Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible’s Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority

by Craig A. Boyd

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2020

Overview

In Inspired Imperfection, Gregory A. Boyd adds another counterintuitive and provocative thesis to his corpus. While conservative scholars and pastors have struggled for years to show that the Bible is without errors, Boyd considers this a fool’s errand. Instead, he says, we should embrace the mistakes and contradictions in Scripture, for they show that God chose to use fallible humans to communicate timeless truths. Just as God ultimately came to save humanity in the form of a human, God chose to impart truth through the imperfect medium of human writing. Instead of the Bible’s imperfections being a reason to attack its veracity, these “problems” actually support the trustworthiness of Christian Scripture. Inspired Imperfection is required reading for anyone who’s questioned the Bible because of its contradictions.

Key Features

• Invites to embrace the mistakes and contradictions in Scripture.
• Affirms that God chose to use fallible humans to communicate timeless truths.
• Explains that these “problems” actually support the trustworthiness of Christian Scripture.

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I. Wrestling with “Problems”
• 1. An Inconvenient Truth
• 2. A Better Foundation
• 3. Between Scylla and Charybdis
• 4. Taking Another Look
• 5. Searching for a Safe Zone
• 6. Game Changer
• 7. Foundational Insights
• 8. Critiquing Barth
• Part II. Cruciform Inspiration
• 9. Epicenter
• 10. The Foolish and Weak Bible
• 11. Cruciform Breathing
• 12. Cruciform Power
• 13. Cruciform Accommodation
• 14. Cruciform Beauty
• 15. Back to the Conundrum
• Postscript: Beautiful Scars
• Glossary
• Author Index
• Topic Index

Praise for Inspired Imperfection

In this masterful yet deeply personal work, Gregory A. Boyd leads us along a third way between the always-literal Bible of fundamentalism and the noninspired Bible of liberalism, straight toward Jesus as the authoritative, inerrant Word of God.

—Bruxy Cavey, senior pastor at The Meeting House, author of The End of Religion and (Re)Union: The Good News of Jesus For Seekers, Saints, and Sinners

In Inspired Imperfection, Gregory A. Boyd recovers the belief in the plenary inspiration of Scripture for our time. After reading this book, all of us are more grounded in the Bible as God’s inspired words and even more in awe of this God who has revealed Godself in the crucified Jesus Christ.

—David Fitch, BT Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary, Chicago, author of Faithful Presence

While Boyd’s story of struggle with the Bible will resonate with many, his determination to face the challenges with intellectual honesty and spiritual humility set him apart. Boyd drives to the heart of Scripture’s ‘scandal’ to reveal the God who draws dazzlingly, perilously close.

—Meghan Larissa Good, author of The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today

Product Details

• Title: Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority
• Author: Craig A. Boyd
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 175
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9781506455631, 9781506455624, 1506455638, 150645562X
• Resource ID: LLS:NSPRDMPRFCTHRTY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-17T21:30:37Z

About Craig A. Boyd

Craig A. Boyd, Ph.D., directs APU’s Institute of Faith Integration and is professor of theology and philosophy in APU’s Division of Religion and Philosophy in the School of Theology. Boyd is interested in medieval philosophy, Christian ethics, and the relationship between religion and science. He participated in the John Templeton Oxford Seminars on Christianity and Science between 2003-05. In addition to teaching, Boyd is a frequent presenter for philosophical and theological groups and writes about Thomas Aquinas, Natural Law, and evolutionary psychology, among other topics.