Is the Bible free of error?

Historical support.
What people really believe.
External links.

Sponsored link.

Historical support for biblical inerrancy:

Clement of Rome, (circa 30-96 CE) in the late 1^st century CE, wrote: "The holy Scriptures which are given through the Holy Spirit...nothing iniquitous or falsified is written." ₁

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."

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."

The Westminster Confession (1647 CE) included a reference to the Bible's "infallible truth."

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).

What Christians actually believe:

A book by George A. Marsden, "Reforming Fundamentalism" quotes a survey of student belief at one of the largest evangelical seminaries in the US. ₂The 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:

	Jay Smith, et al., "100 cleared-up contradictions in the Bible," at: http://debate.org.uk/
	J.P. Holding, "Refuted Contradictions" at: http://www.integrityonline15.com/
	Gospelcom.net has a zip file "Countering contradictions - 143 contradictions answered," that can be downloaded from: http://www.gospelcom.net/

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.

	Gordon B. Hazen, "A verdict on Josh McDowell." See: http://users.iems.nwu.edu/
	Jeffery J. Lowder, "The jury is in: The ruling on McDowell's 'Evidence'," See: http://atheism.org/

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/

References:

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/