Science in Christian Perspective

Letter to the Editor

SCRIPTURAL INERRANCY

From: JASA 16 (December 1964): 128

The article "A Perspective in Scriptural Inerrancy" by Richard H. Bube, which appeared in the Journal for September 1963, is written in a fine spirit of Christian devotion. It is evident that the author sincerely believes in our Lord Jesus Christ. However, it seems to me that he has abandoned anything which can properly be called the doctrine of Scriptural inerrancy. He is convinced, no doubt, that he has something in his distinction between "inerrancy" and "arbitrary inerrancy", but I confess that to me this is a spurious verbalism. The inerrancy of the Scripture surely means that the Bible does not teach error in anything it teaches.

The difficulties involved in this article, as I see it, would be greatly clarified by an understanding of the principles of grammatico-historical exegesis. There is a large area bordering between the material sciences and theology in which a common vocabulary must be developed. We need an understanding of scientific hermeneutics.