Sincere Skepticism
Since March '01, we've featured two articles each week in our bulletin. The first, addressing a variety of topics, the second, a response to supposed Bible contradictions. The Skeptic's Annotated Bible web site has been a major source of these alleged errors.
The SAB preface says that it will,
...help those who believe in the Bible to honestly reconsider that belief. It will help those who are unfamiliar with the Bible to resist the temptation to believe. And it will help those who have already rejected the Bible defend their position.1
An honest consideration of the Bible is reasonable and necessary. Blind faith in the Bible is a harmful delusion. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that Bible faith has both "substance" and "evidence." Both believers and unbelievers need to look at the evidence for the Scriptures and then respond accordingly.
The SAB author is not asking people to honestly investigate the Bible. He seeks to help those who have not read it to "resist" it, and to arm those who reject it, so they can "defend" their position.
Two extreme approaches may be taken with regard to the Bible, both equally wrong. Blind faith is not really faith. It is based in emotion, not fact, and has caused many to turn away from the Bible. The same attitude can be found on the other side of the coin, in the form of insincere skepticism. Belief or lack thereof should be based on evidence or lack thereof.
Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples was not present when the Lord appeared to the other apostles after He had risen from the dead. This led him to declare,
Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. (John 20:25)
A week later, Jesus came to His disciples again, but Thomas was present this time. Jesus said to him,
Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. (John 20:27)
“An honest consideration of the Bible is reasonable and necessary.”
Thomas was not rebuked for his failure to believe. He was a sincere skeptic, and simply wanted to see the evidence. He's been unfairly called "Doubting Thomas" for this episode. He sought evidence, and having seen it, affirmed, "My Lord and My God" (John 20:28). Jesus continued,
Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. (John 20:29)
Jesus will not, and need not show Himself raised from the dead to all, so that we might believe. We have the testimony of many witnesses who saw Him alive from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), including an apostle who was skeptical.
Skepticism itself is not the issue. It is not wrong to expect proof before we invest ourselves. Perhaps you have doubts with regard to the existence of God, the authenticity of the Bible, or Christianity. That’s fine. However, do not be satisfied to remain a skeptic. Do not make up your mind based upon an absence of evidence; seek the evidence, consider it, and if it is trustworthy, cease to be a skeptic and be a believer.
As much as I believe that the intent of SAB is to draw people away from honest investigation of the Bible, I do appreciate the work which has gone into the site, and commend Mr. Wells for linking to responses to the material presented there. Our site, lookinguntojesus.net, may be the most linked to site at the SAB.2
There are difficult texts in the Bible, and at times, it seems to be contradictory. Rather than declare it to be so, as so many have done, we encourage you to explore the text in detail, including historical context, perspective of the writer, potential imagery, translation considerations, and more. It is easy to claim that a contradiction exists; it is quite another thing to step back and determine whether that is really so or not. Through nine years of responding to SAB, I have yet to see one true contradiction pointed out in the Bible.
1, skepticsannotatedbible.com/preface.html
2, skepticsannotatedbible.com/christian.html
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Answering The Atheist
Complaint:
Who drove the Anakim from Hebron? Joshua 11:21 says it was Joshua, but Joshua 15:13-14 says it was Caleb. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
Joshua 11:21 clearly tells us that "...Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains..." It is also very plain that Joshua 15:13-14 attributes the expulsion of the sons of Anak from Hebron to Caleb. Are these statements contradictory?
Caleb was given Hebron by Joshua "according to the commandment of the LORD" (Joshua 15:13). Should it surprise us that Joshua was there with him when battle was waged against the sons of Anak?
Caleb and Joshua were old friends; the only men who remained from the generation which had wandered forty years in the wilderness. It would seem that Joshua was excited to see Caleb not only receive, but clear his land. Both men seem to have worked together as they obeyed God’s word, namely the inhabitants of the land were to be dispossessed.
Neither text mentions the other man, but neither text excludes the other. Joshua 11:21 simply reveals the involvement of Joshua in the work of purging the land, whereas Joshua 15:13-14 specifically tells us of Caleb, the land owner.
There is no contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible