Hardcover, 553 pages
Published by Prometheus Books (Short Disc)
Publication date: January 1995
Dimensions (in inches): 1.73 x 9.35 x 6.33
ISBN: 0879759267

Synopsis:

This important new volume is the most comprehensive critique of the Bible ever written. McKinsey strives to tell both the good and bad of biblical writings with this thoroughly-researched expose of the Bible's errors, contradictions, and fallacies. McKinsey believes that it is important that the Bible's inadequacies and negative teachings be exposed.

A reader from Baltimore , 06/01/98, rating=10:

Best one source for information on bible contradictions If you buy just one book exploring the contradictions and just plain mistakes written in the Bible, this should be it! I noticed some contradictions myself just from reading through the Bible, But this book lists them all, citing chapter and verse. If the Bible was inspired by God, then He certainly wasn't worried about being accurate, truthful or even consistent.

Yet again, a book is reviewed by a few people who haven't actually read it. I have read it (and bought it through amazon.com by the way) and can attest to the fact that the title is truthful to the contents inside of its covers. It truly is an encyclopedia of biblical errancy. What puts this book ahead of other biblical errancy books is that it not only shows the context of errant bible passages(to eliminate the 'out of context' defense) but also shows the laughable rationalizations that christian apologists use to try to portray the bible as being harmonious.

One funny rationalization by a bible apologist presented in this book was that because the copyists of the bible truthfully copied the obvious errors (made by copyists) that the copyists could be trusted in their copying. (Go ahead and read the last part again. It's just as funny the second time.)

I can also sympathize with the author when he says that he constantly gets the "that's not an accurate" bible defense and the author requests to see an "accurate" bible that the apologist never gets around to showing him.. Once I cornered someone in an argument into telling me where I can get an "accurate" bible since none of the ones that I presented were to her liking. She basically told me that I would have to fly to Israel and get permission to see some of the dead sea scrolls from some person whose name I can't remember. Silly me thinking that that she would be willing to defend the bible that she was preaching from.

I have read other books like 'The Bible Handbook' put out by American Atheist Press which isn't anywhere near as thorough as this is in dissecting bible verses as is this book. Yes, the price of the book is a little high, but it IS worth it.

I do have a few criticisms but they are minor. The first is that the author does lose his temper at times at ridiculous apologist rationalizations. Taken within the context of what he has lost his temper at it is understandable but not entirely excusable. The other criticism that I have is that I don't feel that every error that he finds is entirely an error. Some of his finding seem to me to fall into a gray area. I agree with about 95% of his findings, but I can't help but feel that the apologists will harp on the 5%. Because of that it is probably best to just to stick to the certain errors.

And to the gentleman from brazil with the incomprehensible english(even worse than mine) who didn't bother to read the book but has graced us with his opinion about it never the less, I have this to say - if having martyrs is proof of the infallibility of a religion than what of all those martyrs of other religions (islam, judaism, native american, etc.) who have died at the hands of christians because they believed in their religions and not the christian religion? The fact is that the number of christians who have died for their religion is much less than the number of non-christians who have died for their religion AT THE HANDS OF CHRISTIANS. If you don't know the history of christians turning non-christians into martyrs for their other faiths then maybe you should actually read some books rather than just criticize ones you haven't read.

(I can't help but wonder how 'martyr proven infallibility' hasn't helped the jews in their belief that jesus was NOT the messiah or god. One can only speculate....)

Best Resource I Have Found For Debunking Inerrancy Nonsense

C. Dennis McKinsey has done an excellent job of exposing the fallibility of the Bible. He goes after the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy by focusing on errors, contradictions, and fallacies, demonstrating how the Bible fails miserably as an alleged work of God. McKinsey avoids the bullet list approach, which is pervasive in books on this subject. Instead, he tackles the subject by presenting his arguments in a narrative form. Included in the narrative are rebuttals to common defenses offered by apologists. This book belongs in the library of every serious student of the Bible, believer and infidel alike.

This book has a high price tag, but it is packed with information on the Bible. There are more than enough contradictions, false prophecies, and errors shown here to prove beyond a doubt the errancy of the 'Word of God'.

Essential debating and reference material (especially the handy index of Bible quotes at the back) for non-Christians. It even has a section on the Book of Mormon and the Koran (although Ibn Warraq's book 'Why I am Not a Muslim' covers more). If you have a Bible, you need the 'Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy'!