One reason I believe the Scriptures are inerrant

Years ago while I was a master of divinity student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., I took a New Testament Survey class taught by a man who was a notorious "moderate" among Southern Baptists.

This professor had been fired from Southern Seminary in 1958 because of his views on the nature of Scripture, and he was teaching adjunctively at Southeastern that year (1987-1988) as a substitute for one of the regular faculty members who was on sabbatical. Many believe that the teaching invitation extended to him by the then-current administration of Southeastern was an act of protest, as it were, against the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. What better way to thumb one's nose at the conservatives than to hire someone who had been fired by Southern Seminary for doctrinal reasons nearly three decades earlier?

Knowing nothing about the history of this professor, I enrolled in my first semester of classes, including New Testament Survey taught by the professor. It did not take long for me to realize that he had a particular agenda. Given the circumstances in the Southern Baptist Convention at the time it was not unusual for the question of the truthfulness of Scripture to be raised in class. However, this particular professor took every opportunity to disparage those who believed that the Scriptures were inerrant. One particular occasion was especially memorable. While discussing the birth of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, he paused for a moment, slammed his hand loudly on the lectern, and declared:

"For those of you who believe that the Bible contains no errors, look at this -- Luke says that Jesus was born in a stable while Matthew says that He was born in a house!"

This outburst shocked the class, not only because of its abruptness but also because of its absurdity. Keep reading