One of the most important issues for our day is the subject of inspiration. For example, in the books of Moses, rather than forbidding the practice of polygamy, guidelines were given for men who chose to take a second wife. And, rather than forbidding the practice of private vengeance, in which a family would hunt down and kill a man who killed another accidently, God provided cities of refuge. Instead of commands that disallowed slavery, provisions are made for it…the list goes on.
In what way are these passages “inspired”?
For many individuals, the suggestion that certain passages in the Bible only apply for that specific time and culture amounts to “picking and choosing” and destroys the authority of the Bible. But should we still be stoning Sabbath breakers to death? What about Paul’s advice for women that “it is a shameful thing for a women to speak in church?” Isn’t it a much “slippier slope” to literally try and follow or enforce these commands today?
In this Bible study we concluded by using the subject of “women in the ministry” as a test case to apply issues related to inspiration.
In the video below, Dr. Brad Cole narrates his powerpoint slide presentation.
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