And we think the world’s a problem! What do I mean? Well, a self-professed “progressive Christian” church in Nashville, Tennessee, recently shared a graphic that recapped a message, “What is Progressive Christianity?” I’ll show you the graphic below, but here’s the shocking text they included as an introduction to the graphic: “As Progressive Christians, we’re open to the tensions and inconsistencies in the Bible. We know that it can’t live up to impossible, modern standards. We strive to more clearly articulate what Scripture is and isn’t.”
So here’s what they say Scripture is and isn’t:
Clearly they haven’t read (or, more likely, they refuse to believe) what Scripture says about itself:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
Every word of God proves true. (Proverbs 30:5)
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13). [Emphasis added].
What this church believes about Scripture is nothing short of heretical—it’s simply not what Scripture says about itself.
In an interview regarding the post, the pastor, Josh Scott, stated:
There is stuff in there (Bible) that I think really goes against the character of God. There are genocides that have been divinely sanctioned in the Bible. People have used the text in the Bible, in the Bible, plain readings of the text at times to support white supremacy, to defend slavery, to defend segregation . . . Saying the Bible is inerrant and infallible, it absolves us of our responsibility to do what our ancestors did, which is to wrestle. [Emphasis added]
Here is what I would say about this church and pastor:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)
It seems this pastor sees his own words, rather than God’s words, as infallible, as he twists, misinterprets, and decimates the truly infallible Word of God.
It seems this pastor sees his own words, rather than God’s words, as infallible, as he twists, misinterprets, and decimates the truly infallible Word of God. GracePointe Church in Nashville is a Bible-destroying “church.” Our sin nature is such that we want to doubt God’s Word and put man’s word above God’s Word. That’s how the devil tempted Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-5.
And I will add that “saying the Bible is inerrant and infallible” doesn’t “absolve us of our responsibility . . . to wrestle.” Our entire ministry is dedicated to giving people answers to questions regarding God’s Word—including the very objections the pastor brings up! But when we answer questions, we start with God’s Word. This pastor and his church start with their own wisdom, not with God’s Word, thinking they know better than God. They “wrestle” with questions in their own wisdom and with human reasoning. This is pride and it leads to death, not life. God is the only One who is all-knowing, all-wise, and is himself truth—we can trust his Word, not our own imaginations.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
Let God be true though every one were a liar. (Romans 3:4)
You can get answers to the “stuff” that is supposedly in the Bible that this pastor doesn’t like in these articles:
This item was discussed yesterday on Answers News with cohosts Roger Patterson, Tim Chaffey, and Bryan Osborne. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also covered the following topics:
Watch the entire episode of Answers News for March 3, 2021.
Be sure to join us each Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET) on my Facebook page or the Answers in Genesis Facebook page for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
Human sacrifice—and specifically child sacrifice—has been common in pagan nations throughout human history.
According to a 2013 study, 31% of post-abortive US women chose to have an abortion—chose to kill their unborn child—for “partner related reasons.”
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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.