Conservative Christian Apologetics Regarding the Bible:

Logical Fallacies and the Need to Admit a Tentative Certainty in Belief

(a brief survey)



Darren M. Slade
23 July 2013
Admittedly, conservative Christians cannot conclusively demonstrate that the Bible is
divinely inspired. Christians themselves can only be tentatively certain about their faith because
personal assumptions and biases influence everyones worldview. Similarly, evidentiary
documentation is open to interpretation, reasoning can be flawed, and the noetic effects of sin
can impact human behavior and thinking.
1
Therefore, absolute objectivity is impossible; an
element of faith is required. However, this does not undermine the Christians position regarding
the Bible. All people skeptics and believers alike must be critical realists and acknowledge
that everyone bases their moral and epistemic schema on a certain amount of faith.
In order to provide an adequate argument that the Bible is Gods word, Christians will
ultimately have to rely on the direct revelation of Christ Himself. The standard apologetic
arguments for Scriptures divine origin do not diminish a skeptics scrutiny. For instance, the
premise that the Bible is Gods word because biblical writers claimed divine inspiration (2 Tim.
3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21) is guilty of arguing in a circle. Millard Erickson suggests that Christians
possess Gods word because Paul, Peter, and the early church believed the writings were
infallible. These proofs, of course, come from within the Bible and do nothing to answer the
possibility that they were wrong.
2
Wayne Grudem admits that this claim is a logical fallacy; he
then attempts to rely on the actual experience of life as the deciding factor for the Bibles
truthfulness.
3
This appeal to personal circumstances is a creative rationalization, but a persons
experiences have little relevance on a statements validity or falsehood. The Book of Mormon


1
For a detailed explanation of a Christians epistemological framework, see David N. Entwistle,
Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical
Foundations, and Models of Integration, 2nd ed. (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010), 69-91.


2
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 226-29.


3
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 1994), 78-80.
and the Quran can have just as much practicality as the Bible. Likewise, the Bible can appear to
have just as many inconsistencies and shortcomings as other sacred texts.
Even Norman Geisler and William Nix recognize that internal evidences for the Bibles
inspiration are purely subjective and prove nothing outside the Christian circle. To combat this,
they list multiple external evidences that demonstrate the Bible is likely divine, such as the
historical reliability of biblical details, fulfilled prophecies, the Bibles influence on the world
and individual lives, and its enduring legacy through textual transmission. Geisler remarks, Of
course these arguments do not rationally demonstrate the divine origin of Scripture beyond all
question.if the Biblewith its clear-cut claim to be inspired, as well as its incomparable
characteristics and multiple credentialsis not inspired, then to what else can one turn?
4
The
argument that the Bible is divinely inspired because it is the best available option is the fallacy of
false alternatives. This would not satisfy a skeptic, and it should not satisfy a believer.
Christians simply may not have exhausted all the plausible alternative worldviews.
Plainly stated, the biblical prophets and apostles could have been mistaken, delusional, or
deceitful about their claims to speak for God. The writers could have fabricated the miracles
recorded in the Bible, and so-called predictive prophecies could be the result of historical
revision, eschatological anachronism, faulty hermeneutics, or sheer lucky guessing. The fact that
the Bible is internally consistent, historically accurate, eloquently written, educationally
profound, and spiritually impactful is not proof enough that Christians possess Gods word.
After all, other religions make these same claims, as well.
5

Finally, the two reasons that Lee Fields provides as defense for conservative Christians
are weak. He first states that the reliability of the Hebrew Bible is extremely high and then


4
Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1996), 195-200.


5
See Grudem, 78.
comments that no major doctrine of Scripture depends on any one variant reading.
6
While both
facts are impressive, they hardly demonstrate that the Bible is Gods word. In the latter case, the
Bibles dogmatic assertions are a non sequitur to the issue of divine inspiration. It does not
logically follow that the Bible must be Gods word because its doctrine is not in dispute. In the
former case, the reliability of an ancient text is also not proof of its divine origin. A skeptic
could firmly hold that the Bible is merely a well-preserved forgery.

Do conservative Christians have a reason for believing the Bible to be Gods word?
Ultimately, the best argument relies on the testimony of Christ, which is taken on faith as
well. The general premises suggest that (1) Jesus claimed to be divine, (2) He said the Bible is
Gods word, and (3) Jesus resurrection demonstrates He is God, thereby (4) authenticating that
the Bible is divinely inspired.
7
Of course, this requires presupposing that Jesus existed in the
first century, began a religious movement with Him as the focal point, was eventually executed,
and that this God-man is not intentionally deceiving humanity about the Bible. These
presuppositions would have to be proven to the skeptic before being able to demonstrate the
premises above. Once this is accepted, then the Christian can further demonstrate Jesus claims.

Why do conservative Christians believe Jesus claimed to be God?
There are multiple instances throughout the Gospels where Jesus claimed to be divine
(see, e.g., John chs. 4-10). For instance, one of the most startling quotes in Scripture appears in
John 10:33 by Jesus own critics, Were stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy!
You, a mere man, claim to be God (NLT). This text appears in several early documentary


6
Lee M. Fields, Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools Without Mastering Biblical Hebrew
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 44.


7
For details of this argument, see Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 99-102.
witnesses. The P
66
manuscript (middle second century), the P
75
manuscript (late second/early
third century), and the P
45
manuscript (early third century) are the oldest extant copies of this
verse, suggesting that the quote came from the first century.
8
Likewise, there are numerous
archaeological and extra-biblical evidences that early Christians worshipped Jesus as God.
9


Why do conservative Christians believe Jesus claimed the Bible is Gods word?
Again, the Gospels record Jesus ascribing divine inspiration to the Bible (see, e.g., Matt.
4:4; 15:3-6). In one particular instance, Jesus quotes from Scripture and affirms that its writers
received the word of God (John 10:35, ESV). This verse also appears in the P
66
, P
75
, and P
45

manuscripts listed above.

Why should Christians trust that these texts are authentic?
Simon Greenleaf, one of the founders of Harvard Law School and an authority on
courtroom evidences, presents two important rules of evidence regarding ancient documents.
The first states, Every document, apparently ancient, coming from the proper repository or
custody, and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine,
and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise.
10
This rule
acknowledges that the texts can be submitted as authentic eyewitnesses from the first century.


8
Philip Wesley Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts:
A Corrected, Enlarged Edition of The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts (Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House, 2001), 155, 376, 501.


9
See Ed Hindson, Christ, Divinity of, in The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics: Surveying the
Evidence For the Truth of Christianity, ed. Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers,
2008), 121-23 and Gary R. Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (Joplin, MO:
College Press Publishing Company, 1996), 199, 206.


10
Simon Greenleaf, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of Evidence
Administered in Courts of Justice., 2nd ed. (London: A. Maxwell & Son, 1847), 70; emphasis in original.

The second rule states, In the absence of circumstances which generate suspicion, every
witness is to be presumed credible, until the contrary is shown; the burden of impeaching his
credibility lying on the objector.
11
In other words, the written record is presumed innocent until
the skeptic can prove the testimony wrong. The burden of casting doubt on these quotes is now
on the skeptic. In the absence of satisfying evidence that the Bible is a forgery, the skeptic can
only speculate about the suspicious nature of these texts.

Why does Jesus opinion about the Bible matter?
As stated above, Jesus testimony matters because He claimed to be God. If Jesus did, in
fact, raise from the dead, then this demonstrates He was divine. As God, Jesus is the only source
of authority that can validate or falsify the Christians claim to possess divine Scripture. As God,
Jesus can securely authenticate the Bible as divinely inspired. For Christians, trusting that Jesus
words are not intentionally deceitful and that the Gospel accounts are historically accurate is an
act of faith. While the biblical writers claimed to see Jesus alive after His execution, there is no
conclusive way to demonstrate that this really happened.
At best, Christians can eliminate all the other theories about Jesus resurrection (e.g.
Swoon Theory, grave robbers, hallucinations, etc.) as implausible and seek to prove that there are
only two viable options remaining: either the biblical writers were lying or they really did see
Jesus resurrected. At this point, the best a Christian can demonstrate is that Jesus disciples were
likely not lying because of the following deductions:
12



11
Ibid., 87-88; emphasis in original.


12
Though each of the seven items below has been disputed by various scholars and in various ways, the
general consensus among historians appears to accept all or most of these statements. Because this paper is not a
specific defense for the resurrection, the reader is advised to consult standard Christian apologetic books and article
for more details about the seven deductions below.
1. It was completely foreign for the Jews and pagans to attribute death and resurrection to
the Messiah.
2. Laws against steeling bodies and false testimony were incredibly severe for Jews.
3. There was an extreme danger in propagating an unsanctioned, new religion, which posed
a real threat of violence and death.
4. There was a rapid, exponential growth of Christianity.
5. The Scripture writers used women as eyewitnesses to the resurrection, even though their
testimonies were neither respected nor admitted as evidence in legal proceedings.
6. There is an internal demonstration of character integrity within the New Testament (it is
marked with proper names, dates, cultural details, historical events, customs, and
opinions of the time. The accounts do not suppress discrepancies about Jesus or the
resurrection stories; they do not suppress the humiliating faults of the writers; and they do
not try to harmonize the overall Gospel story).
7. Finally, the disciples were eventually isolated from one another and murdered for their
belief in the resurrection.

In brief, the presenting approach to defending the Bible as Gods word consists of two
hypothetical syllogisms:

A: If Jesus rose from the dead, then He is truly God.
B: Jesus rose from the dead.
C: Therefore, Jesus is truly God.

If conservative Christians can demonstrate the likelihood of the first syllogism, then they can
attempt the second:

A: If Jesus (as God) confirmed that the Bible is divinely inspired, then Christians must accept the
Bible as Gods word.
B: Jesus claimed that the Bible is divinely inspired.
C: Therefore, Christians must accept the Bible as Gods word.

Note that conservative Christians must demonstrate the first syllogism before being able to
demonstrate the second. In other words, Christians must rely on the resurrection of Christ in
order to trust anything Jesus said or did. Ultimately, however, historical certainty is impossible.
As with most other worldviews, critically-thinking Christians should only commit tentatively to
the theistic worldview after they have secured for themselves that the preponderance of evidence
supports their beliefs. In the end, thoughtful conservative Christians do not blindly choose to
believe the Bible simply because the writers claim it is divinely inspired. Rather, they practice
the same kind of informed faith and tentative conclusions that skeptics practice with their own
worldview, and this only after having evaluated the available evidence.


BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Comfort, Philip Wesley, and David P. Barrett. The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek
Manuscripts: A Corrected, Enlarged Edition of the Complete Text of the Earliest New
Testament Manuscripts. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2001.

Entwistle, David N. Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to
Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models of Integration. 2nd ed.
Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998.

Fields, Lee M. Hebrew for the Rest of Us: Using Hebrew Tools Without Mastering Biblical
Hebrew. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 1999.

________. and William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible. Rev. ed. Chicago: Moody
Press, 1996.

Greenleaf, Simon An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of
Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice. 2nd ed. London: A. Maxwell & Son, 1847.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 1994.

Habermas, Gary R. The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ. Joplin, MO:
College Press Publishing Company, 1996.

Hindson, Ed. "Christ, Divinity of." In The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics. Edited by Ed
Hindson and Ergun Caner. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2008.