common errors in interpreting the bible

This list is a very good list concerning Bible difficulties and the common errors that folks make when considering the Bible. These come from a book by Norman Geisler [When Critics Ask].

1. Assuming that the unexplained is not explainable
2. Presuming the Bible guilty until proven innocent
3. Confusing our fallible interpretations with God's infallible revelation
4. Failing to understand the context of the passage
5. Neglecting to interpret difficult passages in light of clear ones
6. Basing a teaching on an obscure passage
7. Forgetting that the Bible is a human book with human characteristics
8. Assuming that a partial report is a false report
9. Demanding that NT citations of the OT always be exact quotations
10. Assuming that divergent accounts are false ones.
11. Presuming that the Bible approves of all it records
12. Forgetting that the Bible uses non-technical, everyday language
13. Assuming that round numbers are false
14. Neglecting to note that the Bible uses different literary devices
15. Forgetting that only the original text, not every copy of scripture is without error.
16. Confusing general statements with universal ones.
17. Forgetting that later revelation supersedes previous revelation