Evangelical Tensions over Biblical Inspiration in the Twenty-first Century: A Case Study on the Views of Peter Enns and John Frame

Abstract

Divergent views of inspiration have increasingly characterised the evangelical branch of Christianity since the middle decades of the twentieth century. Specifically, a divergence between inerrantist and non-inerrantist understandings has arisen, sharply dividing evangelical scholarship in its discussions on the doctrine of Scripture. This case study examines two contemporary Reformed theologians who represent significantly divergent views in this field: Peter Enns, a progressive evangelical, and John Frame, an inerrantist evangelical. The study focusses largely, though not exclusively, on one representative work from each author, through which their broad positions are revealed. An evaluation and comparison identifies and closely examines two specific themes as found in each author’s work: the incarnational analogy as it may be applied to the doctrine of inspiration and the inductive-deductive approaches to understanding the biblical phenomena. The evaluative-comparative study exposes areas of strength and weakness in both authors’ systems, from which areas requiring further study are suggested in some detail. The general purpose of the study is to further scholarly understanding on inspiration, and in particular to endeavour to expose the basic issues that nourish a seemingly intractable and widening scholarly divide within evangelicalism.