International Council on Biblical Inerrancy
"Based on the academic work of its scholars, the goal of ICBI is to help lead the average evangelical to a point of mature decision-making ability by offering a reasoned defense of the highest possible view of Scripture: what the Bible says, God says—through human agents and without error." — James Boice, The Foundation of Biblical Authority
The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI), was a coalition of individuals who represented many works and denominations but who together took a united stand on God’s Inerrant Word. This was done through both academic theology and practical Christian instruction.
God laid the burden of this issue on the hearts of several people simultaneously. In February 1977, a group including J. I. Packer, John Gerstner, R.C. Sproul, Norman Geisler, Greg Bahnsen, Wetherell Johnson, Karen Hoyt, and Jay Grimstead met before and during a Reformation Study Center apologetics conference at Mt. Hermon, CA, for prayer, discussion and planning of this Scripture issue. Many ideas were discussed which later became the foundation upon which the Council and Advisory Board worked, refining them into their present form.
Why Is ICBI Necessary?
The authority and accuracy of the Bible are foundations of the Christian faith. Yet we are witnessing the erosion of these foundations. As we have observed the preaching in many local churches, the teaching in some seminaries and much popular Christian literature, we sense that sizeable numbers of evangelical believers are being turned away from the Bible as their final authority in matters of Christian doctrine and Christian living. There seems little question that this turning away is directly related to the denial, in many quarters, of the historic doctine of the verbal inerrancy of the Bible. Teaching on inerrancy is being diluted; many evangelical institutions are omitting the doctrine of inerrancy from their statements of faith. In short, the Bible is no longer accepted or believed as fully trustworthy by many. As one seminary professor described it, “What we are experienceing is an existential mood in the country. Many of our students come to us with a relative view of the Bible.” If the evangelical Church does not awaken to this situation, it will not be able to stand for or recognize God’s truth in an increasingly unbelieving and pluralistic world.
The ICBI wishes to avoid the harshness that sometimes characterized those who defended inerrancy in earlier years. We want to discuss differences in a spirit of Christian love and concern for the truth. We see that belief in the inerrancy of the Bible has been the position of the Church historically. We believe that thinking Christians should be aware of the solid foundations that support inerrancy and recognize its importance for today.