Point: Sometimes when one engage in apologetics the issue of alleged Bible contradiction comes up and the example given of a Bible contradiction really isn’t a Bible contradiction but an instance where one account gives lesser detail than another account. Are there examples we can give in other areas outside of the Bible of how such a tactic to claim there’s a Bible contradiction is problematic?
I think the following illustration below would be helpful.
Picture:
A few years ago I was teaching some kids in an after school program. I was amazed at how young they were. They were born after September 11th, 2001 which was a turning point at a crossroad in my life. So I asked them if they knew about 9/11. They said yes. I asked them what they knew. They knew about two building being hit by airplanes in New York. As we talked some were surprised to hear about another flight that crashed in the fields and also another flight that attacked the Pentagon. Mind you, just because certain documentaries and narratives focus on the Twin towers that doesn’t mean they were denying the other things that happened that day. Just because one set of witnesses describe the New York incident doesn’t mean they are saying that’s the only thing that happen. Likewise to read one book whose author decided to focus on New York and another book whose author focuses on both New York and the Pentagon doesn’t make them in of itself contradictory. They made the decisions of what to leave in and what to leave out. But that’s not a contradiction at all. Likewise with some of the alleged Bible contradictions the skeptics claim.
POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR EMPLOYING THIS ILLUSTRATION DURING APOLOGETIC EVANGELISM
OPPONENT: I can’t believe in Christianity because of the contradictions in the Bible. For instance, “How many women came to the sepulchre?” Was it one, two, three, or five and more?
CHRISTIAN: We don’t have a contradiction here at all. <Insert response>
OPPONENT: That’s a cop out. No one does history like that. Not with secular history.
CHRISTIAN: That is not true. <Insert Illustration> Are the kids right to say the Twin Tower was the only attack on September 11th because their history book mentioned about the two towers being attacked and then they can say I was wrong when I taught that there was also an attack on the Pentagon?
OPPONENT: No.
CHRISTIAN: Likewise that’s what you are trying to do with this alleged Bible contradiction.
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Thanks for this good analogy. From your rebuttals of Steve/Stephen Wells’ I know he often employs the either/or fallacy. People accuse the Bible of being “full of contradictions” when they haven’t even read it.
Yeah he often commit an either/or fallacy when he said there is a Bible contradiction. After refuting so many of these and seeing this kind of fallacy over and over you got to start wondering if Steve Wells simply has an ax to grind more than really seeking to accurately handle Scripture. It’s Friday I imagine you wrote a post in your series refuting Catholic rebuttals of verses Protestants use?
Today I published the post re: the Catholic apologist that was in the queue and I still need to draft the post for next Friday. I’ll probably write it early AM tomorrow. He continues harping on “Sacred Tradition” and covering the same ground.
This is a great way to frame it. Thanks for the insight.
Reblogged this on Citizen Tom and commented:
One of the most effective arguments against the Bible is the claim it contradicts itself. However, those arguing that the Bible contradicts itself don’t seem to understand the definition of the word “contradiction”. Here we have an article that provides an example of such confusion.
Really good illustration. It’s so easy from the scraps of information we glean about an incident to get confused by different sources and their focus. Particularly if we didn’t personally experience it or live through the times.
Partly, it’s how our brains work we naturally screen out a lot of information that doesn’t fit a particular narrative to save resources.
So we often see what seem like contradictions but can be easily cleaned up with a little bit of nuance. We’re most susceptible to this on topics we disagree with others about – as we are even more open to biases in understanding.
Good point and good observation. I just prayed for you for all that you have to do, for both strength and wisdom. Have a good day (or evening where you live at).
Thanks for your prayers much appreciated. Praying for your ministry and family.
Hi, Jim! This is fantastic! For my “Theological Interpretation of Media” class (which if I may say is the BEST class I have ever had!) our Professor has us analyze scenarios from 9/11/01 as a way to evaluate media (photographs, news articles, artwork etc.). Thank you for sharing this!
Wow no way so I’m not the only one to use 9/11 as an example! Is this doctoral level class or for your earlier masters?
That was for my Masters.
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Excellent illustration.
Great illustration. I like the way you deal with these so called bible contradictions.
Thanks much…great illustration! 😊
Excellent.
I’m no fan of Hinduism, but there’s the old story that makes a good point, about ten blind men who get into an argument trying to describe an elephant. The one feeling its back says it’s like a wall, the one feeling its tusk says it’s like a saber, the one at its ear says it’s like a fan, etc. We all have very limited knowledge, but that doesn’t mean that the knowledge we have is necessarily wrong.
Good point. That’s a good analogy of what the skeptics are doing where they are not synthesizing all the data. By the way I wrote down your email and will email you in the next few days and I’m glad you will be interested in writing a guest post while I am away training pastors in an area I can’t have internet. Hope you have a blessed Lord’s Day today sister!
Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you.
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Stimulating!