Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy (EBE) by C Dennis McKinsey

Here is C Dennis McKinsey's advice to the bible critic "Avoid Christian commentaries. Don't be swayed as to what is being said or what commentators allege is intended. Just read it cold." Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy p. 500.

In this book McKinsey is preaching to the choir, i.e. immature atheists, skeptics and freethinkers, it will of course bolster their young faith, it is published by Prometheus Books (need I say more). It can of course be used for Christian bashing, especially the young and immature. However the more mature and scholarly Christian apologist will hardly bat an eye-lid. It might upset the faith of some, but it is hardly a serious assault on the faith. Sure there are bible difficulties and many years ago we had Haley's Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (1874). Even the apostle Peter admits that Paul's letters "contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction" (2 Pet 3:16). McKinsey is hardly a scholar, his advise is to "avoid Christian commentaries" and "just read it cold". Most of his difficulties have been refuted in books and on the web. Some of the moral bible difficulties that upset Christians and Skeptics alike are answered by Glenn Miller's site. Even the skeptic Farrell Till remarks that biblical discrepancies are often discussed only superficially in works like... (EBE) see details below. The skeptic Jeffery Jay Lowder says "I do not recommend skeptics rely on McKinsey’s scholarship without first independently verifying his claims in a reliable source" (details below). So there we have it, McKinsey does not claim to be a scholar and the more mature skeptics agree.

The material in the Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy (EBE) is also available on-line. So no need to buy the book. Dennis McKinsey has done the Christian world a favour by listing the various ways in which the bible can be misunderstood and distorted through the eyes of unbelievers. Since, he sets out to attack it, rather than to understand it in any scholarly way, his articles are designed to throw the bible in the worst possible light. He is writing from the point of view of an atheist and free-thinker, in which Christianity is a maze of religious superstition which is unhealthy for society in general. He is a proselytizer for the atheist persuasion, and his book is fodder for skeptics to try to undermine the faith of immature Christians. He has no qualification that are relevant to biblical criticism, most pastors have to go to bible college for three years and learn the original languages. It is worth mentioning that in the church, God has appointed teachers, that is, people gifted in expounding God's word. Ultimately he is a blind guide, if people want to believe the lie, then they have C Dennis McKinsey.

For those of us who take our lives more seriously, I suggest you find a scholar who is better than Dennis. If you want eternal life then I suggest that the God of the bible offers you that. Some of us want immortality, yet that is what the God of the bible offers us, yes we stubbornly refuse His offer. If God says that the death of His Son, will forgive you of your sins and He will give you eternal life, then why not accept what God says about it?. If it is good for God then it is good for me. My view is that it is something that cannot be denied. It seems to me that atheists are happy to die on their death bed with no hope. Yet the God of the bible offers immortality. That is stupid.

The good news of the gospel is that God does not count your sins against you (2 Cor 5:19 ). To me that sounds like a good starting point to explore the Christian faith, if you want eternal life. God has stacked the deck in your favor. Too good to be true? Yes, but that is why it is called good news! You can read the small print in the bible. But the devil is in the detail.

For the Christian, the bible promises heaven, but for "the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Rev 21:8

The ultimate battle, is whether the bible speaks the truth about our future. Dennis McKinsey has missed the "acid test" about the bible. It is whether the man Jesus Christ rose from the dead. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead then our faith is futile (1 Cor 15:17). There is no heaven or hell, no immortality of the soul.

I list many of Dennis's bloopers below, but here is a favorite of mine. This is what Dennis says:

"...according to Matt. 27:46 Jesus said on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus is supposed to be the savior of humanity, but he can't even save himself. Those aren't the words of a man who is voluntarily dying for the sins of humanity or offering himself willingly as a sacrifice for mankind. Those are the words of a man who can think of a hundred places he'd rather be and most assuredly does not have the situation under control." C Dennis McKinsey, EBE, p133.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" is a quote from the first verse of the Messianic Psalm 22, the Jews will have known this. This Messianic psalm also describes what Jesus was experiencing on the cross.

(Psa 22:14-18 NIV) I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. {15} My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. {16} Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. {17} I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. {18} They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

Finally we should note that the Messianic Psalm 22 ends in triumph, with all the families of the nations bowing down before the Lord.

(Psa 22:27-28 NIV) All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, {28} for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.

Full version here.

Dennis, you need to do much better. Maybe you can persuade the gullible. Yes the immature atheists, skeptics and freethinkers. Like I said, the blind leading the blind, but he will make you stronger in the faith. Enjoy....and gloat.... I hope Dennis makes you happy.

Skeptic's Instructions for Reading the Bible:

McKinsey commits the blunder of being a hyper-literalist. Even the fundamentalists will compare scripture with scripture and own a few commentaries.

• Always read it completely literally in isolation and never take into account the social, historical, literary and cultural context in which it was written.
• Have a wrong concept of how God should have done things and then throw the rattle out of the pram when he does things differently - this is otherwise known as setting up a straw man and then knocking him down.
• Assume that God dictated it rather than using men in the social, historical and cultural context of the day.
• If there is a difficult passage never consult a commentary written by someone who understands the social, historical, literary and cultural context.
• Never compare scripture with scripture to find the meaning of difficult texts
• Never use different bible versions, never check out the Greek or Hebrew.
• Always assume that if you cannot understand something then it cannot ever be true.
• Ignore the fact of progressive revelation
• Never try to understand the human-divine nature of Jesus or the Trinity, never consult a theologian who can explain these difficult things.

Tekton's comments on EBE "Selling Snake Oil" (exaggerated claims made by vendors)

Snake Oil: In mid-19th century America, snake oil was an alternative medicine used by Chinese immigrants working on the trans-continental railroad. The oil seemed to be effective in treating the aches and pains encurred from hard manual labor. European railroad workers learned of snake oil's healing properties first-hand and began to tell others. Entrepreneurs saw there was a market for snake oil and began to promise consumers that the magic Chinese elixir could cure just about anything that was wrong with them. "Snake oil" rapidly became a synonym for "fraudulent" or "bogus" and people forgot that it had once had a valuable, though limited, use.

EBE is available from Amazon, EBE is also online

Some Dennis McKinsey bloopers:

OT

Bible condones child sacrifice? Exo 22:29-30 (3k)

The Israelites had no cities with gates when Moses lived, Ex 20:10 (3k)

Ezion Geber on the shore of the Red Sea? 1 Kings 9:26 (4k)

Noah was perfect, but all have sinned Rom 3:23 (1k)

The bible is pornographic and we don't want our children reading it. (2k)

NT

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Words of despair or triumph? Matt. 27:46 (6k)

Three days and three nights, or on the third day ? Mat 12:40 (3k)

Jesus owned a house? Mark 2:15 (3k)

Jesus hid, escaped, and slunk around often. Luke 12:4 (4k)

Will you drink poison for me? Mark 16:18 (2k)

Jesus mission is only for the Israelites or the world? (11k)

Who killed Jesus, Jews or Gentiles? (5k)

Resurrection is a common occurrence (12k)

Calvary or Golgotha? (2k)

Jesus told a man to 'take up his cross' before he had died on the cross (2k)

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ isn't in the bible. Acts 20:35 (2k)

Paul said Jesus was wrong about baptizing? 1 Cor. 1:17 (5k)

There are no OT prophecies about Timothy, 1 Tim.1:18 (2k)

Rev 12:7 shows that there is war in heaven, I would not want to go there. Rev 12:7 (5k)

Even some skeptics are not convinced by McKinsey's arguments:

How Not to Argue Against the Historicity and Resurrection of Jesus A Critique of Dennis McKinsey’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy by Jeffery Jay Lowder

The conclusion of the article by Jeffery Jay Lowder is as follows:

"Although McKinsey occasionally raises some good points concerning the Resurrection and the extrabiblical references to Jesus, they are often hidden within many more objections that are either irrelevant, fallacious, inconclusive, or some combination of the above. Moreover, there are many important issues related to the historicity of Jesus and the Resurrection, which McKinsey ignores. Although McKinsey discusses the historicity of Jesus, he ignores many of the extrabiblical references and more importantly the New Testament evidence itself. Likewise, McKinsey’s treatment of the Resurrection is horribly incomplete: he does not assess the historicity of the burial story, the empty tomb, the guard, the Jewish polemic, the appearances, etc. With all due respect to McKinsey, it appears he does not understand the basic principles of historiography. Given these shortcomings in the sections on the historicity and resurrection of Jesus, I can't help but wonder what deficiencies exist in the rest of McKinsey’s Encyclopedia. I do not recommend skeptics rely on McKinsey’s scholarship without first independently verifying his claims in a reliable source. And I hope that in the future Prometheus Books has a bona fide Bible scholar or historian review submissions in Biblical criticism before accepting a manuscript for publication"

Even Farrell Till remarks that bible discrepancies are often discussed only superficially in works like The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy.

Those who submit articles should understand that they may have to defend what they say, so they should make sure that they are informed enough on the issues to know how to reply to the solutions that inerrantists may propose. I therefore strongly urge that newcomers to the issue of biblical discrepancies not try to write articles with no more background than having read something in Bible Handbook, Bible Absurdities, or The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy, because examples of biblical discrepancies are often discussed only superficially in works like these. Welcome to The Skeptical Review Online by Farrell Till

The latest version April 2005 says this.

I therefore strongly urge that newcomers to the issue of biblical discrepancies not try to write articles with no more background than having read something in Bible Handbook, Bible Absurdities, or The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy, because examples of biblical discrepancies are often discussed only superficially in works like these. Welcome to The Skeptical Review Online

C. Dennis McKinsey, M.S. has a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Master's Degree in Social Sciences from Indiana University. He attended law school in the 1960's and was in the MBA program for a brief period.