Defending Inerrancy

Standing up for the Bible before it’s too late


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WHAT'S INERRANCY!? AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

What’s the Big Deal?

We're In Serious Danger

Evangelical Christians have historically believed the Bible to be the Word of God. However, we're witnessing a departure from this foundational view. We are trying to raise awareness before it's too late.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Critical info from the frontline

Because scholars don’t possess the original writings of the New Testament (known as autographs), we must ask: How accurate are the manuscript copies (apographs)? For if the copies do not reflect the original writings of Scripture, we would have no idea what the original texts said. Because there were no copy machines available in ancient times, the tedious trans- mission process had to be accomplished by the scribe’s own hand.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” 1 Ti. 6:12 ESV Norman Leo Geisler (July 21, 1932 – July 1, 2019) certainly fought the good fight of faith. Norm gives new meaning to that phrase. He earned a reputation for destroying “strongholds, arguments, and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). And he was arguably...

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WHAT LEADERS ARE SAYING

The Bible has stood the test of time because it is divinely inspired by Almighty God, written in ink that cannot be erased by any man, religion, or belief system. Through the many dark ages of man, its glorious promises have survived unchanged. That is because God’s Word is pure—the beginning and the end. His written word has survived every scratch of the human pen.”
Billy Graham
Evangelist
“To demonstrate trust in the inerrant Word of God is to exhibit faith in the One who spoke life into existence. History and human nature prove the truth of the Bible every day, but the greatest evidence is seen in changed lives that cannot be denied. This infallible Book is its own great commentary: ‘The entirety of Your word, Lord, is truth’ (Psalm 119:160).”
Franklin Graham
President & CEO Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

The inerrancy of Scripture is the foundational doctrine in which all other doctrines rest, and the Psalmist rightly said, ‘If the foundation be destroyed, then what can the righteous do?'”

Norman Geisler
Co-founder, Southern Evangelical Seminary and Veritas Evangelical Seminary
“If I did not believe in the inerrancy of Holy Scripture I would resign as a preacher and teacher of the Bible which is the Word of God written. I can authoritively say, “Thus says the Lord” when I preach the Bible as it comes from a God who cannot lie. “Let him who has my word speak my word in truth” (Jeremiah 23:28). To question the inerrancy of Scripture inevitably leads to weak and confusing preaching with disastrous consequences!
John H. Munro
Senior Pastor, Calvary Church, Charlotte NC; World-Wide Bible Teacher of Back to the Bible
“The inerrancy of Holy Scripture is the watershed theological issue in the church today–as it has been in every generation since the rise of modern secularism and rationalistic biblical criticism. Every single denomination, theological seminary, and Christian college that has departed from it has begun an inexorable decline and loss of biblical witness. The saving gospel itself cannot be sustained apart from a trustworthy Scripture. Any other position displays appalling naïveté and ignorance of the history of the modern church both in Europe and in America.”
John Warwick Montgomery
Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy, Concordia University; Director, International Academy of Apologetics
“I have never quite understood the tendency of so many Christians to pick and choose from Holy Scripture. Biblical inerrancy was not only affirmed unambiguously by Jesus Christ, but is foundational to our firm reliance on God’s promises and revelations contained in the Bible. It seems to me that an attitude of dismissiveness toward inerrancy amounts to intellectual and theological laziness and is ultimately destructive to the faith.”
David Limbaugh
Attorney, Author, and Social Commentator
“The Bible provides the foundational beliefs of Christianity. Biblical inerrancy, properly understood, affirms Scripture’s accuracy in every area it addresses. God’s Word records the history of humanity, the teachings of our Savior, numerous fulfilled prophecies, and the principles of our faith. Despite numerous attacks by skeptics and opponents, its words continue to stand true and change lives today.”
John Ankerberg
Founder and President of the John Ankerberg Show
Both the incarnation of Jesus and the inspiration of the Bible, as products of the Holy Spirit, can and must be without error or we have challenged the ability and impugned the character of Almighty God to do what His Word says He did (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20, 21; 1 Cor 2:9-16). If an omnipotent God by His Spirit can take a human agent and conceive His perfect Son, that same omnipotent God can use human agents through whom His Spirit can communicate His mind to humanity though the Holy Scriptures.”
Mark L. Bailey
President of Dallas Theological Seminary

The inerrancy of Scripture is an essential and not optional doctrine for the church. Otherwise we are cast on a raging sea of subjectivism with a high priesthood of scholars who assume the position of God, telling what we should and should not believe.”

Paige Patterson
President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Inerrancy is nothing less than the affirmation that the Bible, as the Word of God written, is totally true and totally trustworthy. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. This is the Bible’s own testimony about itself, and it is the historic faith of the Christian church.”

Al Mohler
President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“The inerrant Scripture is our fixed, North Star by which we can be led by God to a saving knowledge of Him and His plan and purpose for our lives. Once you surrender the objective, infallible, inerrant nature of God’s revelation of Himself to us, all you are left with is each interpreter’s subjective, autobiographical, idiosyncratic God, who may bear little or no resemblance to the one, true, immutable God with whom we must all deal ultimately.”
Richard Land
President of Southern Evangelical Seminary
“The Inerrancy of the Bible seeks to represent the claims of the Biblical text that all it says is true and accords with the actual and the real in life and history as it was intended by the writers of Scripture. The total truthfulness of Scripture is claimed because this is what Scripture teaches and without it we are left to our own devices to try to figure who God is and what he has said.
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
President Emeritus Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“The doctrine of inerrancy is ultimately an issue of Christology. Jesus clearly affirmed the complete truthfulness and reliability of Scripture. Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 24:25-27; John 10:35, 17:17 make this abundantly clear. To live under His Lordship is to hold His view of the Word of God.”

Daniel L. Akin
President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
I believe inspiration guarantees the accuracy of every word in the original language, therefore we should study every word, translate it properly, and understand its meaning and live by it. I also believe that inspiration means the Holy Spirit breathed His presence into every word of scriptures, therefore we ought to read it daily, memorize it, meditate on it and let the life of the Spirit control our life.”
Elmer L. Towns
Co-Founder of Liberty University
“I’m thankful for this website dedicated to the inerrancy of Scripture which is the bedrock of our faith. At a time when subtle attacks against the Bible continue (even from those who profess to believe it), it is refreshing to know that there are fine scholars who are able to respond to these challenges with thoughtful arguments and an appreciation for logic. I hope that it has a wide-spread impact in these confusing times.”
Erwin W. Lutzer
Senior Pastor of the Moody Church, Chicago, IL

Inerrancy is the fundamental of the fundamentals. Only divinely inspired and inerrant Scripture guarantees the truth and authority of the doctrines that flow from them. Only then can the Church rest assured that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.”

Joseph M. Holden
President of Veritas Evangelical Seminary

“The importance of inerrancy generates from the very perfections of the character of God Himself who cannot lie. To say that His Word errs or is imperfect is to blaspheme God Himself who is the Author of His Word.

David Farnell
Senior Professor of New Testament at The Master’s Seminary
“Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘If I tell you of earthly things, and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?’ If we cannot trust the Word of God in earthly matters, matters that we can verify or falsify because they are down here with us, how can we trust the Word of God when it speaks of heavenly and spiritual matters, matters that we cannot verify or falsify because we have not ascended to heaven?”
Thomas A. Howe
Professor of Bible and Biblical Languages at Southern Evangelical Seminary
“Methodologically and strategically, the axiom of inerrancy is both an article of faith and a guideline of biblical interpretation to safeguard the belief that in all the inspired texts, whatever their literary genre and style, God still speaks His mind to humanity through the agency of human writers, culminating in the communication of errorless, cognitive-propositional revelation..”
William C. Roach
Adjunct Faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Without inerrancy there is no clear and final word from God. If there is ambiguity in what God said then the burning conviction of what he said is not as imperative.”

Grant C Richison
Vice-President of Advancing Indigenous Missions

“Inerrancy is entailed in our understanding of inspiration and without it, divine promises would give no assurance and divine commands would require no obedience.”

Bruce Little
Senior Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Collection at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
There is a real sense in which “inerrancy” is the most important doctrine of the Bible, for every other major (and minor) doctrine is derived from that one source, whether it be the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, or salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. Inerrancy is taught throughout the Bible, but the words of Psalm 19:7 powerfully crystallize the teaching, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect.’”
Forrest S. Weiland
Professor of Biblical Studies at Veritas Evangelical Seminary

“There is no greater encouragement to the evangelist, proclaimer or teacher of God’s Word than to know that the Bible they use is totally trustworthy, reliable and inerrant. Such truth is as wind to the sailing ship. “I, the Lord, speak the truth.’ Isaiah 45:19.

Phil Roberts
International Director for Theological Education, Global Ministries Foundation

“The inerrancy of the holy Scripture in the Old Testament and New Testament is the foundation for the sole authority in all theology and in obedience to the faith.”

Ross Rhoads
Chaplain, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
“The importance of holding to the inerrancy of Holy Scripture is that it focuses the authority on the divinely inspired Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and not on the fallible human judgment that decides which parts should be accepted as the word of God and which parts should be rejected. Both inductive evidence and deductive theological entailment provide unequivocal support for that conclusion.”
Mark Hanna
Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Veritas Evangelical Seminary

“John Calvin once said, ‘Our faith in doctrine is not established until we have a perfect conviction that God is the author [of Scripture].’ Let us be clear: It is ONLY because the Bible is inerrant that we can trust what it says about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel of salvation, and all other doctrines.

Ron Rhodes
President of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries

The basis of our evangelical faith is an inerrant Bible, grounded in real history. Once evangelicals begin to deny inerrancy and remove biblical miracles from space-time history, reducing them to mere metaphors, then these interpreters cease to be evangelical.”

Phil Fernandes
Founder and President of the Institute of Biblical Defense
“Inerrancy is the epistemological rationale for all theological knowledge, a sublime first principle; without its ground and defense, fallen man is left as both arbiter and judge of what God hath really said. Inerrancy is grounded in the nature and character of God. God cannot err, therefore, God’s ‘breathed-out’ word, in the original autographs, cannot err.
Kenny Rhodes
President, Scofield Seminary, CA

“There are certain foundational beliefs for life and Godliness. One of those is believing as true what the Bible claims of itself: God speaks and what He says is true. The Scripture is the expression of that truth and it’s messages are true.”

Elliott Johnson
Professor of Bible at Dallas Theological Seminary
No one defended the inerrancy of the Scriptures more than Jesus. He quoted biblical passages in responding to His disciples (Mt 16:21), His critics (Mt 22) and the devil himself (Mt 4:4,7,10). He referred to almost every controversial story in the Old Testament including: Noah, Jonah, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and Daniel. He emphasized technical details of interpretation (Ps 110:1) and dared to claim the entire Old Testament message was all about Him (Lk 24:44). We are ultimately left with one of two choices: poor dumb Jesus or poor dumb scholars. I’ll stick with Jesus every time.
Ed Hindson
Dean and Distinguished Professor of Religion, Liberty School of Religion
“Unless the Bible is free of error, the Christian Faith is minimized to an intriguing phase in human moral development. That reduction carries Christological, salvific, even eternal consequence. Further, the epistemological conviction and missiological confidence needed to reach spiritually lost people, and especially those who hold to the inerrancy of their own Scriptures, are rendered vacuous at best and void at worst.”
Ramesh Richard
President of Reach Ministries and Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary

“Only by holding fast to the actuality that God has revealed himself without error in all matters that the Bible affirms can we avoid substituting the uncertainty of human inventiveness for the assurance of salvation.”

Win Corduan
Past President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics

To forsake the inerrancy of Scripture is to snuff humanity’s only candle of truth. Inerrancy is the ship’s rudder, the traveler’s compass, the lamp to our feet and light to our path.”

Ray Comfort
Founder/President of Living Waters Publications
Because it is self-evident that God does not superintend error, ‘doctrinal’ inerrancy is axiomatic. Further, on the pragmatic side of the issue, my 45+ years of examining biblical texts in the light of archaeology and history (and vice versa!) have given me unequivocal confidence in the Bible’s ‘inductive’ inerrancy; i.e., I have yet to identify anything in it that I would consider to be in error. In my mind, an errant Scripture is an affront to logic, science, and faith.”
Steven Collins
Dean, Distinguished Professor of Archaeology, College of Archaeology & Biblical History, Trinity Southwest University
Both the Written Word and Christ the Living Word embraced the total inerrancy of the Word of God. Christ’s statement in Matthew 5:17-18 and in a number of other passages claim inerrancy for the entire Old Testament. And He promised the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the work of New Testament inspiration (John 14:26; 15:26-27).”
Robert P. Lightner
Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Adjunct Professor of Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
“If the doctrine of inerrancy is not true, then the Scriptures become an untrustworthy document. To claim that it is inerrant in areas of faith and practice but errant in other areas is simply a self contained contradiction. Furthermore, it is now the interpreter who determines what in the Bible is true and what is not and therefore it all becomes subjective and the Scriptures become just another “holy book” but not a reliable document. Inerrancy provides the believer an objective standard that enables him to determine truth from error in all subjects the Bible addresses.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum
Founder and Director, Ariel Ministries, Adjunct Professor of Old Testament, Veritas Evangelical Seminary
“Since the basis for the authority of Scripture is its nature as divine revelation, if this revelation can be claimed to be errant through comparison with the limited data from history, archaeology, science, and the like, it cannot maintain its status as divine revelation and becomes simply a man-made message. Consequently, if Scripture is not totally inerrant with reference to the things of this world, it has no authority to command men in the world of men and has no claim above any other religious texts produced by mankind.
Randall Price
Distinguished Research Professor, Executive Director, Center for Judaic Studies, Liberty University

“The Bible is the Word of God. God cannot err. Therefore, the Bible cannot err. If the Bible errs, then either in some sense it is not the Word of God or in some sense God can err. The logic is undeniable.”

Richard Howe
Professor of Philosophy
“Some doubt whether inerrancy makes a practical difference. The difference it makes is this: Without it, authority is inevitably transferred from the Text to the ‘Expert,’ whether it be the critic, the scholar, the pastor, or the individual. For now someone other than the Apostles and Prophets has to tell you what to believe.”
Donald T. Williams
President, International Society of Christian Apologetics
The inerrancy of Scripture is the key doctrine as it pertains to the character of God and how He relates to man. What is on the line is no less than the souls of men and women. Thus, an affirmation of His Word is an affirmation of His love for mankind, a love that is best seen in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.”
Emir Caner
President of Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, TN

“The Scriptures are a direct reflection of its author (God). As a result, it is void of error and can be trusted in all its affirmations as well as negations.”

Perseus Poku
President of AYCE Apologetics
“Biblical inerrancy is essential for the proper, bold proclamation of the Gospel. How can a preacher hope to change the world with his preaching if he doubts the absolute truth of God’s Word. Otherwise, it’s mere human opinion. Believing inerrancy is the only way to bring people to faith. It is the only way for their faith to grow and produce holiness and obedience. As Jesus prayed, ‘Father, sanctify them with your truth. Your Word is truth’ (John 17:17). The Word of God is truth.”
David Chadwick
Pastor of Forest Hill Church; Host of The David Chadwick Show
“In these last days, Satan himself is attempting to undermine the very foundation of true Christianity. It is no wonder that his arrows have attacked the Word of God more than anything else; for if the foundation is compromised, then the building will surely fall. In the coming battle, count me on the side of God’s Holy Word, inerrant, infallible and the authority for my faith in Christ as my true and only Savior and Lord. As in Luther’s day, ‘Here I stand, I can do no other!'”
The Honorable Phil Ginn
Senior Resident Superior Court, Western North Carolina
“The inerrancy of scripture goes to the very power of God. Embracing its purported errors goes to the ‘wisdom’ of men. Yet our faith is to rest, ‘not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God’ (I Cor. 2:5). Resting upon the power of God, I do not reject out-of-hand all specific claims of error but confidently analyze each allegation. This analysis is no small matter, for in so doing I recognize, first, that my Lord undeniably affirmed the perfection of Scripture and, second, that if error is conclusively determined, I must abandon my faith in Him. There really is no middle ground.
Paul K. Hoffman
Attorney at Law, D. J.
If God did not reveal himself with word-by-word precision, then He has placed the revelation of truth into the incompetent hands of fallen man. That would prove hopelessly imbecilic. He who revealed Himself with exactness in ‘natural’ creation chose the precise words, sentences and paragraphs to compile one Book in which we have His perfect Word.”
Ron Susek
President of Susek Evangelistic Association
“The doctrine of inerrancy is foundational to all other Christian doctrines, and can never be set aside without great peril to the Church. Without Scripture being without error, an interpreter of Scripture could never be sure what teaching of the Bible should be believed. In accepting the teaching of the Word of God on inerrancy, we can be confident that what God has revealed to us is in fact truthful and reliable regarding what we believe and how we live.”
H. Wayne House
Distinguished Research Professor of Theology, Law and Culture, Faith Evangelical College and Seminary
“The Bible is God’s Word and is absolutely true in every detail. God never errs and neither does His Word. God’s Word is 100% true from Genesis to Revelation. Men’s ability to find fault with God and His Word is about to run out.”
Bob Wilkin
Executive Director, Grace Evangelical Society
  • Billy Graham
  • Franklin Graham
  • Norman Geisler
  • John H. Munro
  • John Warwick Montgomery
  • David Limbaugh
  • John Ankerberg
  • Mark L. Bailey
  • Paige Patterson
  • Al Mohler
  • Richard Land
  • Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
  • Daniel L. Akin
  • Elmer L. Towns
  • Erwin W. Lutzer
  • Joseph M. Holden
  • David Farnell
  • Thomas A. Howe
  • William C. Roach
  • Grant C. Richison
  • Bruce Little
  • Forrest S. Weiland
  • Phil Roberts
  • Ross Rhoads
  • Mark Hanna
  • Ron Rhodes
  • Phil Fernandes
  • Kenny Rhodes
  • Elliott Johnson
  • Ed Hindson
  • Ramesh Richard
  • Win Corduan
  • Ray Comfort
  • Steven Collins
  • Robert P. Lightner
  • Arnold Fruchtenbaum
  • Randall Price
  • Richard Howe
  • Donald T. Williams
  • Emir Caner
  • Perseus Poku
  • David Chadwick
  • Phil Ginn
  • Paul K. Hoffman
  • Ron Susek
  • H. Wayne House
  • Bob Wilkin

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WHO ARE WE?

The Defending Inerrancy initiative was created by the following

Norman Geisler

Norman Geisler

General Editor

Dr. Norman Geisler is author or co-author of 80 books, has taught on the college and graduate school level for 55 years and is the co-founder of two seminaries.

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Joseph M. Holden

Joseph M. Holden

Contributor, Editor

Dr. Joseph M. Holden is President and Co-founder of Veritas Evangelical Seminary. He is the author and co-author of many books and articles.

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F. David Farnell

F. David Farnell

Contributor, Editor

Dr. F. David Farnell is Senior Professor of New Testament at The Master's Seminary. He has published extensively in books and periodicals.

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William C. Roach

William C. Roach

Contributor, Editor

Dr. William C. Roach is editor of the Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics. He is a professor and a worldview trainer for The Truth Project.

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Richard G. Howe

Richard Howe

Contributor, Editor

Dr. Richard G. Howe is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary and VP of the International Society of Christian Apologetics.

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Richard G. Howe

Phil Fernandes

Associate Editor, Executive Board Member

Dr. Phil Fernandes is president of the Institute of Biblical Defense, a pastor, and teacher of philosophy, world religions, theology, and apologetics at three schools.

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Ian Buckley

Ian Buckley

International Outreach

Dr. Ian Buckley is the founding pastor of New Hope Community Church, Auckland New Zealand. He holds degrees in business, marketing, theology and ministry.

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Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson

Contributor, Technical Director

Dr. Shawn Nelson has two degrees in apologetics and one in biblical studies. He has been in software for over 25 years and has a passion for teaching laypeople.

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