Is the Bible free of error?
Historical support.
What people really believe.
External links.

Sponsored link.

 | Clement of Rome, (circa 30-96 CE) in the late 1st century CE, wrote: "The holy Scriptures which
are given through the Holy Spirit...nothing iniquitous or falsified is written."
1
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 | St. Augustine (354-430 CE) said: "None of these [canonical] authors has erred in
any respect of writing." He also wrote: "Therefore, since
they wrote the things which He [God] showed and uttered to them, it cannot
be pretended that He is not the writer; for his members executed what their
head dictated."
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 | St. Gregory the Great (circa 540-604 CE; served as pope from 590-604 CE)
stated: "...we loyally believe the Holy Spirit to be the author of
the book. He wrote it who dictated it for writing; He wrote it who
inspired its execution."
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 | The Westminster Confession (1647 CE) included a reference to the Bible's "infallible
truth."
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 | Other writings referring to infallibility or inerrancy originated
from:
 | The Belgic Confessional (1561 CE). |
 | Council of Florence (1438-1445). |
 | Council of Trent (1545-1563). |
 | Council of the Vatican (1869-1870). |
 | Leo XIII in his Encyclical Letter "Providentissimus Deus" (1893). |
|

A book by George A. Marsden, "Reforming Fundamentalism" quotes a
survey of student belief at one of the largest evangelical seminaries in the US. 2
The poll indicated that 85% of the students "do not believe in the
inerrancy of Scripture."
This book also lists the results of a poll conducted by Jeffery Hadden in 1987 of
10,000 American clergy. 3 They were asked whether they
believed that the Scriptures are the inspired and inerrant Word of God in faith, history,
and secular matters:
 | 95% of Episcopalians, |
 | 87% of Methodists, |
 | 82% of Presbyterians, |
 | 77% of American Lutherans, and |
 | 67% of American Baptists said "No." |
However, the Christian laity is far more supportive of the inerrancy position. The Barna
Research Group reported in 1996 that among American adults generally:
 | 58% believe that the Bible is "totally accurate in all its teachings" |
 | 45% believe that the Bible is "absolutely accurate and everything in it can be
taken literally." 4 |
Support dropped between that poll and
another taken in 2001. Barna reported in 2001 that:
 | 41% of adults strongly
agrees that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches
5 |
They also published beliefs by denomination and metagroup:
 | Above average support for inerrancy:
 | Pentecostal / Foursquare: 81% |
 | Assembly of God: 77% |
 | Christian, non-denominational (mostly Fundamentalist) 70% |
 | Baptist: 66% |
 | Seventh-day Adventist: 64% |
 | Church of Christ: 57%
|
|
 | Below average:
 | Presbyterian: 40% |
 | Methodist: 38% |
 | Lutheran: 34% |
 | Latter-day Saints (Mormon): 29% |
 | Catholics: 26% |
 | Episcopal: 22% 5 |
|

Sponsored link:

Web sites discussing biblical errancy and inerrancy:
 | Sites promoting inerrancy:
|
 | Sites analyzing a major book that promotes inerrancy: A
number of researchers have critiqued Josh McDowell's book "Evidence
That Demands a Verdict." The book is an attempt to prove biblical
inerrancy, and has been widely distributed.
|
 | Sites promoting at least limited errancy:
 | Mark
Mattison, "Is the Bible inerrant?," at:
http://www.auburn.edu/ |
 | "Is the Bible inerrant
and complete?," at:
http://ourworld-top.cs.com/ |
 | "Bible Contractions," American Atheists, at: http://www.atheists.org/ |
 | Donald Morgan, "Biblical inconsistencies,"
at: http://www.infidels.org/ |
 | hansss@aol.com, "Fun
stuff in the Bible," at: http://members.aol.com/ |
 | Dennis McKinsey, "Biblical Errancy," at: http://members.aol.com/ |
|

- Dave Miller, "Why I Believe in the Inerrancy of the Scriptures" http://www.infidels.org/
- M.J. Sawyer, "Inspiration and Bible Inerrancy" at: http://www.bible.org/
- The Gideon, January, 1994, Page 12-13
- G. Barna, "The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators," Word
Publishing, Dallas, TX, (1996)
- "Religious beliefs vary widely by denomination," Barna Research,
at:
http://www.barna.org/

Copyright © 1997 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Author: B.A. Robinson
Latest update: 2009-APR-16


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