Views on the inerrancy of the Bible in American evangelical theology

Abstract

One of the distinguishing marks of American Evangelicalism is a commitment to the Bible as the only authority for faith and practice. A question often debated is whether the Bible should be viewed as inerrant, and if so, how the concept of inerrancy should be understood. This study suggests that the concept of inerrancy should be maintained, but that the concept must be understood in accordance with the way in which the biblical materials present the concepts of truth and its opposite. The value of the doctrine of inerrancy must be found in a better understanding not only of the didactic portions but also of the phenomena ofthe biblical materials. The first chapter of this study looks at nature American Evangelicalism and considers the historical development of the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible. The next three chapters consider in turn each of three divisions within American Evangelicalism about the understanding and usage of the doctrine of inerrancy: Complete

Inerrancy, Conditional Inerrancy, and Limited Inerrancy. Complete Inerrancy is the most rigid of the three, maintaining that in the original writings of the Bible there were no errors, neither in spiritual nor in secular matters. Conditional Inerrancy conditions the understanding of inerrancy by the intent and purpose for the Bible as understood from the

phenomena ofthe texts. The focus is shifted from the autographs of the Scripture to the texts which the contemporary person has to read and study. Limited Inerrancy limits the usage both of the term and of the concept inerrant in relation to the Bible, preferring the descriptor infallible, arguing that neither in the original writings nor in the present texts of the Bible is inerrancy to be found. There are errors in the texts, but they do not take away from the ability of the Bible to accomplish its divine purpose ofbringing people into contact with the Redeemer God. The last chapter draws from the analysis of the arguments within American Evangelicalism material needed to construct a redefined concept of inerrancy which maintains its importance.