Explaining Biblical Inerrancy

INTRODUCTION
It is a fact of human experience that when the living eye-witnesses to events die off, the
process of developing myths about these events is often accelerated. 1 So, as one of the three
living framers of the Chicago statements on inerrancy and hermeneutics, it seemed good to put
the first two statements and their official commentaries in one inexpensive and universally
accessible source.
Four Fundamental ICBI Documents
There were four ICBI documents on the meaning of inerrancy: (1) The Chicago
Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (by the ICBI drafting committee, 1978); (2) The Commentary on
the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, by Dr. Sproul; (3) The Chicago Statement on
Biblical Hermeneutics (by the ICBI drafting committee, 1982); (4) The Commentary on the
Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics, by Dr. Geisler. These four documents are
reproduced here. 2
Dr. R. C. Sproul was not just a signer of the three ICBI statements. He was also the
original framer of the affirmations and denials of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,
the president of the ICBI during its tenure, and the author of the official commentary on the
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. This booklet was titled Explaining Inerrancy: A
Commentary (International Council on Biblical Inerrancy: 1980). It has been reproduced here
with the gracious permission of Ligonier Ministries and Dr. Sproul.
Dr. Norman Geisler, was a signer of the ICBI statements, a member of the ICBI drafting
committee, the general editor of all the books published by ICBI, and the author of the official
booklet explaining the second Chicago Statement. That booklet was titled Explaining
1
See: Norman L. Geisler and William C Roach, Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a
New Generation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011).
2
This book only contains the heart of the first and second Chicago statements, the articles of affirmation and denial.
The summary statements and the excellent short expositions that are normally included in those statements have not
been included here. The full statements can be viewed at http://library.dts.edu/Pages/TL/Special/ICBI.shtml.
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