John Teller

Bible Contradictions and Their Resolutions John Teller

Skeptics, atheists and agnostics have long argued that the Bible is riddled with self-contradictions that render it unreliable. They point to many purported contradictions that undermine the Bible's claim to being the Word of God. Who carried Jesus' cross: Simon, as reported in the Gospel of Luke, or Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of John? Did a centurion plead with Jesus to heal his servant, as Matthew reports, or did he send elders of the Jews to plead with Jesus, as Luke reports? Did 40,000 horsemen die in battle with David, as 2 Samuel reports, or did 40,000 foot soldiers die, as 1 Chronicles reports? Did both thieves mock Jesus on the cross, as narrated by the Gospel of Matthew, or did only one thief mock him, as narrated by the Gospel of Mark? Many students of the Bible, upon reading these passages, throw their hands up in frustration and conclude that the Bible cannot be divinely inspired. Some Christians, unable to explain these difficulties, walk away from the faith. Others, when pressed, concede that they do not have explanations but believe reasonable explanations exist, though they cannot articulate any. Muslims and Mormons use the apparent contradictions of the Bible to support their claims that the Bible, in its current form, is a corruption of the original message of God. Now there is a response to these claims. This book defends the divine inspiration of the Bible and demonstrates with clarity that the so-called "contradictions" of the Bible are not contradictions at all. A careful study of the Scriptures in their original context and in light of the nuances in which they were originally written vindicates the Bible from claims of errancy. This book examines the "contradictions" most frequently cited by the detractors of Christianity and offers reasoned explanations. Armed with this book, Christians can respond to their critics and rest assured that their faith is not incompatible with logic. There are, in fact, reasonable responses to the claims made by Christianity's detractors and logical arguments in support of the Bible's inerrancy.