Ashlee Ford
April 20, 2011
Margaret Sofianos
Essay Assignment

What is the difference between strict and limited inerrancy? Which seems more convincing? Why? What is the significance of seeing different genres in the Bible?

In this module, we look at the Christian view of the scriptures, and revelation sections. Here they discuss the problems with revelations, the definition of a scripture, the problems with scriptures, etc. My take on this, is that the scriptures are all witness testimony, which means they are opinionated. To some, that could be the problem. The difference between strict and limited inerrancy is with strict inerrancy, it demonstrates the view that there are no mistakes in the bible, while limited inerrancy leaves room for the possibility of mistakes within the scriptures. The significance of seeing different genres in the bible is to see scripture readings with a fresh eye, and to discover the different ways that testimonies were put together. The genre of the bible is basically biblical answers.
“Inerrant” is a word that means “incapable” of making a mistake. And it refers to the belief that God protected the biblical authors from making mistakes (pg. 212). I don’t really agree with this because I believe that everything in the bible (well scripture wise anyways) is a witness testimony. John, Paul, Matthew and Luke all wrote down the events of what happened, and its how they took things. Twenty people could view the same event, and all record it differently. That’s what is beautiful about people; is that we are all unique and different and not the same. So there is a difference between strict and limited inerrancy because with strict inerrancy, that is the view that there are no mistakes in the bible, and with limited inerrancy, there are a few mistakes in the bible. Because I don’t believe someone’s personal view can be seen as a mistake, I don’t believe the bible is a strict inerrancy. I believe that witness testimony is witness testimony; it’s not cold hard facts.
The significance of seeing different genres of the bible is this; genres are defined as categories of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Obviously in the bible, it’s just a specific subject matter. In the bible there are different genres such as epic, tragic, and literary narratives (seen in Genesis, David, and Samuel). I think that because the bible is a book, genre is significant because in every book, it shows different views, and fresh ways to view things. I think if the bible was written in a one person perspective, it would be harder to understand. But instead the bible is seen through the eyes of the disciples, and of course the word of God himself, and Jesus. We hear stories of his divine nature, his curing ways, and his everlasting love. Genre is significant, because without it we are missing out on huge parts of the witness testimony that teach of us of our creators love.
All in all, this essay was probably one of my favorites to write. I enjoyed the subject and topic matter and I liked digging deep into the root of the bible to understand the stories. I used Google also to aid me in some of my arguments as to why it is significant to see genres in the bible. I think it’s really important to remember that the Bible is not only the word of God, but recorded stories from his disciples, passer byes, and those who witnesses God’s great glory. I don’t believe the bible is capable of making mistakes. None of us were around in the days Jesus was on earth, so we have witness testimony to read and believe in, and it’s someone’s opinion on what happened, they aren’t based on facts. I believe the only errors that may be associated with the bible, are the errors that come about when it involved the language of the bible, because a lot can be “lost in translation” when the bible is translated from German, to Latin, to English. But if you read in-between the lines the message is still the same.