Can I really trust the Bible?: and other questions about Scripture, truth and how God speaks

Questions Christians Ask

by Barry Cooper

The Bible makes big claims for itself. But do those claims stand up?

Aren’t the stories just legends? Hasn’t the information been corrupted over time? Isn’t the Bible full of mistakes? And isn’t it culturally outdated?

In this absorbing little book, Barry Cooper explores these questions - and many others - with warmth, wit and integrity.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Scripture, Audiobook, Faith

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2014

Reviews

[Jory Bayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like every book I’ve read in this series, “Can I Really Trust the Bible?” is clear, concise, sound, persuasive, and even fun to read! It’s a great primer on the reliability of Scripture and a great resource for seekers and Christians alike.

[Kenneth Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Jonathan Leeman’s book “Reverberation” really changed the way I viewed the scripture and increased my love for the word especially as preached, read, and sung at church. So when I saw Jonathan Leeman’s recommendation of this book I was excited to read it. “ Can I really trust the Bible? And other questions about scripture, truth and how God speaks” is a short but extremely helpful read. It is a good book published by The Good Book Company.

Who is it for?
This book would be a great read for all Christians, but may be especially suitable for discipling new believers or those young in their faith. It also would be great for anyone interested in an intro level work on the trustworthiness of the Bible and why we have what we have as our bible. Ultimately it would be helpful for all Christians to have a basic knowledge of trustworthiness of the book they base their faith on and this book is the place to start.

The Good
This book is great and I will recommend it to others. Its brevity makes it very useful in a day when many don’t read long tomes and its simplicity and style make it accessible to readers of many ages and ability. This can be seen in examples such as footnote 1 in chapter one (page 10) the author says “ If you’re unfamiliar with Bible references, the number before the “v” is the chapter, and the number after is the verse. So “Psalm 19 v. 1-4 means the book of Psalms, chapter 19, verses 1 to 4”. This book truly could be handed to someone with no background or understanding of the Bible.
The book though is not so surface level as to leave a long time Christian wanting. Cooper says things that will get you out of bed on Sunday morning ready to go hear the word preached dealing with the depth of God’s word. On page 14 he says “ Then, just as God’s spoken word brought light into being in Genesis 1 v3, so, as we’ve just seen in Psalm 19, his written word is described as “giving light to the eyes”. As the psalm implies, God’s written word is no less powerful or life-giving than his spoken word. If this is true, then when we read God’s word, or hear it preached, we should read or listen with trembling and anticipation. The fierce power that summoned and sustains the universe is about to be unleashed again in our hearing.” This powerful and something a new believer to the elderly saint needs to be reminded of.

Cooper argues persuasively thought that the Bible claims to be the word of God, seems to be the word of God, and proves to be the word of God. Throughout these arguments there are gray boxes with little blurbs on related subjects that are helpful and place at timely spaces where it makes it natural to read and not distract from the rest of the chapter. They are edited nicely so you don’t have to turn back pages to pick up where you previously a nice touch.
The Bad
It is a struggle to think of something to critique the book on. One small thing is that the Author lives in the UK so some of the English is a bit foreign to us in the USA but it does not hinder the reading of it and the style the author writes with really keeps one reading along.
Another minor thing is that he says on page 72 “Sometimes, theologians speak about the “clarity” of Scripture.” This may have been a chance to introduce reader to term “perspicuity” which means clarity and is a term they will run into if they go deeper into the subject and that the bible is not necessarily easy to understand but that what is necessary for salvation is clear.
There is so much to commend about this book that I would feel comfortable handing it to anyone without any qualifications.
The Physical Book
The book is a small paperback and bright orange (to my eyes) but with a fairly attractive design. The bible on the front is pressed out and has a nice feel when holding the book. After reading it doesn’t lay flat again and pages seem to stay flared out. The paper is a gray paper and not a bright white but the text type is easy on the eyes. The outside margins have to be some of the smallest I have seen which makes taking notes difficult but there are 8 blank pages in the back with header “notes” to help one out there. Also strangely online you will find several endorsements of the book which made me interested in picking it up but the actually hard copy contains none which is unfortunate.
Author: Barry Cooper
Publisher : The Good Book Company
Year: 2014
Pages: 81
Binding: glue
Boards: Paperback
Footnotes or endnotes: footnotes
Scripture index: no
person index: no
subject index: no

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book for both people who are and aren't Christians to understand the nature of the Bible and its place in Christian life. Cooper maps out the key arguments in a clear and concise way.

The book is structured around three questions which make it easy to follow:
Does the Bible claim to be God's word?
Does the Bible seem to be God's word?
Does the Bible prove to be God's word?

At 83 pages the scope of this book is obviously limited (which shows in statements which aren't explained in depth), however it is a great introduction to the topic.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third I've read in the Questions Christians Ask series and I'm loving it!

This book is short, yet jammed packed and Biblically sound. Cooper looks at the following questions:
Does the Bible claim to be God's Word?
What is meant by the word vs. the Word?
Does the Bible seem to be God's Word?
Does the Bible prove to be God's Word?

I appreciated Cooper delving into the historical authenticity of the Bible as well as the Scripture. I'd highly recommend checking this out to bolster confidence in the Word! It's available on Hoopla as an audiobook.

[Josh Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful, clear, funny, moving - and thankfully, concise! just what I was after, would recommend to someone else wrestling with this question.

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's only so much a short book can do on a very big topic, but this actually gives a good overview of what you'd need to look into to determine how reliable the Bible is. It also encourages the reader to actually read and experience the Bible themselves, which is great. You could be armed with a whole bunch of facts about it, but it's quite a different thing to read it for yourself.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 5 about common questions (including ones I had) were helpful. Definitely more helpful for newer Christians. I maintain the Winnie the Pooh analogy is pretty legit. I don’t know that he sufficiently addresses the “the Bible is only true is you believe it’s true” objection—ie I don’t think he would convince anyone with his argument about the validity of the Bible BECAUSE the Bible says it’s true. Otherwise, it seems like an eaiser-to/read version of Case for Christ (except no discussion about the resurrection, which seems like kind of a big point to not address!!).

[James Brixey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent introduction to the issue. Really deserves more than is here but I'm sure Barry knows that too, and feels more as I am. I like the last chapter a lot

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for a good lay-level book on the trustworthiness of the Bible and Barry Cooper has written a really amazing book on a very important topic in quite a surprisingly short space! He compellingly states and expounds a reformed view of scripture's inerrancy, necessity, clarity and sufficiency. Many Christians today lack a meaningful understanding or ability to defend these basic principles of scripture, and this book provides a great entry-level introduction to these concepts and why they are important.

His basic outline is modelled off a scene from Winnie the Pooh where Pooh-bear is not sure that a tub of honey is really honey... the label says honey, but is it really? He looks inside and the substance looks like honey - but could it be some other similar looking substance? So he dips in and tastes it and exclaims - it's honey! Cooper uses this formulation of looking at what the label on the bible is - ie, what does scripture claim to be? To what does it look like - does it have the marks and features that one would expect scripture to have as a book that claims to be the Word of God? And finally, he considers 'tasting and seeing' - does scripture prove to be what it claims to be in its power and efficacious work?

I find the outline brilliantly stated in its simple genius! However, don't be misled - this book is not a shallow fideist defence of scripture stating "the Bible is God's word because it says so..." Instead, Cooper expounds what is sometimes a complex concept of scripture's ultimate authority and self-attestation in terms that are easy to follow and grasp. His usage of presuppositional apologetic methodology with respect to the defence of scripture in a way that is straightforward and easy to grasp is commendable. He manages to address topics such as the apparently problematic 'circularity' of ultimate authority claims - but in a way that doesn't leave the reader scratching their heads unless they have done graduate level philosophy.

I'm truly thrilled to come across this book, and will definitely be recommending it (and possibly using it in church classes/workshops). I'd highly recommend this for believers and even non-believers. While it is not a thorough 'apologetic' book per-se, the arguments presented are thoroughly biblical in their methodology and will spark discussion and healthy wrestling with an honest 'sceptic' or seeker.
Check it out.

[Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series ' Questions Christians Ask', published by thegoodbook company and to date the one I have least liked!

The title is intriguing enough - 'Can I really trust the Bible?' but I was somewhat bewildered by the approach taken by the writer, Barry Cooper. He starts by sharing a conversation he had with someone who didn't believe that the Bible was reliable or relevant. Then he shares a story from Winne the Pooh when faced with the dilemma of was the jar of honey he was encountering really was a jar of honey? He then reminds the reader that Pooh's approach was to look at the honey jar to see if it's honey and then to take a large lick to ensure himself that it really was honey. Cooper then suggests that one should use the 'Pooh method' (my words, not his!) to approach the Bible; namely, (1) Does the Bible claim to be God's word?; (2) Does the Bible seem to be God's word?; and finally, (3) Does the Bible prove to be God's word? He then proceeds through 5 chapters to try and answer these three questions.

Now, while he does what he sets out to do, I was rather expecting more. I found his overall treatment of the Biblical text whimsical and haphazard, with it having the feeling of a badly written essay in a GCSE RE class!

Whilst it might be a primer for those enquiring about the Bible who are not aware of the Bible, it begs more questions than it answers, however.

Notwithstanding all that I have said above, there are two quotations worthy of mention; the first, "Some books we read, but the best books read us. They assess us, make demands of us. They probe, they press. As a result, they're not always easy to read. The Bible is like that."; and the second, "When you see the sun, you know it's bright. When you taste honey, you know it's sweet. When you see Jesus Christ in Scripture, you know he is Lord. And when you put God's word into practice, you know it's for real."

Sadly, a 2-star read for me!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series—and this is no exception. A great little primer on the Bible in everyday language. Super helpful.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry Cooper takes on the difficult task of evaluating the trustworthiness of the Bible in this short book that is part of The Good Book Company’s helpful series “Questions Christians ask.”
Can I really trust the Bible?

Cooper addresses this question with three questions. The first of those is this: “Does the Bible claim to be God’s word?”

Cooper responds, “Just as a painting reveals the qualities of a painter, God’s world speaks powerfully of him.” Cooper considers multiple attestations of divine inspiration within Scripture itself: “Notice how Peter comments—in passing, as if it were a common assumption—that Paul’s letters are on par with ‘the other Scriptures’ (2 Peter 3:16). For him, Paul’s writing had as much claim to be ‘God’s word’ as the Old Testament. Peter made similar claims for himself, saying that his teaching was enabled ‘by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven’ (1 Peter1:12).”

But shouldn’t we dismiss what the Bible says about itself? Perhaps that is not so. 4th Century theologian Hilary of Poitiers asserts, “Only God is a fit witness to himself.”
Cooper moves to a second question: “Does the Bible seem to be God’s word?”

Cooper says that the Bible is like us: “You and I reveal ourselves through our words. Words disclose our thoughts, our intentions, our character.” We can’t try to get to God apart from the Bible, if the Bible is actually his revelation. “We can’t know Jesus apart from the Bible because, as Jesus himself says, the Bible always and on every page testifies to him. Any other ‘Jesus’ is just a Jesus of our own imagining.”

Cooper reflects on how grave our condition would be without the Bible: “Without those words, we would still be unreconciled with God the Father, with nothing to look forward to except death, judgment and hell. Without those words, we would never have known about God the Son, who died, was resurrected, and then ascended so that we could become a child of God, a co-heir with Christ. Without those words, we would never have known about God the Holy Spirit, who graciously comes to live in those who belong to him.”

But isn’t the Bible out of date? “If we dismiss biblical teaching as being a product of its time and place, we have to be honest and recognise that we ourselves—the ones offering the criticism—are just as much a product of ours.” Cooper continues, “And incidentally, the first disciples didn’t think Jesus’ teaching was a product of its time. Many of them were so shocked by how counter-cultural it was, they packed up and left.”

That ought to make us pause: “If we feel discomfort at some of the Bible’s teaching, is it really because the Bible is a product of its time, or because we are?” The burden is actually on us: “We may find ourselves rejecting God’s word (or parts of it) because it expresses views different to our own. But isn’t it comically small-minded and arrogant to assume that God, if he’s there, would always agree with us? If God really is God, and the Bible is his word, wouldn’t we expect him occasionally to contradict and correct us? Wouldn’t it be suspicious if he always said what we wanted him to say, or if he always confirmed the views of our particular culture, in our particular moment of history?”

Cooper also emphasizes the fact that the Bible is 66 documents, written by about 40 authors in three different languages over 1,500 years… and yet they tell a coherent story about who we are, who God is, and what God is doing. Cooper digs into why we can trust the documents as being accurate eye-witness accounts and why we can trust the manuscripts we have as reflecting the original writings. One helpful metaphor Cooper uses is that of a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that has no pieces missing, in fact, we have “many more pieces than are necessary to complete the puzzle. As a result, it’s usually very obvious which are the extra ones that don’t fit in.”

Cooper also pushes back on our contemporary notions of what proper history is and helps reframe the objectives and types of literature the biblical authors wrote.

Finally, Cooper asks: “Does the Bible prove to be God’s word?”

Cooper changes tact at this point and encourages us to put God’s word to the test by reading it and following it. We cannot judge whether the Bible is trustworthy unless we put it into practice. The Bible is “for tasting.”

At the end of the day, we must “taste and see” to truly encounter the power of the Word of God and believe. No level of proof can move us to belief.

I encourage you to pick up and read Cooper’s helpful book. It’s a great starting place for those who have questions about the trustworthiness of the Bible. If you are interested in diving in deeper to questions about the reliability of scripture, I would commend Peter Williams Can We Trust the Gospels or, for the thickest treatment, Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.
For more reviews, visit www.thebeehive.live.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I really trust the Bible? and Other Questions About Scripture, Truth and How God Speaks, by Barry Cooper is another fabulous entry into the Questions Christians Ask series, published by The Good Book Company. The questions ask series is a phenomenal series which, in short form, focuses as the title suggests questions which others have about Christianity or that Christians themselves have about Christianity. These books are similar to the premise to the Christianity explored Series of which Cooper is a part of.

This entry focuses on three main questions under the main question of Can I really trust the Bible. Each question is thoroughly researched and pastorally answered. Furthermore the answers are very practical to the person reading no matter where they are in their relationship with Christ. The sub questions are: Does the Bible really claim to be God’s Word?, Does the Bible seem to be God’s Word, and Does the Bible prove to be God’s Word. Two of these questions are answered in multiple chapters in which Cooper delves deeper into specific ramifications of the answers to the aforementioned questions.

This warm and accessible book is perfect for a person to use as an evangelistic tool or for the Christian with lots of questions, or even as a tool for teaching apologetics. In each of these scenarios Where was God when that happened? is a ideal new resource for all to enjoy.

This book was provided to me free of charge from The Good Book Company in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

Can I really trust the Bible: and Other Questions About Scripture, Truth and How God Speaks

© 2015 by Bradley Cooper

Publisher: The Good Book Company

Page Count: 81 Pages

ISBN: 978-1909559134

[J. Amill Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep encountering books that I wished I had read when I was younger, and asking myself these types of questions. This is one of those books. It simply explains certain things that I wish I understood when I was a teenager. For example, the author spends some time talking about culturally difficult things to believe in the Bible, and how certain sets of doctrines might be easier to believe within a certain culture than others. Whatever the Bible says about sexual ethics or Hell might be more difficult to believe for New Yorkers, but not necessarily for Pakistanes. In the same way, what the Bible says about loving one's enemies and about forgiveness might be easier to accept for New Yorkers, but not necessarily for traditional cultures.

The point is then the fact that we are all culturally conditioned or predisposed to believe certain metaphysical narratives about the Good Life, and no matter where we were raised or lived, certain sets of biblical doctrines are going to be difficult for us to accept. In that sense, disregarding the Bible because it offends my cultural sensibilities is to disregard Christianity on the basis of a very subjective foundation.

In any case, this short book is probably the best place to start exploring this question—but not to end it.

This is the second book I read from this series, which so far has not disappointed, but I wish that at the end the authors were allowed to share a suggested bibliography with longer and more academic works dealing with the same or similar questions. That would help to further the conversation.

Very short read, but worthwhile.

[Mike Chitwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I Really Trust The Bible? By Barry Cooper

Having read many books in the Questions Christians Ask series from The Good Book Company; Can I Really Trust the Bible is the tidiest book yet. Author Barry Cooper addresses many objections that critics ask throughout this entry. He does this while weaving a unified theme of Pooh Bear (yes, this book is filled with subtle humor) to illustrate that until one “Tastes and sees that God is good” and experience the Bible for themselves they will never truly trust scripture. Knowing all the arguments for or against the Bible are not enough because they only supplement the validity of scripture’s truth. Therefore, Cooper appeals to the nihilistic philosophy of our day and provides reasons of experience to persuade his readers to take the Bible at its word.

Some would criticize Cooper’s approach to relying on one’s experience to really learn if the Bible can be trusted. However, Can I Trust the Bible? is not a book that depends only on experiences to determine one’s personal faith journey. Rather, Cooper also provides tangible arguments to ground his claims for the validity of scripture. An argument that stood out from the book was how he connects the Old Testament with the New Testament. He mentions that the word testament is really another word for covenant and that the two testaments are two halves of the same story. His biblical approach to theology is important because he grounds his basis for scriptures validity in facts, while displaying how this fact can enhance one’s experience with the Bible. Admiring the poetic and detailed nature of God, who carefully weaved redemption throughout humanities history, one can see He planned it from the start. As a result, this combination of fact and experience leaves readers in awe of the Bible and more in love with God. His planned story of redemption can be seen on each page.

Cooper continues to argue for the validity of scripture by encouraging people to make sure they worship the God of the Bible than the book itself. Simply he writes, “God makes himself known through Jesus, who is revealed in the Bible.” Here he is distinguishing between the Word and the word. This is not just a semantic of grammar. No, he is advocating that one must remember that the word of God (the Bible) points us to the Word of God (Jesus Christ), and there is a huge difference. Failure to see this nuance can cause one to worship a book more than a risen Savior. Now these two “words” are not in competition with another. Rather, they compliment each other as it’s Jesus alone who is worthy of worship and the Bible tells one how. Similar to the time of Christ, Cooper writes,

“That’s why he lambasts the Bible scholars of his day: they spend their lives studying the Scriptures, but they won’t allow the Scriptures to lead them to the person the Scriptures speak of. They want the word, but they do not want the Word.”

Remember both the word and the Word compliment another, but scripture is always submissive to Christ without contradiction because it points to Jesus who is the hope on which the Bible is founded on. Therefore, the Bible (the word) can be trusted by trusting Christ who is the Word. Failure to trust in Christ, which the Bible gives record of will cause anyone to doubt the Bible’s overall validity because He too has to be experienced.

As one reads the books in the Questions Christians Ask series it’s important to remember they are written for Christians. This is important to remember with Can I Trust the Bible? because a skeptic would find fault with Cooper’s reasoning. They would call it circular logic, which the book does contain. However, Cooper prepares for such a criticism by saying, “it’s impossible for any of us to avoid this kind of circularity in our arguments.” In other words, each of us holds a set of biases about what we believe, even if we admit it or not. If Cooper is correct in his presupposition about our biases then it stands to reason that not only does circular logic exist, but the only way to see past our biases is to try new things. The Bible then would be no different and would leave people to their own experiences of faith to determine if they are going to trust scripture or continue to reason their way out of taking a leap of faith.

It was important that Cooper wrote Can I Trust the Bible? very well because this is the foundation book in the Questions Christians Ask series. After all, since every other book in this series uses the Bible as the foundation for its worldview then it would be critical that we can trust the Bible. Otherwise, every other book in this series is invalidated. Despite this large task, Cooper got Can I Trust the Bible? right. He wrote a book that is rooted in fact, yet dynamic enough for anyone, Christian or not, to desire to simply trust the truths scripture makes. He did this by including some basic apologetics and historical facts, while encouraging each person to experience the Bible’s truthfulness for their own life. Therefore, one can ask, “Can I trust the Bible?” Factually the answer is yes, but the point Cooper makes is really, “Are you willing to trust the Bible in your own experience?” That’s a question and an answer that is up to each person. As parents tell kids when they want them to try new food, “Why don’t you ‘taste and see.’” Spiritually when you do, this book suggests you will know and experience that “The Lord is good.” It’s now up to you.

(I received this book through the Cross Focused Review program in exchange for an honest review of the book.)

[Dean Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I like the format of the series of books this belongs to, the topics covered in the other books lend themselves much more easily to the concise treatment that makes the series such a draw. Whilst 80 or so pages may be enough to offer a broad primer on some particular questions about the Christian faith, such as baby baptism, it really isn't enough for others, with the topic of trusting the bible being an excellent case in point.

Although Cooper gives it his best shot, he's essentially been commissioned to offer a worthwhile discussion of what the Bible is, who wrote it, how it's been transmitted, copied and translated over centuries as well as how to work through seeming contradictions or absurdities within what amounts to a leaflet. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) it's just too much and discussion of any particular aspect is hampered by the fact that by the time Barry is getting into the meat of an argument he's already moved onto the next one.

Whilst it may seem harsh to criticize a book which seeks to give you the bare essentials for attempting to give you the bare essentials, there's ultimately no reason this topic needed to be totally covered in one book.

Also, as an extreme aside, I don't know who told Christian authors that it's really groovy and cool to answer random questions halfway through unrelated arguments or points within snazzy little boxes but, for the record, it isn't.

[Maxine McEwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Barry's personal journey in the last pages of this little book is easily the best part. Otherwise, it is the same apologetics you've heard time and time again. Some of the claims made including the works of Josephus and the '99% of words in the bible we know what the original manuscript says' are dishonest at best. With better references and a source list at the end could easily bump this up. Just because it is an evangelistic tool does not mean you have to dumb it down.

[Sassa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is only 83 pages long, but it packs a punch. It asks the big question in a concise, easily understood way.

“Some books we read, but the best books read us. They assess us, make demands of us. They probe, they press. As a result, they’re not always easy to read. The Bible is like that.
... hard texts have a way of humbling us....”

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surface-level overview of the Bible's trustworthiness, with brief answers to many common questions. It's written for Christians and non-Christians. It's OK for a primer, but I recommend a more detailed book, such as Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert.

Questions addressed
• Does the Bible claim to be God’s Word?
• Does the Bible seem to be God’s Word?
• Does the Bible prove to be God’s Word?

Does the Bible Claim to be God’s Word?
Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) claim that OT is God's Word. Jesus agreed.

Jesus spoke of OT people and events as historical (Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah, et al.).

Paul referred to his writings as God's Word (1 Cor 14:37; 1 Thess 2:13). Peter put Paul's writings on same level as OT (2 Pet 3:16), and called his writings inspired (1 Pet 1:12). John said his writings were God's Word (Rev 1:2, 11-19).

Everyone uses circularity in arguing for their beliefs. Everyone appeals to some authority. Rationalists believe in reason because it's rational; because it says it's true. The same goes for materialism, Islam, Mormonism, atheism, etc. You can't prove an ultimate standard by another standard, or the first standard wouldn't be ultimate.

Does the Bible Seem to be God’s Word? Consistency, Conspiracy, and Corruptions
Disciples didn't have anything to gain (money, protection, power) from believing and spreading Gospel; they had everything to lose. They were imprisoned and executed.

Resurrected Jesus was publicly seen by hundreds of witnesses; once by over 500 at once. Most of those people were still alive when original NT documents were circulated, and could've discredited them (1 Cor 15:3-6).

There are ~2,500 predictions in Bible, and ~2,000 have already proven true. Over 300 were specifically about Jesus' life.

Non-Biblical documents support Biblical history (Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Lucian of Samosata, Celsus, Dead Sea Scrolls).

NT stories about Jesus weren't legends or later additions
• Gospels were written too early to be legends. Original readers could've remembered events they record, so fabrications would've been obvious. Paul wrote 15-20 years after Jesus' crucifixion, and wrote of Jesus' divinity (Phil 2), so that idea wasn't invented long after Jesus.
• Gospels are too counterproductive to be legends. They contain embarrassing details about Jesus and His followers.
• Gospels are too detailed to be legend. They're full of minute, apparently innocuous details that don't fit ancient fiction, but do fit eyewitness accounts.

Does the Bible Seem to be God’s Word? Canon, Contradictions, and Criticisms
Jesus and apostles affirmed Jewish canon of their time, which was our OT. God commanded that His words be preserved in tabernacle and temple. Josephus records that documents in temple were recognized as God's Word, and those books are our OT. Jesus' opponents didn't object to the OT texts He quoted.

Jewish authors of apocryphal books didn't accept them into their canon; they put them in a separate category.

Canonicity criteria
• Apostolic: written by, or closely connected to, an apostle (authorized eyewitness of Jesus)
• Widely embraced: already in common usage by early church
• Orthodox: not contradicting any recognized apostolic book or teaching

By 2nd century, early church widely regarded at least 23 of 27 NT books as God's Word.

NT books were written before AD 100; alternative gospels were written in 2nd-4th centuries.

There will never be more books added to Bible; any new discoveries will have been written after AD 100, or not have been widely used by early church.

Alleged Bible mistakes
• We're finite; if Bible is God's Word, we wouldn't expect our human minds to fully understand or immediately agree with it.
• Our minds are affected by sin, unable to think perfectly clearly (Rom 1:18-21).
• It's not an error if it's in copies but not originals.
• It's not an error if we misunderstand the author's intent.
• It's not an error when gospel authors ordered events differently; they don't claim to record all events, or in chronological order (John 20:30-31).
• It's not an error if it's a paraphrase; that's telling truth in a reasonable, digestible way.
• It's not an error if it's phenomenological language (writing from a human perspective, rather than a purely scientifically accurate one) (e.g., "the sun rose").
• It's not an error if it's reporting the thoughts or words of a mistaken or lying person.
• It's not an error if the Bible doesn't speak definitely or exhaustively on every subject.
• It's not an error if it isn't written in proper grammar.

Because we have so many surviving manuscripts, we can confidently recreate the original text; whatever is extra is obviously so.

Even if there are similarities between Bible's record of Jesus and earlier, fictional deities, that doesn't mean Bible's record of Jesus is fictional.

Does the Bible Prove to be God’s Word?
"When you see Jesus Christ in Scripture, you know He is Lord. And when you put God's Word into practice, you know it's for real."

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I really trust the Bible? By Barry Cooper was an absolute delightful little book on the truthfulness, reliability, and sweetness of Scripture. I love the way this man writes, you feel like you’re having a conversation with him. I’ve been on the lookout for a good introductory book on this topic to give to people, this just might be it. Wonderful resource, I commend it!

[bookishtory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little intro to the doctrines of Inspiration and Inerrancy. I was surprised at how clearly the author communicated such major concepts in such a short book. Also, he opened with an A.A. Milne quote which was awesome.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knocked two stars for distractingly bad grammar. It was enough to keep me from being fully invested in the book. Most points and theology was solid, and maybe Scottish grammar rules are different than American. Overall fine, but probably wouldn’t give to a friend.

[Daniel Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting approach

Barry has not taken the traditional apologetic approach to the bibles reliability here. I like his approach. And his analogies are very useful and compelling. Thanks

[Carla Cramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super quick listen for one of my seminary classes. I liked that it was a British reader since the overarching parallel was drawn from Winnie the Pooh 🍯 some of the points would probably feel too simplistic for skeptics of the Bible, but it made sense to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Michael Kenan Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Remarkably brief!

[Matthew Hurford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compact and clear. Made a good case for why we trust the Bible. Tempting to hand this off as a quick read to someone asking about christianity.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, short book on why we can trust the Bible to be God's word.

[Ari Apa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple little book about what the Bible is and its importance to Christian life. Unfortunately it didn’t provide good enough answers to some of the major questions I have about it.

[Elaena Shipp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite well written but overall light on depth and detail (to be fair, it is a very small book), and on the whole I think probably only persuasive to those who already believe.

[Alexandra Bautista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the historical and spiritual context broken down about the Bible in this. Short and simple read, plus some humor in there to give clear explanations and arguments!