Ep 146: Protestantism, Christian Creeds, and Biblical Inerrancy Revisited

In this episode I revisit three of my most controversial episodes (5, 19, and 57) that discussed the creeds of the Christian church and Biblical inerrancy. Most of the negative feedback from my show has been generated by these two episodes, and I wanted to revisit them one more time to clear up any potential misunderstandings. First, I explain how the common denominator among all protestants is the belief in the authority of scripture and why that should shape our understanding of the creeds and Biblical inerrancy. I then explain how I agree with every statement of the Apostle’s Creed and discuss the importance of creeds in general while showing that the creeds are incomplete because, understandably, there are many important aspects of the Biblical witness that can’t be fit into a short summary statement of important beliefs. I discuss how creedalism can sometimes screen out the teachings of Jesus, Christian ethics, and discipleship generally because they address mostly doctrinal statements, and that we need to understand the creeds within the larger framework of scripture so we don’t neglect other essential aspects of our faith. I then turn once again to Biblical inerrancy, showing how it has been misappropriated by fundamentalists, progressives, and skeptics and used in ways that undermine the authority of scripture and cause interpreters to unjustifiably impose modern ideas about science and history back into the text. I also explain how defenders of the Chicago Statement, such as R.C. Sproul, have a hermeneutical method that is nearly identical to my own, and why retaining the language of ‘inerrancy’ can work if it is carefully defined. I then explain why I prefer the terms ‘authority’ and ‘reliability’ over ‘inerrancy’ while acknowledging that many people I know who hold to ‘inerrancy’ are in complete agreement with me on the way in which the Bible ought to be interpreted. I hope this episode helps clarify my position on these important issues! Check out the upcoming episode (147, drops Thursday) for a conversation I had with Jacob Winograd of the Biblical Anarchy podcast about inerrancy. 

Media Referenced:

Ep 5: The Authority of Scripture and the Creeds of the Early Church: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/authority-scripture-creeds-early-church/

 Ep 19: Biblical Inerrancy w/ Tim Price: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/biblical-inerrancy-problems-timothy-price/

 Ep 57: The Chicago Statement: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/chicago-statement-on-biblical-inerrancy-a-critical-analysis/

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