Biblical Inerrancy

The Church of the Nazarene affirms that the Bible is 'inerrantly inspired' by God and is the supreme rule of faith and practice. This language was carefully chosen and has been debated within the denomination: some Nazarene theologians understand 'inerrantly inspired' to mean full inerrancy in all affirmations (including historical and scientific details), while others understand it as inerrancy or infallibility in matters essential to salvation and Christian living.

The Nazarene tradition has historically been somewhat more open than strict conservative evangelicalism to reading Scripture through the lens of Wesleyan hermeneutics — including the use of tradition, reason, and experience alongside Scripture. This has produced occasional tensions between scholars who favor nuanced critical approaches to Scripture and those who insist on strict inerrancy across all domains.

The denomination has generally sought to hold a middle position: affirming the full trustworthiness of Scripture as God's inspired Word, essential for knowing God and living in salvation, while allowing some latitude on hermeneutical method and the precise definition of 'inerrancy.' This reflects the Wesleyan instinct to focus on transformation of life and love as the test of sound theology, rather than precise technical positions on inspiration theory.