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Episode 491: American Democracy & American Inerrancy with Michael F. Bird


Last week, the country commemorated the one-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Phil, Skye, and Kaitlyn examine what’s changed, and what hasn’t, since the attack and what impact it’s had on both Christians and our culture. They also respond to Samuel Perry’s article about the way Christian Nationalism threatens democracy. Then, Skye talks to Australian theologian Michael Bird about the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. While Christians throughout the world affirm the Bible’s inerrancy, Bird says American Evangelicals uniquely see the doctrine as “the one ring to rule them all.” He documents many cases where inerrancy isn’t used to defend the Bible, but a particular interpretation of the Bible. Also this week—goldfish chauffeurs and the Japanese invent a finger-nibbling robot to “free all humanity.”


News Segment

0:00 - Intro 3:05 - Scientists teach goldfish how to drive https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/01/07/goldfish-drive/9131026002/


Interview with Michael F. Bird

“Saving Inerrancy from the Americans?” article - https://michaelfbird.substack.com/p/saving-inerrancy-from-the-americans

“Seven Things I Wish People Knew About the Bible” book - https://amzn.to/33pYLV6

47:40 - Intro/Interview Start 50:44 - Inerrancy vs. infallibility 57:21 - American evangelicalism and inerrancy 1:07:46 - Global church and inerrancy 1:11:26 - Authorities of scripture, interpretation, and historic church doctrine 1:20:42 - Perspectives from the global church on other issues 1:27:21 - Interview End


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32 Comments


Wesley Lantz
Wesley Lantz
Jan 18, 2022

Hey guys, I wanted to get your take on how to respond to the belief that there is an unbalanced approach to the Capitol riot vs. the BLM protests and riots that took place over the course of 2020. Every time I bring up the Captiol riot to my family, I'm immediately bombarded by the fact that BLM rioted all over the country, and did indeed attempt, in some locations, to take over government buildings like state capitol buildings.


This article does a good job of articulating the worldview I'm struggling with here: https://spectator.org/the-real-insurrection-the-blm-riots/


I am indeed more deeply concerned by the January 6 riot...but I'm not entirely sure why. any advice on how to respond would be much appreciated!

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J Zook
J Zook
Jan 25, 2022
Replying to

Skye, have we never-trumpers tried the "prayer and fasting"? ... I haven't but I believe we feel the same; that trumpianity/trumpism is demonic. I've long ago given up on pulling my dozens and dozens of family/friends/church family etc out of it, on my own. What if the world-wide body of never-trumpers (many!) would fast and pray on a random day... I'm not a charismatic, but maybe the heavenlys would move... I'd do it if even just 1 trumpist came to their senses after such a day.

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i.am.mueller
Jan 17, 2022

The call at the end to read works of global Christians is needed. The categorization of [white] Australians as "pretty safe" because they are "not that different" compared to the "more adventurous Christianity" of Asia and Africa is not needed. By no means calling anyone racist. But the categorizations with which we use to describe Christians of other cultures and ethnic groups need to be a bit more carefully worded. The safe-adventurous dichotomy isn't a great categorization.

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FOREST ZERO
FOREST ZERO
Jan 15, 2022


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sbsalzer
sbsalzer
Jan 15, 2022

Skye, suggestions please on what Asian, African, other voices to read to expand our reading/listening globally?

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J13
Jan 14, 2022

Re: Why don't American Christians support single-payer health care? A carbon tax? Progressive income tax rates? More restrictions on the rights of private citizens to own guns? Some of it is no doubt is due to tribalism and buying unthinkingly into the culture that surrounds a person. (A fact that cuts on both sides of the ideological divide and works in all countries, not just the U.S.) But some of it comes from people looking at scholarship, reasoning, history and the like and coming to a different conclusion.

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ansak
Jan 15, 2022
Replying to

J13, speaking as a Canadian who's heard a lot from Heather Cox Richardson and others...


single-payer health

carbon tax

progressive income tax: opposition to these is rooted in two things:

(a) fear of what the Paris Commune was doing when it emerged

(b) racist opposition to black equality of opportunity (from the rich), combined with convincing poorer non-blacks that supporting black equality will hurt their lot


gun ownership: bewildering, isn't it? There's un-critical adherence to the 2nd Amendment which has roots in their origin (how else could the citizens have pushed the British overlords out without that kind of structure), not all ominous but also rooted, to start with in the south where the whites needed to stay armed to…


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