The Inerrancy Throwdown is Coming!

The Book: Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy

The Opponents: Mohler, Enns, Bird, Vanhoozer, and Franke

The Month: Nov 2013

The Size: 300 pp.

Here are the “views”

“When the Bible Speaks, God Speaks, The Classical Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy” (Mohler)

“Inerrancy However Defined, Does Not Describe What the Bible Does” (Enns)

“Inerrancy is Not Necessary for Evangelicalism Outside the USA” (Bird)

“Well-Versed Inerrancy–Literary Meaning, Literal Truth, and Literate Interpretation in the Economy of Biblical Discourse” (Vanhoozer)

“Recasting Inerrancy–The Bible as Witness to Missional Plurality”

THIS SHOULD BE GOOD!

In all seriousness, this is a very important subject right now, because it deals with how we understand the nature of Scripture itself, and how we learn from Scripture for our formation and mission. What you will notice (aside from the spirit of Mohler’s title) is that this is not a black & white issue. Its very complicated and we need patience and gentleness, something members of this debate in the past have had on only short supply. I suspect this book, while it will include some serious opposition between views, will quickly reveal the complexity.

My suspicion is that this book will TRY to help people see that these are all (attempting to be) evangelical perspectives, though I cannot say each contributor believes all the others are truly “evangelical.” This book could be very healthy for thinking Christians if it succeeds in bringing wisdom and understanding to the table (and respect), rather than stirring up more animosity and accusation. I know Mike and Pete quite well, and I have interacted with Kevin a bit – I expect very good essays and responses from each.