Critics of the Bible

Course Description:

It is almost axiomatic that people trust the Bible when scholars trust the Bible. In the last few centuries, famous critics of the Bible, such as Voltaire and Spinoza, have used their formidable intellects to influence other scholars to ridicule divine inspiration. As a result, Scripture generally has no standing within the university to serve publicly as a legitimate source of truth. Doubt has been injected into Western Civilization such that whole nations have unmoored themselves from biblically revealed truth. In this course, students will be given the opportunity to learn how to defend the authority of Scripture and stand firm in God's Word. 

 

Guiding Questions:

• What are the most compelling arguments for doubting the authority of Scripture?

• On what basis do Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other religious scholars reject the reliability of the Bible?  

• Is Scripture inerrant? If so, how do we account for mistakes in biblical manuscripts?

• Why should anyone trust that Scripture is truthful?