Biblical Inerrancy is Abuse

Just over a year ago, I was compelled to leave a job that I loved because it became clear that if I was going to insist that my memories were real and demand adherence to an evidence based reality, I would have to look elsewhere.

I finally understood that this is why I have fought against biblical inerrancy for as long as I can remember; I am just wired to resist anyone and anything that asks me to reject the evidence of my own eyes and ears.

I have often heard that biblical inerrancy is simply an alternate viewpoint, like infant vs. believer’s baptism. Perhaps this is true to an extent, but I think the time has come that we consider it as psychological and spiritual abuse.

I love the Bible. I believe the Bible “…is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” But it is not without errors or contradictions. It is not the authority on all of human history or scientific understanding.

To deny inerrancy does not make God a liar, it supports the very premise of the Bible - all humans are fallible. God doesn’t lie, but men do.

Inerrancy is a concept developed by men, some of whom have used it to control people by breaking down their ability to trust their own minds and experiences. It is psychological manipulation.

This widely held view of biblical authority claims that the Bible is the authority on what is true and that all evidence that does not bend to its words (or whatever the pastor/leader claims the Bible says) must be dismissed.

Biblical inerrancy, and its companion, univocality (the idea that the Bible speaks with one voice) is taught in churches, small groups, Christian schools, colleges, and homeschools across America. Its goal is to destroy the evidence based world.

While I have been focused for years on the impact this has had on our political discourse, I failed to recognize the real harm that’s been done to human beings. The harm didn’t just come from the right wing news sources and politicians, it came from the Church. I believe that some Christian leaders used this “high view” of Scripture to break people down and exploit them for political and economic gain.

My hope is that by acknowledging this as abuse, we can develop strategies to help people leave and extend grace to our friends and family who might feel trapped and don’t see a way out.

There is a way out. We must speak the truth.

“‘Tis the sun, not the moon, that shines so bright.” (Moonlighting, “Atomic Shakespeare,” 1986)