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{{blockquote|The doctrine of biblical inerrancy seems inherently improbable, for two reasons. Firstly, the Scriptures contain what seem to be evident errors and contradictions (although great ingenuity has been applied to explain these away). Secondly, the books of the Old and New Testaments did not gain their place within the "canon", or list of approved books, as soon as they were written. The Old Testament canon was not closed until late in the Apostolic age, and the New Testament canon was not finally closed until the fourth century. If all the Bible's contents were inerrant, one would have thought that this would have become apparent within a much shorter period.<ref>Montefiore, Hugh. ''Credible Christianity: The Gospel in Contemporary Society'', London: Mowbray, 1993; Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1994. p. 5. {{ISBN|0-8028-3768-9}}</ref>}}
=====Liberal Christianity=====
In general, [[liberal Christianity]] has no problem with the fact that the Bible has errors and contradictions.<ref name="Chryssides 2010 p. 21">{{cite book | last=Chryssides | first=George D. | title=Christianity Today: An Introduction | publisher=Bloomsbury Academic | series=Religion Today | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-84706-542-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FSGhhjtU-UC&pg=PA21 | access-date=30 August 2020 | page=21}}</ref> Liberal Christians reject the dogma of inerrancy or infallibility of the Bible,<ref name="Chryssides 2010 p. 21"/> which they see as the idolatry (fetishism) of the Bible.<ref name="Dorrien 2000 p. 112">{{cite book | last=Dorrien | first=Garry J. | title=The Barthian Revolt in Modern Theology: Theology Without Weapons | publisher=Westminster John Knox Press | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-664-22151-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K2l0sc8wekwC&pg=PA112 | access-date=30 August 2020 | page=112}}</ref> [[Martin Luther]] emphatically declared "if our opponents allege Scripture against Christ, we allege Christ against Scripture."<ref name="Dorrien 2000 p. 112"/>
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[[John Shelby Spong]], author and former bishop of the US Episcopalian Church who is well-known for his [[Post-theism|post-theistic]] theology, declared that the literal interpretation of the Bible is [[heresy]].<ref name="Chellew-Hodge 2016">{{cite web | last=Chellew-Hodge | first=Candace | title=Why It Is Heresy to Read the Bible Literally: An Interview with John Shelby Spong | website=Religion Dispatches | date=24 February 2016 | url=https://religiondispatches.org/why-it-is-heresy-to-read-the-bible-literally-an-interview-with-john-shelby-spong/ | access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Spong2016">{{cite book|first=John Shelby|last=Spong|title=Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy: A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuH1CQAAQBAJ|date=16 February 2016|publisher=HarperOne|isbn=978-0-06-236233-9|page=22|chapter=Stating the Problem, Setting the Stage|quote=To read the gospels properly, I now believe, requires a knowledge of Jewish culture, Jewish symbols, Jewish icons and the tradition of Jewish storytelling. It requires an understanding of what the Jews call ‘midrash.’ Only those people who were completely unaware of these things could ever have come to think that the gospels were meant to be read literally.}}</ref>
=====Meaning of "Word of God"=====
There is only one instance in the Bible where the phrase "the Word of God" refers to something written. The reference is to the [[Ten Commandments|Decalogue]]. However, most other references are to reported speech preserved in the Bible. The New Testament also contains a number of statements that refer to passages from the Old Testament as God's words, for instance {{Bibleref2|Romans|3:2}} (which says that the Jews have been "entrusted with the very words of God"), or the book of [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]], which often prefaces Old Testament quotations with words such as "God says". The Bible also contains words spoken by human beings ''about'' God, such as [[Eliphaz (Job)|Eliphaz]] ({{Bibleref2|Job|42:7}}) and the prayers and songs of the Psalter. That these are God's words addressed to us was at the root of a lively medieval controversy.<ref>Uriel Simon, "Four Approaches to the Book of Psalms" chap. 1</ref> The idea of the word of God is more that God is encountered in scripture, than that every line of scripture is a statement made by God.<ref>Alexander Ryrie, "Deliver Us From Evil", DLT 2004</ref>
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