Historical Congregationalism, rooted in the Savoy Declaration and the Puritan tradition, held to the full inspiration and infallibility of Scripture as the Word of God. The Puritan homiletic tradition treated Scripture as the authoritative Word requiring precise exegesis and application. Conservative Congregational bodies outside the UCC (such as the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference) continue to affirm biblical inerrancy.

The United Church of Christ does not adopt the language of inerrancy and its theological culture is largely shaped by historical-critical biblical scholarship. The UCC's divinity schools (particularly Yale Divinity School, Andover Newton, and Chicago Theological Seminary) have been centers of liberal biblical scholarship. Progressive UCC theology treats Scripture as the primary human witness to divine revelation — authoritative for faith and practice — without requiring inerrancy of historical and scientific statements. This represents a major departure from the tradition's Puritan roots, though individual UCC congregations span the full spectrum.