Are There Mistakes In Our Bible?

Are There Mistakes In Our Bible?

Bro. John:
Our church is small and we do not have a regular minister. Each week we have a different visiting preacher. One visitor has mentioned more than once that the Bible contains many errors. He does this during his sermon, so consequently, he goes unchallenged, except by my husband who has confronted him more than once. Only once have any of the men let him know that these were no errors of substance, nor contradictions, but grammatical errors. He also likes to elude to the idea that "we, here in the United States haven't got this religion thing figured out" as opposed to the congregations in Africa or any other place in the world for that matter. He is a very intelligent man and well studied in the Bible. He can quote any scripture, make any kind of comparison. I think that most of us are intimidated by him and simply don't know what to say or do. Is it proper for women to respond to him when he makes the accusations mentioned and if so, how should we go about it?
-Fern

Dear Fern:
You have every right to be concerned about the brother who likes to tell everyone that the Bible has mistakes. If he took time to explain that there are no real mistakes in content, but only minor, insignificant discrepancies resulting from the transmission of the text from its original state to us today... If he explained that even in such cases, no more than one word of a thousand is still under discusssion... If he pointed out that those words relate to the spelling of names, numbers, etc. we could accept it. But as you have described it, the brother is reckless with his statements. They can only have the effect of weakening, if not destroying faith in God's Word. For that he should be faulted. In my judgment such a careless teacher should not be allow to stand before the church lest he do them more harm than good. Jeremiah said, "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully" (Jer. 23:28). While it would not be appropriate for you to interrupt this man in the midst of his sermon (I Cor. 14:33b-35), you certainly have the right to express your point of view in a bible class discussion or following the service. This is what Priscilla did, along with her husband, when they heard Apollos and realized he did not properly understand the Word of God (Acts 18:24-25).

Sincerely,

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