I think you’re making a huge leap by claiming that not believing in inerrancy (of Scripture) necessarily leads to a hand-picking of sections that make sense, specifically the “warm and fuzzy,” feel-good bits.

For one thing, there’s a LOT in the Bible that doesn’t make sense to me. That doesn’t mean that I discount it or cut it out for my convenience – it just means I don’t understand it. It also doesn’t follow that I then just pick the warm and fuzzy bits. What if the warm and fuzzies are the things that don’t make sense to me? I’m just saying that a does not lead to b here.

On top of this, I know plenty of inerrancy proponents who pick and choose which aspects they will follow and which they will discard. Levitical law is a prime example that illustrates the point.

Inerrancy denies the historicity of Scripture. Just as Jesus Christ is both God and Human, Scripture is both God’s Word and Men’s work. I agree with you insofar as you say that the Scripture we have is what God intended us to have, but God gave us God’s revelation through human hands working within history. If God wanted us to have something neat and infallible, God would have given it to us out of thin air. It’s clear this did not happen.

I think the primary problem with inerrancy is that it puts God’s ability to work with, in spite of, and for the sake of humans outside of His grasp. What’s wrong with realizing and admitting the truth that the versions of the Bible that we have are translated works of men (and women), compiled from sometimes inconsistent manuscripts (and fragments of manuscripts), filled with occasional transcriptional errors, intentional alterations and disagreement in terms of translation?

This is historical fact and it is not dangerous to faith. In truth, that the Bible came to be at all is miraculous. How can you say that, because I don’t believe in inerrancy of the Bible that I don’t take it seriously as the written revelation about the eternal Word of God?

The Bible is God’s word secondarily to Jesus Christ as God’s Word. I know about Jesus because of the Bible, and so I take it very, very seriously. I just don’t worship the Bible. I don’t believe it is inerrant, but I believe it is sufficient. I don’t believe it is divine, but it is about the Divine and it points to the Divine. I don’t believe the Bible will get me into heaven, but I believe it points to the One who will.

Blessings to you in Jesus’ name.

May we embrace and follow the full Gospel!

Great blog – keep up the good work!