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Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible [Paperback]

Vern Sheridan Poythress
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 31, 2012

Though the Bible presents a personal and relational God, popular modern worldviews portray an impersonal divine force in a purely material world. Readers influenced by this competing worldview hold assumptions about fundamental issues—like the nature of humanity, evil, and the purpose of life—that present profound obstacles to understanding the Bible.

In Inerrancy and Worldview, Dr. Vern Poythress offers the first worldview-based defense of scriptural inerrancy, showing how worldview differences create or aggravate most perceived difficulties with the Bible. His positive case for biblical inerrancy implicitly critiques the worldview of theologians like Enns, Sparks, Allert, and McGowan. Poythress, who has researched and published in a variety of fields— including science, linguistics, and sociology—deals skillfully with the challenges presented in each of these disciplines. By directly addressing key examples in each field, Poythress shows that many difficulties can be resolved simply by exposing the influence of modern materialism.

Inerrancy and Worldview’s positive response to current attempts to abandon or redefine inerrancy will enable Christians to respond well to modern challenges by employing a worldview that allows the Bible to speak on its own terms.


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Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible + Inerrancy and the Gospels: A God-Centered Approach to the Challenges of Harmonization + Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“I can think of no one in the world better qualified to write a defense of biblical inerrancy than my lifelong friend Vern Poythress. This book is no ordinary defense of inerrancy that merely focuses on proposed solutions to several difficult verses (though it does examine some of them). Rather, it is a wide-ranging analysis that exposes the faulty intellectual assumptions that underlie challenges to the Bible from every major academic discipline in the modern university world. I think every Christian student at every secular university should read and absorb the arguments in this book. It is profoundly wise, insightful, and clearly written, and it will surely strengthen every reader’s confidence in the trustworthiness of the Bible as the very words of God.”
Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Bible and Theology, Phoenix Seminary

“Vern Poythress has written what I consider to be definitive books on many subjects, including biblical interpretation, language, science, and sociology. In Inerrancy and Worldview, he brings his insights from these disciplines and more together to address the relation of biblical inerrancy to worldview. He shows quite convincingly that the issue of inerrancy is not just a matter of asking whether this or that biblical passage is factual. Rather, our attitude toward the claim of biblical inerrancy depends on our general view of how God is related to the cosmos and to us as individuals and societies. And that general view, in turn, depends on our relationship to Jesus Christ. The book gets deeper into the question of inerrancy than any other book I know.”
John M. Frame, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida

“Every new item that Vern Poythress writes is thoughtful, creative, and worth reading. This book is no exception. Among the many things I like about it is his emphasis on the personalist worldview of the Bible, as over against the impersonalism that dominates modern Western culture. Besides its crucial contribution to his own subject in clarifying how it is that God communicates to us through the Bible, I think this basic idea will be fruitful for a good number of other topics as well. Thanks, Dr. Poythress, and thanks, God, for giving him to the Church.”
C. John Collins, Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary; author, Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?

“Vern Poythress has provided both the church and the academy a remarkable service with Inerrancy and Worldview. Recognizing that the modern objection to Scripture is neither univocal nor objective, but rather varied and religious, he helpfully reframes the discussion in terms of competing worldviews. By surveying the various options for the allegiance of the modern mind, Poythress shows that not only is an inerrant Bible a reasonable expectation of a personal God, but our rejection of it is rooted not in evidence, but in our sinful rebellion against that God. With clear logic and pastoral care, Poythress leads us through an amazing tour of both the ‘wisdom of our age’ and the follies of our hearts, bringing us at last to the God who speaks—humbling our pride and setting our hearts free.”
Michael Lawrence, Senior Pastor, Hinson Baptist Church, Portland, Oregon; author, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church

“To our shame, the response of Christians to challenges to our faith can often be dismissive, shallow, defensive, or disrespectful. On the other hand, we can err too much on the side of tolerance for error when truth is under siege. In Inerrancy and Worldview, Vern Poythress shows us how to be neither fools nor cowards. Through intelligent, informed, insightful, and respectful engagement, key foundational faith defeaters taught in many disciplines at every secular university are explained and critiqued from a biblical perspective. Poythress challenges the challenges to biblical belief at the root of their assumptions. We are left with a solid basis and defense of the Christian way of thinking. Inerrancy and Worldview should be required reading for all who want to think more deeply about their faith and defend it within a skeptical culture.”
Erik Thoennes, Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; pastor, Grace Evangelical Free Church, La Mirada, California

About the Author

VERN SHERIDAN POYTHRESS is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has six earned degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a ThD from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Poythress is author of eleven books on aspects of biblical interpretation and on science.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Crossway; 1 edition (May 31, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1433523876
  • ISBN-13: 978-1433523878
  • Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.3 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #626,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vern Sheridan Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has six earned degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous books on aspects of biblical interpretation and science.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Poythress, Vern Sheridan. Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 271 pages, paperback.*

Dr. Vern Poythress is a prolific author, writing on a wide variety of subjects from hermeneutics, theological method, the relationship between Christ and the OT Law, sociology, science, linguistics, and others, including a forthcoming book on inerrancy in the Gospels and what looks to be a massive book on the study of logic. His latest book, Inerrancy and Worldview, is essentially a synthesis of his former works, as the majority of his footnotes reference his other works for further details and explication, and as Poythress notes in a footnote, all of his works relate in some way to biblical interpretation (p. 15).

In this new work, Poythress sets out to defend the traditional notion of Biblical inerrancy. But what is different about this work is that Poythress does not devote his work as a negative and critical response to recent works attacking inerrancy. Rather, Poythress seeks to develop a positive response by showing that many of the challenges to inerrancy are rooted in a worldview that opposes the Biblical worldview (p. 14, 21).

After the preface and introduction, Poythress begins with two brief chapters on common religious difficulties: exclusivism and morality being a strait jacket. Poythress shows how these difficulties are wrapped up in one's worldview, which Poythress says is the fundamental key for understanding the various challenges and difficulties that people have with the Bible.

After these brief chapters, Poythress discusses a variety of challenges to the Bible, with all the sections beginning with the word, "Challenges...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Where Apologetics and Hermeneutics meet. June 28, 2012
By Mike W
Format:Paperback
Having read Poythress' Redeeming Sociology, I came into this book with high expectations. His writing style has a way of challenging me intellectually, while keeping the pace of reading moving right along; a sort of literary attraction of sorts.

I can say honestly that this text does not disappoint.

For me (and remember, I'm entitled to my own opinion, though for some you may feel like I'm over-stretching a bit), this book felt like a cross between Tim Keller's Reason for God and any John Piper book (say, Desiring God, for reference). Poythress tackles apologetic content (from Science to materialism, history to literature, sociology to our innate sin-nature) in a fresh, Bible-saturated approach (very little is said without support of the Bible, which, in a piece on inerrancy, is a refreshing facet).

I leave you with a high recommendation and a brief excerpt which I feel sets the tone for the text:

"The Bible has much to say about God and about how we can come to know him. What it says is deeply at odds with much of the thinking in the modern world. And this fundamental difference generates differences in many other areas--differences in people's whole view of the world. Modern world views are at odds with the worldview put forward in the Bible. This difference in world views creates obstacles when modern people read and study the Bible. People come to the Bible with expectations that do not fit the Bible, and this clash becomes one main reason, though not the only one, why people do not find the Bible's claims acceptable... The challenge of interpreting the Bible has may dimensions and many challenges.. We focus here on issues involving response to our modern situation." (p.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice! August 4, 2012
By F. Gwin
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was an interesting read. In recent months I have noticed myself slipping more and more into a secular mindset which brought me to seriously question inerrancy. This was not so much and academic questioning so much as it was just general skepticism as I began to slip into the more secular mindset. Thankfully, not only have I had the input of a good friend, but I have now read this book. Inerrancy and Worldview is meant to build a "positive" case for inerrancy, as opposed to what might be called a "negative" case, where the biblical difficulties are explained (see The Big Book of Bible Difficulties). I would say that it is mostly a success, and is definitely worth the read!

The book is outlined as such:
Challenges from Science and Materialism
Challenges from History
Challenges about Language
Challenges from Sociology and Anthropology
Challenges from Psychology
Challenges from Examples
Challenges from Our Attitudes
Challenges from Corrupt Spirituality
Concluding Remarks
Appendix: Human Authors of the Bible

First the positives:

This book helped to remind me not to fall into a secular or modern mindset when coming to the Bible. That seems to be something that I cycle in and out of, but after reading this book I hope that I will be more sturdy in this area. Poythress does a pretty good job of building his case, and it was all around a very positive experience to read this book and reflect upon my own worldview.

I feel like this book is mainly a response to Peter Enns' recent book "The Evolution of Adam," and that's not a bad thing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful book on the effects of inerrancy for understanding worldviews
The past few years have seen the rise of inerrancy--an issue that many thought was resolved in previous generations come to the forefront of current theological debate, once again. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dave J. Jenkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Christian Worldview Foundations for Inerrancy
For evangelicals, there are few hot button theological issues that will incite a myriad of responses like discussing the doctrine if inerrancy. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Life Long Reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Should have been entitled "The Bible and Worldview"
If you are looking for a book on biblical inerrancy, this isn't it. The author barely touches on the subject of biblical inerrancy. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Paul R. Bruggink
2.0 out of 5 stars Inadequate as a defense of inerrancy
The central thesis of Vern Poythress's Inerrancy and Worldview is that "modern people" challenge the authority of Scripture by bringing presuppositions from a materialistic... Read more
Published 9 months ago by A. Omelianchuk
4.0 out of 5 stars Creative way to deal with issue of inerrancy!
The exact nature of how Scripture functions as an authority for the church has long been a source of debate. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lucas T. Geraty
4.0 out of 5 stars Inerrancy and Worldview Review
I'm becoming more and more of a nerd each day. During my break from school, I chose to read a book about inerrancy that looks at the different worldviews and perspectives that... Read more
Published 9 months ago by C. Hennessey
1.0 out of 5 stars disappointed
Most of the claims of the book are not really argued for, and many of the views the author regards as mistaken are straw men - that is, no one ever held the view that is... Read more
Published 10 months ago by owl's nest
2.0 out of 5 stars Fails To Make His Case
Inerrancy and Worldview is one of the latest apologetic attempts to cushion the doctrine of inerrancy against its challengers. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Stevie Jake
5.0 out of 5 stars A Worldview-Focused Defense of Inerrancy
Inerrancy and Worldview is the latest book from Vern Poythress. It is meant to be part of a new trilogy of books centered around challenges to the inerrancy of the Bible (the next... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Adam Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!
There have been many books published over the past few decades defending the concept of biblical inerrancy. Read more
Published 12 months ago by K. Hartman
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