Has God spoken? It is not only the title of Hank Hanegraaff’s (the Bible Answer Man) 2011 book but also an important question for all humanity. We live in an age in which the most common answer to this question might be "No." Certainly at the very least most people would question whether he has spoken in a definitive way in the Bible. They no longer believe that the Scriptures are the voice of God.
And that is why this book is one that I would recommend especially to anyone struggling with the constant criticism of the Scriptures that we find in our age. I cannot endorse every word that Hanegraaff puts forth in this book but I would feel comfortable handing it to most people who were concerned enough about this topic to ask for a resource.
Hanegraaff does in this book what he does best in general. He not only lays out a ton of information but seeks to give the reader easy acrostics in order to remember it. Each chapter is organized around one acronym or another. This approach alone is commendable. We often impart knowledge without thinking about how the receiver of that knowledge will be able not only to remember it but to speak it when necessary.
Hanegraaff begins by looking at the manuscript evidence that points to the reliability of the Scriptures. He then goes on to show how archaeology further supports that reliability. The last two parts of the book are essentially hermeneutical in their essence. He lays out some of the basic principles of biblical interpretation which are essential to know when making an apologetic defense of the Scriptures in our day.
I think anyone in the ministry would be well served to read this book. Even while there are portions of it which I cannot affirm, on the whole it is a ready resource for those called often to make a defense of the Scriptures. It is easy to read once through and also organize clearly enough to be able to make a reference back to it when specific issue arises.
If I have one major concern when the book, it is the phrase that Hanegraaff uses to describe what the Bible is. He speaks of the Scriptures capturing the essential voice of God ((A Quote- “As noted. Dr. Bart Ehrman assumes inerrancy involves presenting even secondary details of the biblical narratives with word-for-word exactness—it is not enough for gospel writers to capture the essential voice of Jesus; he demands they necessarily capture the exact verbiage of Jesus. This, of course, is wrongheaded thinking…Moved by the Spirit, they codified the essential wisdom of Jesus, not always the exact words of Jesus.")) When he describes what he means it is certainly a position purposely laid out between theological liberalism and theological fundamentalism. And while he certainly ends up pretty close to what I would confess about the nature of the Scriptures, I must admit that their remains discomfort within me about the phrase itself and what Hanegraaff intends by it. If you read this book, think critically on that section.
However as I noted above, I think this book is worth of a read and space on your shelf. Check it out.
