Desiring Certainty: The Making of Biblical Inerrancy

Discover how biblical inerrancy became a core belief for evangelicals.

In an era of cultural upheaval and religious uncertainty, evangelicals have increasingly turned to biblical inerrancy as their anchor--but at what cost? Desiring Certainty reveals how the quest for certainty has reshaped evangelical faith, replacing trust in God with assent to propositions.

Pastor and scholar Jason A. Hentschel traces seventy-five years of evangelical history, examining how a doctrine meant to unite believers has instead created endless battles over interpretation. He offers compelling insights into how that doctrine was forged by influential evangelical leaders and organizations: James Packer, the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, the Evangelical Theological Society, and more. Most importantly, he shows how even the most careful hermeneutical methods have failed to deliver certainty, leaving evangelicals trapped between their desire for objective truth and the undeniable reality of interpretive pluralism.

As Hentschel surveys the past, he also illuminates a way forward. As an alternative to biblical inerrancy, he explores the more promising concept of community-centered biblical authority. In lieu of intellectual certainty, he urges believers to define faith in terms of trust. Whether you're evangelical, ex-evangelical, or simply curious about the forces shaping evangelicalism today, Desiring Certainty offers essential insights into how the pursuit of an errorless Bible has paradoxically masked the God it was meant to reveal.

Jason A. Hentschel is senior pastor of Wyoming Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a PhD in theology from the University of Dayton and an MDiv from Truett Theological Seminary. He serves as an editor for Foundations, the journal of the American Baptist Historical Society, and his work has been published in the Journal of Theological Interpretation, American Baptist Quarterly, and Christian History. Hentschel has a heart for the local church, a passion for social justice and ecumenical cooperation, and a firm belief that the life of the mind and the life of the soul are inextricably intertwined.