QUESTION OF THE WEEK! - Are There Contradictions in the Bible?

A: Someone says, “You can’t trust the Bible! It’s full of contradictions!”

It is a popular view these days. Many people have the impression that the Bible is simply an outdated book of fairytales and contradictions. We are told that biblical stories are fine for children, and perhaps they even contain some moral value. “But, surely” says the critic, “such stories cannot be taken seriously in our modern age of science and technology.”

After all, the Bible speaks of floating ax-heads, the sun apparently going backwards, a universe created in six days, an earth that has pillars and corners, people walking on water, light before the sun, a talking snake, a talking donkey, dragons, and a senior citizen taking two of every animal on a big boat! On the surface, these things may seem absurd, particularly to those unfamiliar with the Christian worldview. But to make matters even worse, it is alleged that the Bible contains contradictions. That is, the Bible seems to say one thing in one place, and then the opposite in another. Which are we to believe? Obviously, two contradictory statements cannot both be true.

While we might come to accept many of the peculiar claims of Scripture, a genuine contradiction cannot be true even in principle. It is not possible to have a sunny night, a married bachelor, dry water, a true falsehood, and so on. Thus, the claim that the Bible contains contradictions is a serious challenge indeed. For if the Bible has even one real contradiction, then it cannot be completely true. Yet the Christian asserts that the Bible is the Word of God and without error. The claim of contradictions is a serious allegation against the Christian worldview, and we must be prepared to defend the Bible against such claims.

Many claim that there are contradictions in the Bible—perhaps someone has asked you about them or you yourself have wondered about certain verses or difficult passages. This new web-only series, Contradictions, will answer some of the toughest questions that critics raise about Scripture and show that God’s Word is true from the very first verse. Read the introduction,
then check back each Monday for a new installment and get equipped.

News to Note Quick Look

The Copernican bubble pops: As secular cosmology tries to cope with the visible evidence, the explanatory model gets more and more “improbable” and “outlandish.” Read more.

Rocks of age (again): Humbly lying on the tundra shores of Canada’s Hudson Bay are the world’s oldest rocks—4.28 billion years old, to be exact. Read more.

Also: the dino–bird–elephant connection, let it snow (in time for Martian Christmas), if by “magical” you mean “miraculous,” an irreligious zealot, and can we participate? Read more.