A question for the Bible scholars...?

Question

During world history classes, we were studying Christianity and will do so again in two days. Our history teacher criticized God and the Bible at times throughout the lesson, and I fear this may have hurt the faith of some of my fellow classmates. He indicates mostly how the Bible contradicts itself, and that the Holy Spirit would not have botched its work. Are there any counterarguments to this? Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Your teacher is a typical creature like all men who try to figure out God with his created natural mind.

Just remember, God is a Spirit and except He reveal to His creature by Divine revelation, no man can know God.

Except a man be born again (a spiritual birth) he cannot understand spiritual things nor enter the Kingdom of God; that is, become a citizen of the unseen, but the real world where God dwell.

Answer 2

I really get fired up when people criticize the bible and usually find that the person doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Yes, there are many contradictions in the bible, ever heard of the Synoptic Gospels? For years scholars have been studying the gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke) because while these 3 authors are all telling the same story, there are many contradictions. But consider this: The gospels, as well as all the other books in the new testament, were written by many different people, many years after the events had already taken place. Now you and I may both be at the scene of an accident, for instance. When it comes to making a statement, yours will almost certainly differ from mine in detail. You may have been standing on the opposite side of the road to me and seen it from a different angle, so I may have missed something you witnessed, yet we were both there when it happened. Make sense? Now how about writing this same statement 30 to 40 years later. Bet you're not going to remember everything exactly as it happened. This is precisely what happened when different people wrote different books in the Bible. The authors were only human after all, and whilst they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about those things, different views and memories would surface. The Bible is a perfect record of events which took place thousands of years ago, but we as Christians base our faith on it, and correctly so. Small details are insignificant. Jesus DID die on the cross, John the Baptist DID foretell of his coming, Pontius Pilate DID wash his hands in innocense. The facts are correct, some details may vary, but the Bible contains the truth about Christianity. End of story.

Answer 3

The "contradictions" are easy... most of these are available in lists on the web and are simply misinterpretations.

Look at a FREE download of a book by Gleason Archer, Jr. titled, "New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties"

http://www.zondervan.com/software is the top page. The right hand column has a "coupon code" which you can enter at checkout and get $25 worth of software at no charge. Then click the "start shopping" link and select "Reference" on the left side of the screen.

The download is typically around 30 Meg, but varies depending on the books you select. The hardback version of the book is 480 pages, so it is not a "lightweight."

From Zondervan's description of the book:

Dr. Gleason Archer offers carefully thought-out arguments for the unity and integrity of the Bible that should convince the skeptic and reassure the person who may be confused by the seeming discrepancies in Scripture. Includes a full index.

Description:
Did God approve of Rahab’s lie? Why are many of the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament not literal? Does the Bible class abortion with murder? Where did Adam and Eve’s sons get their wives? Does 1 Corinthians 7:10–16 authorize divorce for desertion?

What do you make of the difficult areas in the Bible—those puzzling passages that make you stop and scratch your head? The seeming contradictions and inconsistencies of Scripture actually have sound explanations. But unless you’re a Bible scholar, you probably don’t know about them.

That’s why you need the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. It gives you informed answers to your most troublesome questions. Some of the solutions seem obvious—after you’ve read them. But most include an eye-opening look at linguistic, cultural, numerical, relational, and other considerations of which most Bible readers are unaware.

Referencing both the New International Version and the New American Standard Bible, this helpful resource makes scholarly insights accessible to everyone. Whether you’re a student, pastor, everyday Bible-lover, or even a skeptic, the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties will show you why the Bible is believable and dependable, with a message you can live by.

Answer 4

Your teacher would hate me. I was the kind of student who would have flat out confronted him on his comments. Something along the lines of, "I don't appreciate having my faith attacked as a part of my coursework. I am respectfully requesting that you keep your opinions to yourself and teach me the subject matter without your editorials."

As for counterarguement, well, he needs to have something more specific than the generalized statements he made, which are made over and over and over again by people who have never read the Bible. I think I would ask him specifically, "Where? Where does the Bible contradict itself?" "What makes you an authority on whether or not the Holy Spirit has botched its work? Just what is it that the Holy Spirit was supposed to have botched?" It's easy to make generalized statements but you can't actually argue unless they are more specific. (For instance, a lot of people argue that the four Gospels don't agree with each other. However they do, they were just written to emphasize different aspects of Jesus' ministry based on what was important to the individual author.)

Answer 5

Tell your friends to search the Internet.

I usually find good answers to alleged contradictions off of the net.

Go to a good Christian bookstore and order five alleged contradiction, alleged Bible difficulties, alleged ethical difficulties books.

Bring them to class and ask your "prof" for examples.

Usually you can pick them off as they come.

Anything can be made to contradict. So, others will be so obvious that a simple read of the context will answer the question.

And yes, there are those that will challenge your research skills. But keep the faith, there will be an answer to the alleged difficulty.

Answer 6

Yes there are many ways to "counter" however the best way will be to start with prayer. Get yourself prayed up and make sure you are asking for the Knowledge to be able to make a simple response but not be condecending. Be respectful even though he is not. It will also depend on your knowledge of The Word and a lot of It's background.

Many people SAY that the Bible contradicts itself but when you ask them, "Like what?", they fail miseribly. One of the best facts to bring out is that as far as Antient Documents of Antiquity, The Bible is The Most accurate of its type. Even the Illiad and The writings of Aristotile are not near as accurate in it's context and the copies that have been made and compared. The Bible is also 98% accurate in It's inner context as far as names dates and places mentioned. There is Extra-Biblical evidence that also backs up all of what the Bible has documented in itself. The contradictions that have been found are where the translation to a different language has accured and there were just no words to use to be able to change them into that language. Also, the contradictions are usually in a name or a place. Like a "drachma " to a "shekel". Not in the basic principles and teachings that are outlined in the Bible.

For Instance, Old Testament-A person that has commited adulteyr is to be stoned. In this precept what people fail to realize is that the person to be stoned has to be accused by the mouth of more than just one witness. If those witnesses happen to be of near family relation they are disqualified. Also both the man and woman are to be stoned so the witnesses have to agree together for the stoning of both. God actually extended grace to people that did wrong ever since the Ancient of days. ref: Deut.17:6&19:15

New Testament- We see Jesus extend that grace to a woman, that is not only brought before Him for this crime but where's the dude? It does take two to tango. Then not only does He extend the grace as the Old Commandment would He brings it right back home to the hearts of the people that have actually wrongfully judged her and are passing sentence. So they are also going against the Commandments. Now he makes THEM realize not only the error of their own ways but how to extend the grace of God to another. So you have to ask, Where's the contradiction?

Heres a good one- Old Testament From Exodus 20:17 to Leviticus 19:17-18 & 34 to Deuteronomy 10:19 & 22:1-3
New Testament From Matthew 22:34-39 to Mark 12:31 to I John4:20-21. (there are a whole lot more Scriptures also but these should make a good point).
What in the world is contradicting in any of these Scriptures????? it is all about Loving your neighbor as you love yourself. EVER SINCE THE OLD TESTAMENT. ( I'm not yelling at ya' i just get excited about The Word)

Point out to Him that it was Christopher Columbus that was able to look and read Proverbs 8:27 and realize that the earth was not flat and put that faith in the Bible into such motion he sailed around the world. It is in one of his journals that happen to be available for the public.

Maybe they also need to realize that if they are not going to allow people to pray and read The Bible in schools on school time that isn't it a contradiction to haphazardlly try to teach about it if one really is not sure about it and is only going about it with the limited knowledge that was given to them instead of being able to talk about it from a more scholarly, academic and unbiased viewpoint. Then maybe you will be able to learn Truths about the Bible and not just someones personal opinion.

Okay, I'm sorry. I kinda' went off there a little. it just burns my butt to hear about that stuff going on in schools.

Here is a great one for you. The Bible was written over a period of 2500 years by over 30 different people and as a whole it summizes into the greatest story ever told. Where's the contradictions and how did The Holy Spirit "botch up" there???

Hope that is some good stuff for ya and I hope that if you need more tangible stuff with references outside The Bible and professor's names and University studies, just ask. Got Plenty for you.

God Bless you and strengthen you to stand for and in His Truth.

Answer 7

I hope this was a college course because if it wasnt this history teacher is going to pay for his bias eventually.

A teacher should try to stay objective about the material and just teach the facts. That is what a good teacher would do.

The best teacher I had was in a high school contemporary world issues class. In this class we discussed all the topics of the news and the world around us and debated them and the teacher always played devils advocate. We never knew what his true beliefs were.

Answer 8

Normally apologetics is not my foray however I have found that what appears to be contradictions in the Bible have usually been perceived as such by my own understanding. Further research has almost always clarified discrepancies. Unless hermeneutics's is applied properly misunderstandings are inevitable by unqualified individuals.

Answer 9

If your teacher continues to say the Bible is full of contradictions, I think an appropriate response would be to ask. "Isn't it true there are many highly educated men who hold the opposite opinion?" I believe the only honest response would be yes.

Answer 10

No, because what this person is doing is rendering an opinion. Anyone who knows the bible, and has a solid footing on the word of God, cannot be moved by another's disbelief.

Allow the teacher to say what they want to say. It is up to us to know enough about God's word, and be grounded in it enough, to not be fazed by another's opinion about the bible.