“The Bible is not interested in precisionism unless the context indicates that precision is particularly important.” Quote by D. A. Carson
“I can say that it's 10 miles from my home to Trinity, when in fact that's not quite right, it's off by about 10%, but nobody would say that I'm telling a lie or making a mistake when I rounded off because that's the way we speak and rounded off terms regularly.” WayI CanFactsHomeLyingSpeakTermMistakeMilesMaking MistakesTrinity Author:D. A. Carson
“So there are all kinds of things that grammarian purists would argue are awkward forms of speech and sometimes they are intentional for rhetorical effect and sometimes it's the way people chose to write at the time. Inerrancy isn't interested in any of those kinds of things.” PeopleWayWritingKindSometimesFormEffectsSpeechArguingAll KindsAwkwardRhetorical Author:D. A. Carson
“The truth of the matter is that inerrancy is simply a way of saying that there are no errors that call into question the truthfulness of Scripture wherever Scripture is making truth claims.” WayMatterClaimsErrorsScriptureTruthfulness Author:D. A. Carson
“Not all Scripture is propositional, some of it is asking questions, some of it's rhetorical, but where Scripture is stating something, asserting something, making a truth claim, uttering a proposition that is claiming to be true, it is the truth.” ClaimsAskingScriptureBeing TruePropositionsAsking QuestionsRhetorical Author:D. A. Carson
“For example, the Bible does say this is a proposition, "There is no God." But of course the context of Psalm 14:1 enriches it a bit: "the fool has said in his heart, there is no God." So there are contextual constraints and when you finish putting in all the contextual constraints and sophisticated discussions of what inerrancy is and isn't.” HeartDoeSaidCoursesBitsExampleFoolDiscussionSophisticatedPropositionsConstraintsThere Is No GodPsalms Author:D. A. Carson
“Some people say What's the use of the term if it has to be so fully documented and constrained and footnoted and all the rest. My response to that is: there is no theological word that does not have to be similarly footnoted and constrained: justification, spirit, sanctification etc. Any term can be distorted or domesticated or fly off the handle because of another alien philosophical structure that's imposed on the text and so on. Inerrancy is no different from what we find in every other theologically loaded word.” PeopleIfsDoeDifferentUseSpiritTermPhilosophicalStructureResponseHandleAliensEtcJustificationLoadedTheologicalSanctification Author:D. A. Carson
“At the end of the day, in brief summary: inerrancy is interested in the truthfulness of Scripture and it is a powerful way forcing people to think about that reliability that is God-given.” PeopleThinkingWayEndsGivenPowerfulScriptureThe End Of The DayTruthfulnessReliabilitySummary Author:D. A. Carson
“We treat the Bible, not as if it's a magic book that has to be handled like a piece of abracadabra, make sure it's dusted, never put it on the floor, and things like that.” IfsBookPiecesMagicTreatsAbracadabra Author:D. A. Carson
“It's not a matter of us standing outside it and ticking off the boxes: yes, the Bible is faithful here; yes, it's telling the truth there, and so on, but rather granted that it's God-given. It's the frame of reference that shows us how to live in, tells us how to think about everything.” ThinkingMatterShowsGivenStandingBoxesGrantedFaithfulTelling The TruthStanding OutFrame Of Reference Author:D. A. Carson
“God has disclosed of himself in human words with such magnificent self accommodation to our limitations. Precisely so that we may be his holy people and reverence everything that he says, cherish it, value it, and thus live it out.” PeopleHumansMaySelfValuesHolyLimitationCherishReverenceMagnificentAccommodations Author:D. A. Carson