Why Refuting Bible Contradictions Takes Time?

One thing I’m glad I started this year on our blog has been looking at some Bible contradictions and showing how they really are not contradictory when one examines them carefully.

I decided to look up some of the verses that I answered and see how other Christians have answered it.  I don’t want this to be about me, but I see that some of my posts are more detailed than some of the offered answers out there.

Lord willing I plan to roll out more posts refuting Bible contradictions and showing how they are not contradictions.

But I do want to say something: Answering Bible contradictions takes time.  Why is that?

• I know sometimes one can answer some of these contradictions sloppily.  That is, the response is done in a way that’s not faithful to the Scripture’s intended meaning.  We don’t want to do that.
• Finding out the meaning of passages takes time if done right.
  • I do look at the original languages with New Testament passages.  Translation for me takes time.  Parsing, declining, observing grammatical and syntactical details takes even more time.  I know in comparison to others in seminary I take a lot more time than most.  But I prefer to be the tortoise rather than the hare.
  • Anyone who have exegeted the Scripture knows that on top of the work of original language, weighing what’s the best interpretation of a passage is itself a work that requires additional  time.
• Also don’t forget that right interpretation abides by good principles of interpretation.  The study of the art and science of interpretation, called hermeneutics, is foundational to dealing with Bible interpretation and handling Bible contradictions.  But studying hermeneutics also requires time to study through.  Practically, handling Bible contradictions also would be conscious of sound hermeneutics; more time.
• Sometimes the reasoning behind the skeptics’ charge of Bible contradictions are cluttered.  It takes time to fairly represent the other side, seeing their train of thought and pointing out logical fallacies.
• This might be more of my own reason why I’m slow and it might not apply to others but I’m also a slow reader.  But I figure it is better to be a slow reader than being being too abrupt in one’s reading.
• Again this might be another of my own flaws but I’m also a slow writer.  Writing out a posts responding to a Bible contradiction takes time.
• In general in life I feel it is easier to point out so-called “problems” than providing solutions.  Same thing applies here.  Its easy for a guy to read the Bible and sloppily throw out an alleged contradiction than it is for someone to read carefully and explaining why the person is wrong and offering reasons for it and reasons for the right interpretation that resolves the tension.  Sometimes it feels like a child making a mess in a manner of seconds while it takes minutes to clean up when it comes to dealing with contradictions.

All this is to say Lord willing, I’ll be tackling more contradictions but that takes time!