For the exam, you would want to know at least the following about the nature and authority of the Bible.

• All Christians agree that the Bible represents the word of God and therefore has authority.

• By ‘authority’, we mean whether it is a true description of:

  • the physical world, e.g. Creation;

  • historical events, e.g. the Great Flood;

  • the means of salvation, e.g. the teachings and Resurrection of Jesus.

• Here we discuss which denominations recognise its authority over which of these areas.

• Some Christians (e.g. Independent Fundamental Baptists) hold to a position of biblical inerrancy.

• This means that the Bible is an authoritative description of the physical world, history, and the means of salvation.

• They argue that it is the work of an omniscient being; since we are not ourselves omniscient, we are in no position to question its authority, even if we don’t understand how some of its claims can be true.

• Other Christians (e.g. the Catholic Church) hold to biblical infallibility.

• This means the Bible has authority over the means of salvation, but it is not necessarily an accurate description of the physical world, or human history.

• This is why the Catholic Church reads the Bible in the context of tradition: it helps them to separate the message of the Bible from its medium (i.e. how the message is conveyed).

• Still other Christians (e.g. some members of the Church of England) read the Bible metaphorically.

• They argue that the Bible is a record of humans trying to understand God; it is a useful compilation of their insights, but it is not necessarily authoritative.

• They tend to prioritise the ethical teachings of the Bible, and treat all its stories like parables: tools for teaching people how to live.