.....one of the verses we have learnt with our kids is "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work"
 
What do you think?

This is a good scripture to bring up and if I remember correctly, the author of the article does refer to it.  For me this scripture still does not answer the questions I have about inerrency because of the things I am wondering about.


1.  I believe as the scripture says, that it is inspired by God and is great for all that it lists, amen to that!  I have found that for myself absulotely.  BUT I think myself that it is a massive jump to say 'it's inspired' means its inerrent.  I personally can't make that jump (well actually I did once but I have had to jump back!)


2.  When Jesus said these words, the New Testement did not exist so he was commenting to his audience about sacred writtings that were in existence then.  Most of those were found in the Old Testement though some are'nt.  Jesus refers to scripture which is not found in the Old testement.  Many people do not realise that the Jewish canon of Scripture (similar to the Old Testement) was not canonised and agreed upon untill after the Christians had done so with their Bible around three hundred years after Christ said those words.   So there was no agreed to scriptures at all when Jesus said this, the Saducees held just to the books of Moses, the Pharisees added some of the prophets etc.


3.  I have heard this scripture used over the years to squash any questioning (anti intellectualisim) of the Bible, but as the article says one of the things that makes an evangelical different from a fundamentalist is that an evangelical is supposed to be willing to wrestle with the evidence. One of the hallmark differences between a fundamentalist and an evangelical is willingness to dialog over the issues. A fundamentalist condemns; an evangelical thinks.   Because most of us in the churches I have been in have had this scripture drummed into us we have never bothered to engage our brains and come to our own convictions, to even wrestle with some of this guff.


4.  I can't deny, that I often wonder how Paul would  react if he turned up today and discovered that his letters had been raised to the same  level of the books of Moses.  I personally think he would be furious and accuse us of being blasphemous (just a thought).


5.  In the end the article lays it out far more clearly in a far more Orthodox Christian manor.  I will be the first to acknowledge that I do not have a set opinon on these matters, but have lots of questions.    Talking about the Bible like this threatens alot of sacred cows, which is why I appreciate forums such as this to be able to wrestle together.


I suppose it's time to cast me to the darkside so I shall say no more.