Honest Engagement: Objections, Difficulties, and Other Views
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A book that argues for truth should be willing to face its strongest challenges. Here are the main objections and the ways that believers respond, along with the places where thoughtful people disagree.
1. "The Bible contradicts itself."
The objection: Critics list apparent contradictions, such as differing numbers in Kings and Chronicles, different accounts of Judas's death (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18), and varying Gospel details.
The response: Believers answer that apparent conflicts often disappear when one considers complementary details, ancient conventions (rounding of numbers, different ways of reckoning time), or later copying errors in numbers that do not affect the original. Historians use the same approach when four honest witnesses report the same event. Reference works such as Archer's Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties examine individual cases [20]. Where disagreement remains: some passages have several proposed solutions and no consensus, and some scholars judge a few unresolved.
2. "The text has been corrupted."
The objection: Bart Ehrman and others emphasize the large number of variants and the late date of some readings [9].
The response: The vast majority of variants are trivial, and the manuscript wealth lets scholars reconstruct the text with high confidence. Even Ehrman acknowledges that most variants do not affect the core message, though he emphasizes that some do bear on how particular passages are understood. Where disagreement remains: the debate over certain readings (Mark 16:9-20; John 7:53-8:11) and over which Greek text best represents the original (the Textus Receptus behind the KJV or modern critical editions) continues among believers.
3. "Prophecies were written after the events."
The objection: Critical scholars commonly date Daniel to the second century BC and see parts of Isaiah (from chapter 40 onward) as written during or after the exile, which would make the predictions about Cyrus and Antiochus history rather than prophecy [21].
The response: Conservative scholars argue for the traditional dates, point to Isaiah's unity (the Isaiah scroll presents the book as one, with no break at chapter 40), and note that many other prophecies, such as Micah 5:2 and Psalm 22, are not affected by these disputes. Where disagreement remains: this is a real scholarly dispute, and the date of Daniel remains contested.
4. "Science contradicts Genesis."
The objection: Many scientists hold the universe to be about 13.8 billion years old and the earth about 4.5 billion, and accept biological evolution.
The response: Christians who hold to the Bible's authority differ. Some defend a young earth with a literal six-day creation. Others hold an old earth with days as long ages or as a creative framework. Still others, such as the evangelical scholars who founded BioLogos, accept evolutionary processes as God's method. All agree that God created, that Adam and Eve are central to the Bible's story, and that the Bible and nature, both from God, cannot ultimately conflict. Where disagreement remains: this is among the most active debates inside the church.
5. "The Old Testament portrays a violent God."
The objection: Critics point to the conquest of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16-18) and to laws about slavery and war.
The response: Believers note that these passages describe judgment on specific nations whose practices were severe (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 9:4-5), that the commands applied to a specific historical situation, and that the Law's slavery regulations restricted and humanized an existing practice (Exodus 21:2, 16) rather than endorsing it as an ideal. Jesus Himself indicated that some provisions of the Mosaic Law were concessions to human hardness (Matthew 19:8, speaking of divorce). Where disagreement remains: even many believers find these chapters the hardest in the Bible, and scholars disagree on how to interpret the conquest accounts.
6. "Archaeology contradicts parts of the Bible."
The objection: Archaeologists such as Israel Finkelstein argue that evidence is lacking for a large-scale Exodus or a united monarchy of the size described [22].
The response: Believers argue that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, that ancient sites are only partly excavated, and that scholars such as Kenneth Kitchen defend the Bible's historical setting [11]. Where disagreement remains: the historicity of the Exodus and conquest is hotly debated, including among archaeologists who are believers.
7. "Tyre still exists."
The objection: A modern city named Tyre stands, so Ezekiel's prophecy may seem unfulfilled.
The response: Believers answer that the prophecy concerns the ancient city, whose island fortress was taken by Alexander, and that a later settlement of the same name does not undo that. Where disagreement remains: some scholars see the prophecy as fulfilled only in part.
8. Infallible, Inerrant, and Inspired
Not all Christians define these words the same way. The Chicago Statement (evangelical Protestant) holds that Scripture is inerrant in everything it affirms [1]. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Scripture teaches, solidly, faithfully, and without error, the truth God wished to put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation (Dei Verbum, 11). Some Christians hold that Scripture is infallible in its purpose (to bring us to Christ) while leaving room for error in minor historical or scientific details. Orthodox Christians receive Scripture within the Church's tradition. Readers should know that this book follows the stronger, inerrantist view.
9. Views from Outside the Faith
Skeptics and members of other religions view the Bible differently: as an ancient anthology of human religious writings, edited over time and bearing the marks of its cultures. Jewish readers receive the Hebrew Scriptures but not the New Testament. Muslims honor the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel as revealed but believe the present texts were altered. The arguments in this book will persuade some readers and not others, and they are offered in the spirit of the invitation of Isaiah: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 1:18).
CHAPTER 12