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About Russell Moore

Russell Moore is Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and executive director of the Carl F. H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement. Dr. Moore is the author of The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective (Crossway, 2004) and the forthcoming Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches (Crossway, May 2009).

Website: RussellMoore.com

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Russell Moore

Dean of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Inerrancy Fatigue?

I've suspected the "battle for the Bible" was lost ever sense my Microsoft Word spell-check started suggesting the word "ignorance" every time I type the word "inerrant."

Texas pastor Bart Barber posts this morning one of the finest, and most charitable, explanations of inerrancy I've seen in a long, long time . I suspect he's right that there's a sense of "inerrancy fatigue" among some evangelicals, including perhaps some within my Southern Baptist denomination. His response to the theologian-in-residence at the Baptist General Convention of Texas is strong, comprehensive, and merciful.

The outside world won't hear our inerrant Bibles until we start displaying how corrected we are, personally, by it (I'll write more on that later).

Barber's post is a good model of someone who is talking to regular people (those able to cross list arguments and counter-arguments by Barth, Henry, and Lindsell are not who will decide this matter), showing why it matters, and why it doesn't make one ignorant.

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Most Recent User Comments
Thomasthefree
10/29/2009 12:11 PM
Wow . . . I can't believe I read the whole thing. I wondered if I too found the subject of inerrancy a little fatiguing, as it is an issue I have already personally decided. Still, I found Barber's paper really intriguing and pretty definitive on the issue . . . the comments that followed were insightful as well.

Those of us who are brave enough to proclaim that the Word of God is without error, as is He,,have a huge responsibility to bear up under it. At the same time, we recognize that His inerrant word has a great deal to say about grace and forgiveness, which we need to be extending to each other in this, as in all, struggles.

Thom Hunter
http://thom-signsofastruggle.blogspot.com/