McDowell Josh - Is the Bible true-- really?: a dialogue on skepticism, evidence, and truth

[ A DIALOGUE ON SKEPTICISM, EVIDENCE, AND TRUTH ]

COFFEE HOUSE

CHRONICLES

IS THE

BIBLE

TRUE REALLY?

JOSH MCDOWELL

AND DAVE STERRETT

M OODY P UBLISHERS
C HICAGO

2011 by J OSH M C D OWELL and D AVE S TERRETT

All rights reserved. N O part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
All Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
All Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, U.S.A. All rights reserved.
All Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McDowell, Josh.
Is the Bible true really? : a dialogue on skepticism, evidence, and truth /
Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett.
p. cm. (The coffeehouse chronicles; 1)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8024-8766-7
1. BibleEvidences, authority, etc. I. Sterrett, Dave. II. Title.
BS480.M383 2011
220.1dc22

2010039594

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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To
Dr. Robert Saucy,
my professor and mentor for three years.
Who always challenged me to love Jesus,
study the Scriptures, and pursue Truth.
Josh

To
Dr. Norman L. Geisler
and Dr. Daniel B. Wallace
Dave

Mid-September

HOW MANY of you allor should I say yallgrew up in Texas?

About half of the hands in the classroom went up.

Good, glad to see it. My wife and I have enjoyed living here for almost twelve years now. Weve learned a few things too. For example, here in the South, especially right here in Dallas, the buckle of the Bible Belt, we dare not question the historical authority of the books of the Bible, or were damned to hell!

A few chuckles echoed across the small auditorium. Dr. William Peterson, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies and a renowned expert on ancient textual criticism, was well known for his views. Smiling wryly, he continued, Honestly, I appreciate the concern these fundamentalists, Catholics, and evangelicals have for our souls, and I believe they are genuinely sincerejust sincerely misled.

Nick, a freshman at Opal University, listened intently as Dr. Peterson went on. Conservative Christians are quick to judge those of us in academia for our views, but my question for them would be, What is the historical basis for believing the Bible really is the inerrant Word of God? I want to know what persuades them to actually believe that the copies of the Bible translated today are even close to what was originally written down? It sounds good and faithful, but what are the facts? Thats what were here to explore. Are you ready for the facts?

The room fell silent as the professor paused for effect. Here are the facts that leading scholars all across the country agree upon. We dont even have the words that these fundamentalist Christians tell us God inerrantly inspired. Thats right. All we have are words copied by scribessometimes correctly but certainly not always. We have error-ridden copies that are centuries removed from the originals and different from them in thousands of ways.

Nicks heart raced as he listened to the professor contradict what his pastor back home at Park Springs Community Church had taught the congregation. He sensed in his spirit this was his time to be bold for Christ and take a stand for the Lord. Thats not true! he declared. How dare you question Gods Word.

The professor, somewhat taken aback by the students interruption, responded kindly. Very well, why dont you tell us what is true. Whats not accurate about what I just said?

Nick, now feeling a tad embarrassed and put on the spot, raised his voice. Well, Im a Christian and I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. I accept it as the Word of God by faith! Hebrews says, Without faith it is impossible to please God, and since God is sovereign and we are just human beings, who are we to question His sovereignty? Also, the Bible says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that everyone will always be prepared to give an answer.

Dr. Peterson smiled and nodded. I admire your personal faith and concern to quote portions of Hebrews 11 and 2 Timothy 3. Would you remind me of your name?

Im Nick.

Im glad youre in this class, Nick. I remember memorizing those same verses myself. Looking back, I think it was when I attended Calvin Christian Academy during my early teens. Noting Nicks look of surprise, he continued, By the way, Nick, I think 2 Timothy 3 ends by saying, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Perhaps, you were conflating it with 1 Peter 3:15, which mentions giving an answer or defense. Thats okay, and really beside the point. What I was saying earlier, Nick, is that we really cant be sure the original book of Hebrews and the letter of 2 Timothy actually