Biblical inerrancy

This article is about the Christian doctrinal position. For Jewish doctrinal positions, see Rabbinic literature. For Islamic doctrine, see Quranic inerrancy.
Not to be confused with Biblical infallibility, Biblical literalism, Biblical inspiration, or Clarity of Scripture.
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Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching";[1] or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact".[2]

The belief in Biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism, where it is formulated in the "Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy". Inerrancy has been much more of an issue in American evangelicalism than in British evangelicalism:[3] according to Stephen R. Holmes, it "plays almost no role in British evangelical life".[4][globalize] Some groups equate inerrancy with biblical infallibility or with the necessary clarity of scripture; others do not.[5][6]

The Catholic Church also holds a limited belief in biblical inerrancy[7] for the original writings in the original language including the Deuterocanonicals, particularly in relating to the goal of salvation: that "since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of our salvation."[8] However, descriptions of natural phenomena are not to be taken as inspired and inerrant scientific assertions, but reflect the language and contemporary understanding of the writers.

  1. ^ Geisler, NL. and Roach, B., Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a New Generation, Baker Books, 2012.
  2. ^ Grudem, Wayne A. (1994). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-85110-652-6. OCLC 29952151.
  3. ^ Crisp, Oliver D. "A British Perspective on Evangelicalism". Fuller Magazine. Fuller Theological Seminary. Archived from the original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  4. ^ Holmes, Stephen R. (2007). "British (and European) Evangelical Theologies". The Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Theology. Cambridge University Press. p. 254. ISBN 9781139827508. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  5. ^ McKim, DK, Westminster dictionary of theological terms, Westminster John Knox Press, 1996.
  6. ^ Geisler, N. L. (ed), Inerrancy, Zondervan, 1980, p. 22. "The trouble is that such a distinction is nowhere to be found in Jesus's own teaching, and seems to be precluded by His testimony both to the unqualified historical accuracy and the inspiration of the Old Testament ... The attempt to discriminate ... seems to be a product of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries".
  7. ^ "Cardinal Augustin Bea, "Vatican II and the Truth of Sacred Scripture"". Archived from the original on May 8, 2012.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference DV11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).