Recently I finished reading a book published in 2000, Freshness for the Far Journey, by Lynn Anderson. Among the things he writes with which I disagree, he comments: “So I rarely deal in biblical apologetic. The people I preach to need the impact, not the defense, of Scripture” (pages 87-88). Seriously?
While I do not want to attack Anderson, I have to ask – Did he not have any high school students who needed a firm foundation for belief in God? Did he not have any college students whose faith was attacked relative to the inspiration of the Scriptures? The previous statement to that quoted above is: “I hold a high view of the nature of Scripture, that Scripture is self-validating and that its message commends itself “to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:2) [emph. his].” Why does he hold a “high view of the nature of Scripture”? Did the members of that congregation not need the same evidence that they might hold a “high view” of Scripture?
There is, indeed, an important role in biblical apologetics in preaching. Every leg of the “Christian stool” needs evidence and needs defending for the benefit of every member of the congregation: the existence of God, the nature of Jesus, and (YES!) the inspiration of the Scriptures.
“In the beginning God,” starts the sacred canon. Which God? Is there a God? Is He the God of the Bible? The very first sentence in the Scriptures needs to be shown to be valid, especially in this age of rampant skepticism. Faith is grounded in reason. The congregation needs to know that.
If Jesus is to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21), it is indeed important to show that He is Whom He claimed to be. The very purpose of the Gospel of John was apologetic (John 20:30-31).
It seems, however, the real “rub” for Anderson is the inspiration of the Scriptures. He writes: “Honest investigation reveals many minor problems in Scripture. …some discrepancies are to be expected” (75).
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Christians and other Bible students have long recognized there are some alleged Bible discrepancies and they have devoted time and energy to resolving those differences. Might we call them variants or something besides discrepancies? A discrepancy is defined as a “lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts.” Does a preacher believe the Bible contains statements that “lack compatibility”?
Yes, there are some statements, among the Gospel accounts for example, that offer some variation. Does that mean they are problems, minor or major? Certainly not. Now, we may not have the exact answer in each specific instance but an honest study of the respective passage will show that there are legitimate answers or explanations to the question that shows they are not discrepancies but variations.
For those who are curious, and for preachers(!), there are books like The Anvil Rings by Apologetics Press. Personally, I think it is foolish to ignore alleged contradictions as Anderson suggests. That approach suggests that the Bible is on the same level as other works written by man and not in its own unique category. If you don’t believe in the inspiration of Scriptures, how can you believe in the authority of Scriptures? The two stand or fall together. When I approach such, I present the legitimate options and point out that one of those, or perhaps another not found yet, explains the matter.
When all is said and done, our preaching and teaching should be focused on strengthening the faith of the Christians, not leaving that faith to flap in the wind of spurious attacks. When we do that, the congregation can feel the “impact” of Scripture!
–Paul Holland
