Can I Trust the Bible? (Crucial Questions)

Can I trust the Bible? Well if I were a skeptic who read this book by the time I got to the end I still wouldn't know.Why? Because this book isn't an apologetic for the trustworthiness of the Bible it's a treatise on the inerrancy of the Bible that Dr. Sproul wrote for the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy back in the 1980's. As a result, this book presumes that the Bible IS trustworthy and starts from there.The overall tone is declarative and dogmatic rather than explanatory and evidence based and, therefore, acts as a kind of "reasons to believe for those who already believe" style work of the type that skeptics and critics of the Bible very rightly roll their eyes over. Fellow Christians Apologists, please listen to what I'm going to say next: Don't declare, explain. Don't dogmatize, give supporting evidence.Please bear in mind that I am IN Dr. Sproul's camp and agree with the contents of the book. The problem ISN'T the content here, the problem is the branding. IMO, this book should be pulled off the market and replaced with a book targeted at skeptics that actually delivers on the title.To that end, I recommend the following works as alternatives to this book: Can I Trust the Bible? (RZIM Critical Questions Discussion Guides) You Can Trust the Bible: Our Foundation for Belief and Obedience by John R. W. Stott (1991-08-03) Why You Can Have Confidence in the Bible: Bridging the Distance Between Your Heart and God's Word Ligonier/Reformation Trust, if you're reading this, I would ask you to consider rebranding this book under the following title: "God's Words Without Error: A Treatise On Biblical Inerrancy".Thank you.

This is one of two books by R. C. Sproul I've gotten for free. I had no idea what it was about but I know Sproul is a go-to for theology in reformed circles. So I grabbed a copy.This book's title is deceptive. It's not about if you can trust the Bible. It's about the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Which, ironically, I've wanted to read for years. This booklet has the whole Chicago Statement and Sproul's commentary on it. I figured I would knock a star off for the title’s deceptiveness and continue reading.Then I made it half-way through the book. My goodness is Sproul wordy! He takes one little paragraph from the Chicago Statement and spends 5-7 pages talking about it. And the paragraph itself is like 3-5 sentences. It feels like my History of the US Constitution class where every paragraph of the original document gets a whole chapter. It's bloated and clunky. It's painful to read and I've skimmed over most of the book. I wish I had just googled the Chicago Statement and read it instead.If you want a book about how to read the Bible and if you can trust it, just go get a free Kindle copy of Dwight L. Moody's “How to Study the Bible” by Aneko Press. It's been updated so that it reads easier for today's reader and is much more thorough than “Can I Trust the Bible?”

Pastor Sproul has written over 100 books on Christian topics. He also is executive editor of Tabletalk Magazine and has a radio program that is broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world. In his book, some of the issues he discusses are general vs. specific revelation of God, infallibility vs. inerrancy, and the Bible vs. church tradition for determining the will of God. He also gives guidance on proper interpretation of the Bible. His book helped me to better understand the Bible and has increased my faith in its word. It is a valuable read for anyone who wants to do a serious study of the Bible.

Wonderful theological writing. Great Dr. Dissertion. EXCEPT. Rev:2:23. 'Quote Entire Verse Here.' What according to their works have those children earned.? This from the same Savior who said..'Let he iswhithout sin..."....? Well Dr. of theology, any idea of how many "issue" just like this one there are...?

These are short (20 pg or so) booklets that attempt to answer basic questions that confound many people about Christianity. The doctrine is sound and Biblical based.

When someone asks me if they can trust the Bible, the last thing they are looking for is an exposition of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Sproul gives them. He walks through the theological foundations for why we think the Bible has authority, why we consider it revelation, what inerrant means, etc, etc. This is all decent discussion, but does not meet the needs for the heart of the person asking if the Bible can be "trusted."I would have much preferred any of the following:- a historical discussion on how we got the manuscripts and perhaps how the Dead Sea Scrolls found in the 20th century validated that much of the OT content we have was relatively unchanged since the time of Jesus- a philosophical discussion on likelihood of the truthfulness of the NT accounts perhaps in light of relatively few dissenting accounts from that time period- even modern stories of the impact of the Bible in the lives of people today (yes, "unscientific"...but for the stated question, this would serve better for many people)For the reader who hasn't been through seminary, or hasn't previously read anything on this topic, Sproul does cover some basics from the perspective of someone in the Reformed tradition. He also covers some basic concerns like 1) the difference between the technical precision of ancient writing and modern writing, 2) the existence of hyperbole in the Scripture, and 3) the occasional grammatical and spelling inconsistencies. Additionally, in a Kindle format, this book is offered free.As an answer to the question on the cover ("Can I Trust The Bible"), I'd give it 0 stars. But it is a free and provides a generally good overview of some important doctrines, though from a narrow perspective.

A thoughtful and reasoned defence of Biblical Inerrancy and Biblical Infallibility.Wont do for liberal Christians, but hey, lines have to be drawn somewhere. Another winner from Ligonier.

For increasing knowledge

A very good book for anyone interested in the subject. Sproul is a first class conservative theologian and he adds authority to the content of the subject matter.

Love it. RC Sproul is a great theologian who brings a clear, understandable and relevant theology from a reformed view point. Great introductory book. Great reading.

Skipped thro this and didn't read it properly as it was not what I thought or expected it to be