Apologetics Sermon Illustration #40: Bible Contradiction and Gold Medal at the Cambrian Patrol

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Point: Sometimes when one engage in apologetics the issue of alleged Bible contradiction comes up.  There are times when those who assert that there are contradictory and conflicting verses in the Bible reveal more about their biases than actual problem with the Bible itself since contextually the situation is really a case of “both/and” rather than an “either/or” contradiction with the Bible.

Picture: In the British Army there is a military exercise called the Exercise Cambrian Patrol that takes place in Wales and is among one of the toughest light infantry tests in the world.  According to the British Army’s website the

exercise is split into eight phases with soldiers marching a mind-and-muscle sapping 55km carrying full personal kit and equipment, weighing in at some 60lbs, on the two-day patrolling mission.” (Source)

The exercise include participants from military units coming from all over the world.

I recently saw this video on Facebook that Defense New India that shows their Gurkha unit being awarded Gold for their participation with the Exercise Cambrian Patrol.  (If you don’t know anything about Gurkhas you ought to look it up about them). You can see the video below:

I noticed in the comment section and elsewhere online that some people were getting upset that Pakistan also claimed that their delegates in the Exercise Cambrian Patrol also received gold with some even implying that the Pakistanis are lying.  You can find Pakistani news source reporting their Pakistani military team winning gold here.

So did the Pakistani won gold?

It turns out they did.  Here’s the video proof from the official Twitter account of the Army in Wales:

And top marks again for Pakistan. Year after year they deliver a polished performance. Another hard-earned gold medal. #CambrianPatrol pic.twitter.com/Ac3HgPM6le

— The Army in Wales (@Army_Wales) October 19, 2016

We must not forget that there’s an undercurrent of biases behind some of those who question and object to the news that Pakistan also won gold.  Consider the fact that the politics could be tense between the two countries.  Cooler heads would have also taken a step back and asked, “Is it logically possible that two or more team won gold?”  Think about how at times in certain sports competition you can end up with more than one individual or team winning first place since there is a tie.  Likewise we also shouldn’t be surprised that winning gold is something that more than one team can possibly win.  And that’s exactly what happened here.

Likewise those who attack the Bible as having contradictions where they pit two or more claims as being mutually exclusive (either/or) went it isn’t can be similar to the story mentioned here.  They ended up being driven by their biases which predispose them to neglect the context and the bigger picture of the passage.

POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR EMPLOYING THIS ILLUSTRATION DURING APOLOGETIC EVANGELISM

NON-CHRISTIAN: Here let me give you a Bible contradiction. <Insert alleged Bible Contradiction>

CHRISTIAN: I don’t think that’s a Bible contradiction.  The claims aren’t even mutually exclusive with one another.  <Insert rebuttal>.  By the way this makes me think of a story <Insert this apologetics’ illustration>.   Don’t you think in this story that there are biases that has led some to deny there’s a possibility of both the Indian and Pakistani team winning gold?

NON-CHRISTIAN: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: It is similar to your situation.  Also notice that just because one source reported India won gold or Pakistan won gold wihout mentioning the other country that does not mean there’s a Bible contradiction either.

 

GO TO PART 41