An Introduction and a Question

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Sam Gibson wrote:


>     <snip>

>

> Now the question. How does this list define inerrant? Are we talking about

> any small mistake in the Bible making it errant? If so, we can quickly point

> out a couple of dozen, refute the apologetic response, roll up the carpet

> and go home.

>


    <and snip>ELF    Hmm. Wouldn't be so sure of that.

From



What Christians Really Believe

  Reference (4) below cites a book by George A. Marsden, "Reforming
Fundamentalism" which quotes a survey of student
  belief at one of the largest Evangelical seminaries in the US. The poll
indicated that 85% of the students "do not believe in
  the inerrancy of Scripture."

  Reference (4) also lists the results of a poll conducted by Jeffery Hadden in
1987 of 10,000 American clergy. (5) 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, Christians generally are far more supportive of the inerrancy
position. The Barna Research Group reported in
  1996 that among American adults:


      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." (24)

=========================

If indeed 45% or so of American adults believing in a simplistic inerrancy, it
hardly seems that one should be so hasty in declaring victory, rolling up the
carpet and going home.


¡Salud!

Mike, aka Efish Chimera

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