Inerrancy

By: Geisler, Norman L.

Book Overview

This is another in a series of books sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. The fourteen leading evangelical scholars who have contributed to this volume come from various denominations and have written on a wide range of topics related to the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible. Believing that this doctrine is "an essential element of the authority of Scripture and a necessary ingredient for the health of the church of Christ," they have made a strong defense of it. This book is presented as an appeal to the church of Jesus Christ. To those churches that hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, it is a call to hold the line. To those churches that have given way to the persuasions of radical higher criticism, it is a call to return to the historic position of Christianity. Inerrnacy is shown to be a doctrine of crucial importance to the church. Among the chapter titles are these: Christ's View of Scripture - Alleged Errors and Discrepancies in the Original Manuscripts of the Bible - Higher Criticism and Biblical Inerrancy - Legitimate Hermeneutics - The Human Authorship of Inspired Scripture - The Meaning of Inerrancy - Philosophical Presuppositions of Biblical Errancy - The View of the Bible Held by the Church - B. B. Warfield Versus G. C. Berkouwer on Scripture -- Included as an appendix is the Statement of the Council. This Statement consists of three parts: a Summary Statement, Articles of Affirmation and Denial, and an Exposition. The intent of this declaration underlies all of the chapters in this significant book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310392810
• ISBN13: 9780310392811
• Release Date: May 1980
• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Length: 526 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

Make no mistake

This unpopular but invaluable book sets forth the proofs for biblical "inerrancy"--the doctrine that every word of Christian Scripture is inspired by the Holy Ghost: the Bible is therefore literally true, scientifically sound, and historically accurate. Granted, Geisler is unconcerned with grammatical errors, lapses in prose style, and awkward syntax. As one of my friends once said, it's interesting to note that when God wished to communicate with mankind, He decided to write a book - and that He did not first learn to write *better*. If I were God, and if the Bible were the best prose I could produce in six thousand years, then I would have the good sense to get off the great White Throne and let someone else sit there and think for a while. "Publish or perish," that's my motto. But that's not Geisler's point. Geisler reminds us that the Holy Bible is not just some long, bad, boring book comprised of 66 short, bad, boring books. It is the Word of God. It was written, not by Yahveh or Jesus, nor by Moses or King David or Paul, but by the holy Ghost - which is actually where the English phrase, "Ghost writer," comes from. Each book in the Bible bears the name of a celebrity or saint (e.g., Moses, King David, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), and yet every one of those 66 books was actually dictated by the holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). Working off and on from about 1500 BCE to 100 CE, with the help of various human secretaries, the holy Ghost finished writing the Bible in just under sixteen centuries - which on God's timetable is quick as a wink. He shifted gears as he went along. Starting out in ancient Hebrew (the only human language he ever fully mastered), the Ghost switched to Aramaic and thence to Greek, thereby to prove his diversity as a linguist, albeit with some unfortunate lapses with respect to standard grammar and prose style. But that's the whole point of Geisler's book: when it comes to proper grammar and literary sophistication, the good Lord, He do'nt give a dead ducks' fart about none of that. Norman Geisler's *Inerrancy" reminds us that the Word of God was never supposed to be *literature*, it is supposed to be *true*. There is a difference. With respect to factual accuracy, the holy Ghost's record is unimpeachable. God is a stickler for the facts. In that respect, the Lord is no less strict than, say, Judge Judy. You will not find in the entire English Bible a single misstatement, misquotation, exaggeration, or contradiction. The well-vetted New International Version in particular contains no theological or scientific or historical errors. In fact, apart from the aforesaid grammatical goofs, tangled syntax, bloopers in word-usage, etc., etc., etc., which are easily corrected by translators, the Holy Bible is the world's first and only book containing no mistakes of any kind.

Great book!

This book, though lengthy, serves as an outstanding introduction to the concept of inerrancy, an extremely important foundational truth concerning the Bible. It is used by seminaries but is important for all who are interested in how God inspired the writing of the Bible.

Impeccable

This book is a scholar's standard for a logical support of the doctrine of inerrancy. This doctrine is central to the Christian faith in supporting the reliability and authority of the Sacred Scriptures. This book is a MUST read for any who are wondering about the nature of Scripture, or have questions about the qualifications of inerrancy and inspiration.

A Much Needed and Well Researched Work

This book, edited by Norman L. Geisler, is a compilation of Christian scholars who have gone to bat over the issue of the inerrancy of the Scriptures. With the traditional orthodox view waning, a book of this kind is much needed.Some of the chapters and scholars included in this work are:Christ's View of the Scriptures - John W. WenhamAlleged Errors and Discrepancies in the Original Manuscripts of the Bible - Gleason L. ArcherLegitimate Hermeneutics - Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.The Adequacy of Human Language - James I. PackerThe Meaning of Inerrancy - Paul D. FeinbergPhilosophical Presuppositions of Biblical Errancy - Norman L. GeislerThe Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit - R. C. SproulThe View of the Bible Held by the Church: Calvin and the Westminster Divines - John H. Gerstner(and more).The book is sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and contains some of the greatest articles by modern Biblical scholars in print. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in learning more about why the Bible is inerrant and how to defend such a position. Moreover, it is a necessary edition to any apologist's library. The doctrine of inerrancy is, as the back cover totes, "an essential element of the authority of Scripture and a necessary ingredient for the health of the church of Christ." And this book is a definitive text on the issue of inerrancy and works as a great reference tool in developing a strong defense for Biblical inerrancy. I highly recommend it!