In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul advised Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, ACCURATELY handling the word of truth.”
In previous blog posts, we’ve already touched on the importance of studying God’s Word in its entirety and reading Scripture in context. See below for more excerpts from James W. Sire’s book, “Scripture Twisting”, on common ways Scripture is distorted when we are reasoning from Scripture.
Misreading No. 13: Confused Definition
No deductive argument can proceed properly if we do not have a clear concept of each term in the argument. For example, if stealing in Exodus 20:15 does NOT mean something very general like “taking ANYTHING that is not rightfully yours,” then it CANNOT include [something specific, such as] tampering with scales.
To understand Scripture, we need to have a clear idea of its key terms.
Misreading No. 14: Ignoring Alternative Explanation
Just as we can SELECT evidence to justify our preconceived ideas, we can [also] IGNORE the alternative explanations for that evidence.
We see a strange glowing light outside our window, and if we have been susceptible to recent movies or television, we may suddenly conclude that we are seeing a flying saucer — maybe a space ship complete with extraterrestrial beings. But lots of things glow strangely in the dark — the full moon see with your glasses off (well, at least, as seen by me with my glasses off), the headlight of a car seen through a forest, a campfire, a flashlight, the running lights of a commercial airliner and so on. To say you have just had a close encounter with the extraterrestrial without exhausting the other more ordinary explanations would be irresponsible if not irrational.
So, too, it is a fallacy to adopt an eccentric explanation when an ordinary one fits the data. At least, it is a fallacy to adopt it with a sense of certainty. Withholding judgment is required.
Misreading No. 15: The Obvious Fallacy
Interpretations of some Biblical texts require great study. Even then, honest scholars are uncertain and disagree with each other. Yet we frequently find cult writers drawing conclusions with great ease and expecting us to follow their lead. The impression the interpreter wants to give is that the case is closed. His view is the obvious one.
Obviously, the way to avoid the obvious fallacy is to NOT be misled by the characterization any writer puts on the quality of his own argument. Look to see if it is so. Is the logic valid, the evidence all there? Is it treated fairly? Are alternatives acknowledged and refuted?
A related fallacy occurs when one develops a series of interlinking, eccentric POSSIBLE readings, and then concludes that since these eccentric interpretations support each other, they must be true. Thus, a series of speculations join together to achieve the strength of what appears to be an integrated world view.
Misreading No. 16: Virtue by Association
We have all heard of guilt by association. “Johnny must be a bad boy. Look at the company he keeps.” Or, “How could Sarah be a Christian. Didn’t I see her hanging out with that guy from Gary?”
This argument works in the other direction as well: “Billy goes to church. He’s such a good boy.” This is the way the argument is used by cult writers.
If you can associate your view with Jesus, the Bible, the apostles, the patriarchs—any of the good guys of the Judeo-Christian tradition—you have enhanced the credibility of your argument. The fallacy itself takes several forms.
Naming names, summoning up great witnesses, sounding like the Bible, proclaiming universality for your eccentric view — all these carry no logical weight unless what is said about them turns out on other grounds to be true. So we must be wary of any such attempt to authenticate eccentric religious doctrine.
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Have you heard anyone reasoning from Scripture like this before? Have YOU misread Scripture by reasoning in any of these ways?
How accurate are you when handling God’s Word? Are you trying to understand the meaning and intention of the Writer? Or have you been been over-curious and gone beyond the bounds of Scripture to bring your own meaning to the text?
Are you willing to stand corrected if you’ve been in error?
In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul said that “All Scripture is GOD BREATHED…” Every word is from the mouth of God. It’s important that we get God’s Word’s correct.
a collector (of sentences) 