We seem to live in an evangelical subculture that can tolerate anything but intolerance.
When I was in seminary, I was taught to respect scholars with whom I disagreed as individuals. But that never meant that I was obligated to accept or approve of or participate in their beliefs or their behavior. Tolerance did not mean that every belief had equal validity. You were still supposed to be discerning. And while you certainly respected the person, you didn't necessarily agree with their interpretation of Scripture.
Today, the "new tolerance" teaches that all truth claims are equal in validity and that truth is relative. The impression is left that there are no absolutes like absolute biblical authority any more. Isn't it amazing how every 50 years or so the doctrine of inerrancy comes under attack within evangelicalism? I lived through the battle for the Bible that took place in the 1970s. My students are now living through a very similar battle in the 2020s. Recently, Paul Weaver of Dallas Seminary sat down to interview Dr. Richard Howe of Southern Evangelical Seminary. They discussed the latest attack on the Bible within the evangelical camp.
It's a disturbing trend to say the least. Last Monday night I spent some time walking my Greek students through 2 Tim. 3:16-17 in the hopes of rekindling within them a renewed fire for the God-breathed Scriptures. I warned them about those who seem to find delight in finding "errors" in the Bible. These teachers seem to be growing in popularity. Wrong teaching can come from very gifted individuals.
Let me tell you whom I'm most concerned about today and that would be our teens and college students. Within these demographics, emotion seems to be the Guiding Light rather than logic or credible evidence. I have spent much of my life documenting the evidences of our faith, but because of the widespread influence of the new tolerance I've discovered that the truth of the Bible is increasingly becoming a non-issue. Fewer and fewer people are asking questions about the new attack on biblical inerrancy. The line between truth and error has gotten blurred.
That's why I'm so happy for voices like Richard Howe who are calling us back to a place where right is right and wrong is wrong so that the standard of absolute biblical authority might be reestablished for a new generation of Christians. Please join me in praying that the Lord will give us the courage and the tact to stand for what is true and especially the willingness to be labeled as narrow and bigoted.