Re: [asa] Question on inerrancy

On May 10, 2008, at 1:04 PM, David Heddle wrote:

> D.F. Simmons,
>
>
> You must be reading the WC quite differently. I see no place where
> it limits the scope of biblical infallibility. Of course, scripture
> says very little about science, and not a great deal about history
> or archeology, but the WC does not teach that scripture, when it
> deviates from soteriology, is no longer inerrant. Perhaps you could
> point out where the divines stated that scripture is possibly
> unreliable when it describes science or history.
>
>

In order to get that interpretation of the WC you need to deal with
that chapter in isolation. When the confession deals with creation it
has the phrase (I am going from memory here so the phrase may not be
exactly correct) "in the span of six days". This caused no small
amount of controversy earlier this decade in the PCA. The debate was
whether the confession merely echoed Scripture and thus it could be
interpreted according to the Framework Hypothesis etc. or was the
confession specifically teaching 144-day creation and the use of that
phrase says more than mere echoing. Regardless of which side of this
controversy came down, one thing was clear from a Reformed
perspective. That which Scripture speaks to must be taken seriously.
We cannot ghettoize Scripture to only talk about faith and practice.
We may differ in HOW Scripture speaks but not THAT it speaks. Since
accomodationism come from a Reformed perspective people need to
understand its proper context. Accomodationism is not a wax nose that
conforms to any and every whim of the interpreter. Rather, as Calvin
would put it God lisps to us as his children as George Murphy does to
his grandchildren.

In summary, modern innerrantism is somewhat foreign to Reformed
theology but not so foreign that people such as Gerstner, Sproul, and
Boice could affirm it. If we are to replace it with something less
restrictive it does NOT mean anything goes, however.

Rich Blinne
Member ASA

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Received on Sat May 10 21:24:00 2008