The most foundational doctrine of the Christian faith is the Doctrine of Scripture, for in the pages of Holy Scripture we find the revelation of God concerning Himself and His glorious Son, Jesus Christ. All of Christian doctrine is found in the pages of Scripture, and thus it is our absolute foundation of knowledge and truth. This doctrine continues to be under assault from within the ranks of the Church, and of course, by those outside the faith. It has become fashionable these days for many professing evangelicals to assert that traditional notions of inerrancy are indefensible and outdated. They go to great efforts to impugn the inerrancy of Scripture, but somehow try to logically hold onto the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The ABR staff believes these efforts undermine the very basis and content of the Gospel message. We would like to take this opportunity to affirm our commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture.
Since the founding of the ABR ministry in 1969 by Dr. David Livingston, ABR has affirmed it belief in the absolute and final authority of Scripture. Dr. Livingston founded the ministry with this at the very forefront of his mind. In September, 1969, Dave sent his first letter on behalf of this new project:
As you know, we studied in Israel three years ago. While there, we were confronted with many problems in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. So, in order to complete my M.A. requirements I decided to put God's Word to the test and selected the toughest book I could find written by a 'new-evangelical' who attempts to demonstrate that the Bible is filled with error. As I examined the evidence for his proof of mistakes, it became obvious that his whole case was built on sand. Not only that, I began to discover that some long-accepted historical 'facts' needed rethinking in light of recent discoveries. In other words, where the Bible and history books disagree, there is now evidence the history books may be wrong.
All this research reassured me that the Bible is God's inerrant Word. (The book and author? The Inspiration of Scripture, written by Dewey Beagle, who had been a fellow student with Milt Fisher, under W. F. Albright at John's Hopkin's University in the late 40s.) At the same time, an idea began to grow that a team of evangelical scholars, proceeding on the premise that the Bible is inerrant, could help in breaking the liberal establishment's stranglehold on Old Testament scholarship while producing some refreshing new insights on the Bible. The result is that we have now formed a non-profit corporation called the 'Associates for Biblical Research.'
This legacy continues until this very day.
In the interest of clearly communicating to ABR supporters, sincere seekers, and the Church at large, the ABR staff hereby reiterates its affirmation of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which clearly and concisely spells out our understanding of the Bible and its inherent Divine authority. The ABR staff has recently posted the entirety of the Chicago Statement here on our website.
We would also like to take the opportunity to avail ABR supporters of resources that defend, persuade and articulate our position on the nature and authority of the Biblical texts. You can find a number of these excellent resources below.
To the Christ be the Glory! Amen!
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1. Watch the Roundtable Video featuring the ABR staff, Don't We Just Need 'Faith'?
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2. With current challenges to the inerrancy of Scripture in view, Dr. Albert Mohler convened a panel of theologians to revisit the question. In one sense, the challenges to inerrancy are more direct than ever, with figures associated with some evangelical institutions calling for a straightforward repudiation of the doctrine. Other assaults are more subtle, but all of these challenges demand our close attention. The panel was convened on Thursday, September 27, 2012, in Alumni Chapel at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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3. A number of important books, pamphlets and videos can be found in the Inerrancy and Biblical Text section of our bookstore. These products are made available by the ABR ministry to help Christians come to a deeper understanding of the authority and nature of the Bible, and grow deeper in their relationship with the eternal and incorruptible God, who is Christ Jesus.
