A History Lesson for the Concerned Nazarenes

According to the Concerned Nazarene's press release (published on Eric Barger's site) immediately before the 2009 General assembly a crisis looms.

Let's take a look at a brief excerpt:

At the center of the discord is the inerrancy of the Bible. Traditionalists claim that a new “emergent” movement within the denomination is questioning the church’s long-held view that the Bible is completely without error from cover to cover.

If left unchallenged, traditionalists say, the emergent movement could undermine the core doctrines and practices of the Nazarene church – a denomination with conservative holiness roots.

“This General Assembly will be pivotal in the history of the Church of the Nazarene,” predicted Joe Staniforth, a Nazarene pastor from Brownsville, Texas. “Some Nazarene theologians have been questioning the validity of our signature doctrine. Well, this is D-Day.”

Is the total inerrancy of the Scriptures really a signature doctrine of the Church of the Nazarene? The simple answer is no. After looking through my collections of the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene dating back to 1898, what follows below is a brief history of what we have said about the Bible. Nowhere is the total inerrancy of the Scriptures mentioned. When the Concerned Nazarenes claim to represent a "traditional" view, they are revising history. Let us be clear. They do not represent traditional Nazarene values. While I will not condemn them for believing in the way (bible inerrant in all matters), they do not represent the mainstream and any claims they make to representing the mainstream are false. If we have been thinking the wrong thing about the Scriptures, we have been doing it for over 100 years.

If you notice any typos below, please contact me so that I can correct them. Also, if you have a Manual from a year I don't mention below, would you email that info as well?

Year	Article of Faith on the Bible
1898	"We believe: 2nd. In the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as found in the Old and New Testaments, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and practice."
1903	"We believe: 2nd. In the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as found in the Old and New Testaments, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and practice." This version also contains a more complete statement of belief (which eventally becomes the article of faith): "THE HOLY SCRIPTURES By the Holy Scriptures we understand those books of the Old and New Testaments, usually accounted canonical, of whose authority there was never any doubt in the Church. These books, known as the Bible, contain all teaching necessary for salvation—the revealed will of God to man.
1905	"We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements sufficient. 2nd. In the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, as found in the Old and New Testaments, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living." "THE HOLY SCRIPTURES By the Holy Scriptures we understand the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, given by Divine inspiration, containing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation; so that whatever is not contained therein, nor can be proved thereby, is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." This version also contains an expanded statement about the Old Testament, omitted here for space.
1905-6	Same as 1905.
1907	"We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements sufficient: 2nd. In the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, as found in the Old and New Testaments, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living." "THE HOLY SCRIPTURES By the Holy Scriptures we understand the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, given by Divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation; so that whatever is not contained therein, and cannot be proved thereby, is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." This version also contains an expanded statement about the Old Testament, omitted here for space.
1908	"We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements sufficient: 2nd. In the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, as found in the Old and New Testaments, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living." "The Holy Scriptures By the Holy Scriptures we understand the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, given by Divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation; so that whatever is not contained therein, and cannot be proved thereby, is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." This version also contains an expanded statement about the Old Testament, omitted here for space.
1915	"THE HOLY SCRIPTURES By the Holy Scriptures we understand the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, given by Divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation; so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." In this version, the brief statement comes second: "We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements sufficient: Second. In the Divine inspiration of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living."
1919	Same as 1915
1923	Same as 1915 except the first statement is numbered as article "IV." Also the section that contains the shorter statement is clearly part of a membership rite.
1936	"IV. The Holy Scriptures We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures by which we understand the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, given by Divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation; so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." "We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements sufficient: Second. In the plenary inspiration of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and that they contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living."
1952	"IV. The Holy Scriptures We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments given by Divine inspiration, revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." "We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements to be sufficient: That the Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living."
1956	"IV. The Holy Scriptures We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments given by Divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith." "We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements to be sufficient: That the Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living."
1960	Same as 1956
1964	Same as 1956 with the addition of the words "We believe:" after sufficient in the second statement.
1972	Same as 1964
1976	Same as 1964 with a minor change in the numbering of the Agreed statement of belief.
1980	The same as 1976 with the addition of the mention of these texts: Luke 24:44-47 John 10:35 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 2 Timothy 3:15-17 1 Peter 1:10-12 2 Peter 1:20-21
1985	Same as 1980
1989	Same as 1980
1997	Same as 1980 with "sixty-six" replaced by "66"
2005	Same as 1997