ahh let the study continue ..Bible Contradictions?

Well i can’t sleep and i read this passage: The Bible’s  "Errors and Contradictions"

All Christians have been challenged with the remark, "The Bible is full of errors and contradictions." That accusation has grown into one of the standard misconceptions of our time.  Repeating it is almost a social obligation.  One response for the Christian faced with this fallacy is to ask the critic to name one.  Most are repeating what they’ve heard others say but never investigated on their own.

We should be prepared, however, for the occasional person who can cite one or more alleged biblical mistakes. And we should recognize that problem passages do exist. But so do answers, and Peter commands us to know them.  "Always be prepared to give answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

In a court of law the burden of proof lies with the accuser–one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The same approach should dictate how we evaluate sources of information which have a long track record of being right.  Claims of the Bible being provel wrong fall short of that boast.  What most critics mean is that the Bible includes passages they can’t figure out. So what? Christians know that better than the skeptics do.

Critics would do well to make sure they know what the text says and what it means before they questions its accuracy.  Many don’t. (Of course, Christians are responsible to do the same.)  Alleged biblical mistakes usually result from violating a principle of how to interpret literature.  But before we consider some of those, what do Christians really claim about the Bible’s accuracy?

We believe the inerrancy of the Bible applies only to the autographs–the original documents from the author’s hand.  Since copies can and do include mistakes, Christians do not claim inerrancy for them.  Furthermore, translations don’t always capture the exact meaning of the words and phrases in the original language.  Many alleged mistakes in the Bible can be resolved by understanding better what the original text truly said.

Typical mistakes of interpretation include the following: (1) Critics may assume that what they cannot explain cannot be explained.  But a hard passage does not imply a mistaken passage.  (2) They often ignore or miss the context.  We understand almost nothing in any text if we do that.  (3) They sometimes take New Testament references to the Old as quotes when they are paraphrases or summaries. (4) They may point out number differences between accounts fo the same incident, not realizing that one author may be rounding off the figures. (5) They often judge the Bible by modern technical standards when it speaks the common language of ordinary people at the time of writing.

The Bible enjoys a much better track record than the critics.  They’ve been proven wrong many times; Scripture, not once.  Even though criticized for centuries, it has stood the test of time.  But skeptics play a constructive role.  Their challenges force us to study and sometimes reevaluate our interpretations.  But until they improve their own game, we need not worry about their accusation that "the Bible is full of errors and contradictions." It’s not.

Whew….that’s a mouthfull right there eh?  Other than asking me questions….if any of you ever have a questions concerning Chrisitanity our your own faith in Christ…find any book on Christian apologetics….i guarantee you’ll find your answer 🙂