John Gerstner on Biblical Inerrancy

By William C. Roach, Ph.D.

John H. Gerstner (November 22, 1914—March 24, 1996), a native of Tampa, Florida, was arguably the preeminent Reformed theologian of his day. Gerstner earned graduate degrees at Westminster Theological Seminary and completed a Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1945. He was a professor of church history at Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary, and visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Knox Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Ligonier Ministries.

Dr. John Gerstner (1914-1996)

Gerstner has written hundreds of articles and penned several books in church history and Christian theology. He is known for his books Theology in Dialogue, Primitive Theology, and his most enduring work, the three-volume set titled, The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards. Gerstner was a teacher and mentor to R. C. Sproul, who was a framer of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Gerstner was a frequent guest at Aisquith Presbyterian Church in Parkville, Maryland. During these meetings, Gerstner discussed issues related to church history, systematic theology, and Christian apologetics. Among the numerous lectures, Gerstner gave an address on October 29, 1979 on the inerrancy of Scripture. This lecture quickly transitioned into a dialogue on matters related to evangelicalism and neo-orthodoxy, the relationship between propositional truth and authorial intent, and whether or not evangelical apologetics should engage other Christians on the inerrancy of Scripture or focus solely on evangelism with non-Christians.

Since the inerrancy of Scripture and the topics addressed by Gerstner are still relevant for present-day Christians, we would like to make this audio available on Defending Inerrancy.