Biblical Inerrancy – Some Interaction with Doug Pagitt’s A Christianity Worth Believing

“The inerrancy debate is based on the belief that the Bible is the word of God, that the Bible is true because God made it and gave it to us as a guide to truth. But that’s not what the Bible says” (Pagitt, A Christianity Worth Believing, 65).

If the Bible is not the word of God, how come the phrase “Thus says the Lord” appears 418 times in the Bible. Jesus Himself rebukes the Pharisees for placing their traditions before the word of God (Matt 15:6; Mark 7:13). Jesus equates Scripture with the word of God in John 10:35. In Luke 11:28, we learn that those who hear God’s word and obey it are blessed. If Pagitt is correct, this verse becomes absolutely pointless unless one hears directly from God. The Apostles did not neglect the word of God so it spread as people received it as the word of God (Acts 6:2,7; 8:14; 11:1; 13:5, 7, 46; 17:13; 18:11). Paul says he did not take money for teaching the word of God (2 Cor 2:17). Both Jesus and the writers of the NT used OT references as an authority to support their claims. If Pagitt wishes to keep his position, he really should address these verses in a more comprehensive manner.

“Rather than starting with Jesus and following his story, we’ve started with sin—more specifically, with our theologized assumptions about the way sin separates us from God. We’ve started with a problem that wasn’t a problem until someone decided to make it one” (Ibid., 156).
No, we started with Genesis 1 when it says that all God created was good. From there, we read the story and leads us to the sin of Adam and Eve, their unwillingness to repent, and their separation from God. From there, we read about Cain’s sin, the Towel of Babel’s construction and destruction, and onto the countless times Israel rebelled against their God who loved them, delivered them, and continued to forgive them up until their exile to Babylon. Then we see how God’s people treated Jesus and we are left with the obvious conclusion that something is desperately wrong with the human heart. Pagitt may want to start with Jesus and Jesus was certainly around before creation began, but he must mention the history of humanity leading up to Christ’s time in human history.

“But a Jewish God was a loving father figure, the down-and-in God who provided for the people and called them to join in with God’s work in the world” (Ibid., 181).
Yes, Doug, the Jewish God was a loving Father, but He was also a Holy God who exacted vengeance on His people when they disobeyed Him. Pagitt’s loving God said, “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (1 Sam 15:3).