Dr. Bock;

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I am in need of some information concerning defending the Scriptures against the claims of those who deny inerrancy by citing supposedly conflicting geological/archaeological data.

Here is an exchange I had with a fellow the other day:

(JOEBIBSTUDENT:)
“CONSIDER THIS. ONCE YOU¹VE UNDERMINED THE AUTHORITY OF GOD¹S WORD BY DENYING INERRANCY, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO ACCEPT? I MEAN, WHAT IS TRUE AND WHAT IS FALSE IN THE BIBLE? WHERE DO YOU START? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHERE DO YOU STOP?”

(RESPONSE:)
"ARE YOUR INTERPRETATIONS OF GOD’S WORD INERRANT? IF NOT, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH INTERPRETATION TO BELIEVE? DO YOU ACCEPT THE BIBLE’S TEACHING THAT YOU SHOULD NOT WEAR A GARMENT MADE OF TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLOTH (LEV 19:19). (CHECK THE LABELS ON YOUR CLOTHES.) IF NOT, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH OTHER PROHIBITIONS IN THE BIBLE HAVE NO AUTHORITY? WHERE DO YOU START TO SEPARATE THOSE THAT HAVE AUTHORITY FROM THOSE THAT DO NOT? WHERE DO YOU STOP? (THE NT NEVER NEGATES LEV 19:19.)

"IF YOU TEST THE GLOBAL FLOOD OF GEN 6-9 BY THE EMPIRICAL DATA, IT IS CLEAR THAT IF THIS CLAIMED FLOOD IS DATED ANYTIME IN THE LAST 10,000 YEARS, GEOLOGY SHOWS NO EVIDENCE OF SUCH A FLOOD. ARCHAEOLOGY SHOWS THAT MANY PEOPLES AROUND THE WORLD LIVED RIGHT THROUGH IT—EVEN IN MESOPOTAMIA. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER SCIENTIFIC DATA WHICH FALSIFY THE CLAIM THAT THIS FLOOD IS A DIVINE REVELATION.

"WHEN YOU COMPARE THE BIBLICAL STORY OF THE FLOOD TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN STORIES, THE THEOLOGY IN GEN 6-9 CONTRADICTS THE THEOLOGY IN THE MESOPOTAMIAN STORIES, AND IT AGREES WITH THE OVERALL TEACHING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. A CHRISTIAN HAS EVERY RIGHT TO ACCEPT THE THEOLOGY AS DIVINE REVELATION, AND EVERY RESPONSIBILITY TO REJECT THE HISTORY BECAUSE THE EMPIRICAL DATA FALSIFY IT. THE HISTORY AS SUCH IS THE DIVINELY ACCOMMODATED “HISTORY OF THE TIMES,” BUT ACCORDING TO THE BIBLICAL TEST, IT IS NOT A REVELATION FROM GOD, AND THEREFORE NOT INERRANT.

"BY REFUSING TO TEST SUCH THINGS AS THE STORY OF THE FLOOD BY THE EMPIRICAL DATA, “CONSERVATIVE” (CONSERVING THE TRADITION OF THE ELDERS) CHRISTIANS DISOBEY GOD AND HAVE WOUND UP IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD THAT BRINGS NO GLORY TO GOD BECAUSE IT IS A FLIGHT FROM REALITY. AND WHEN THE CHILDREN WHO ARE TAUGHT THIS EXTRAORDINARY IMAGINARY SCIENCE DISCOVER VIA LEARNING GEOLOGY OR ANTHROPOLOGY OR ARCHAEOLOGY OR GLACIOLOGY OR OCEANOGRAPHY OR SOME OTHER SCIENCE THAT THIS SUPPOSEDLY INERRANT SCIENCE IS FALSE, THEIR FAITH WILL INDEED BE STUMBLED AND EVEN UNTO PERISHING."

I have no problem responding to this person within the context of the Scriptures, but I could use some information (e.g., a Christian scientific website devoted to responding to claims such as these) to answer those who cite so-called geological/archaeological empirical data/findings to contradict the biblical account of the Flood, the historical accuracy of O.T., etc.

Thank you,
joebib