Jerry and Me

You know, I most likely agree with Jerry Falwell on very few things, but I think he and I have finally reached some common ground. In a very recent Sunday sermon, Jerry reminded his flock that "Enemies of the Cross" abound throughout. But while ranting against "liberalism", he made a very insightful point that I couldn't agree with more:

Who are our enemies of the cross today? Well let me list but a few. Liberalism. Liberalism which says not all the Bible is inspired and inerrant. When you find someone who doesn’t believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, you’ve found an enemy of the cross. Because if you can't take God at his word, then how do we know there was a cross? How do we know there was a virgin birth? How do we know there was a glorious ressurection? Either this book is God's word, or there's no grounds, no intellectual grounds for Christianity.

Precisely! If we can find just one falsehood in "God's word", then the whole book is called into question. If the Bible is not inerrant, then how do we know which parts are true and which parts need further clarification/re-interpretation? And if this is the case, then religion basically comes down to an individual interpretation of what one believes the Bible to say. It is no longer the word of God but rather what someone thinks God intended to say (and interesting how those sentiments change over time). And in the competition for "the truth", not everyone is a winner (but it sure helps to be really charismatic or have a good marketing team). Considering all the different sects that have emerged based on their own unique biblical interpretation, it is easy to see that this is exactly what has always been and what will always be with bible-based religion (or any religion in general).

I'm not going to present a bunch of examples of contradictions and errors in "God's word" because they are easy enough to find through a quick Google search. What I find much more interesting is the response to such criticism. I'll let the good people at GotQuestions.org explain their reasoning:

So, what are we to do when someone approaches us with an alleged Bible error? (1) Prayerfully study the problem and see if there is a simple solution. 2) Do some research using some of the fine Bible commentaries, "Bible defense" books, and Biblical research websites that are available. (3) Ask the helpful servants at www.gotquestions.org or your pastor to see if they can find a solution. (4) If there is still no clear answer after steps (1), (2), and (3) are followed - trust God that His Word is truth and that there is a solution that just simply has not been realized yet (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17).

Yep, even errors are proof of God's divine inspiration. Which is why Jerry can never be wrong. And neither can any other Christian for that matter.