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.