripture is given by inspiration of God it’s all God breathed….If we’re gonna believe the Bible at all we have to believe it’s dominating claim to be the inspired inerrant Word of God. As many conservative Christians, MacArthur believes that the bible is the ultimate authority and has dedicated his life to saving souls. Are his views reasonable in today’s modern world?
Non-alchemist is a former Calvinist who took a more critical view of his faith. Here are questions you should ask when evaluating whether truth claims are real.
Bible scholar Bart Ehrman PhD is a professor of New Testament studies at UNC Chapel who learned Greek to better understand the nuances of the bible. He was an evangelical who attended Bible college and went on to study for a PhD at Princeton Theological Seminar. His view if the world was changed significantly in his journey.