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The Problems and Pitfalls of Proof-Texting

Why is it wrong to proof-text when making an argument? 

Proof-texting is when someone simply quotes a verse from the Bible, out of context, to make a point. This can be in a book, a conversation, an essay, or a sermon, to give some examples. I just did a quick read of some other blogs on this topic, and none of them wowed me, so I thought I'd write my own. Then I had an even better idea: why not get you to tell me why proof-texting is problematic? In other words, I want to crowd-source the problem, and get lots of input.

Since it is my suggestion, and I already did some research, let me get the ball rolling. Proof-texting is problematic because:

  • It ignores the original context of the verse. There are actually two types of context:
    1. The literary context of the verse, that is, the verse is situated in a passage (that might be making an entirely different point) of Scripture that has a certain genre. For instance, the book of Acts is narrative, which means it is descriptive of what happened then, and not necessarily an example to follow now. Rather, it shows how the Holy Spirit led the apostles to go to the Gentiles, etc. etc.
    2. The historical and cultural context of that verse - it was revealed to an author of Scripture who was speaking into a particular historical and cultural context, which we often ignore, to our peril. For instance, the books to the Corinthians were written to 1st-century believers living near a sea port in a Greek town that was a) quite rich b) full of worship to the god Apollos and the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
Right then, over to you. What other reasons might proof-texting be problematic?

Please reply below, rather than on Facebook or whatever, so all the comments are available to all. That might require you to login to Google, but that's pretty straightforward, I think.

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  1. Daniel Paul7 November 2025 at 03:45

    Thanks David. In an academic context, Walton, R. (2003). Using the Bible and Christian Tradition in Theological Reflection. British Journal of Theological Education, 13(2), 133–151. https://doi.org/10.1558/jate.v13i2.133 is a helpful article for considering this issue. Walton identifies 7 ways students might use the Bible (and Christian tradition) in theological reflection. They are 1) links/associations (e.g. "this reminded me of the Emmaus Road story"; 2) proof texting; 3) resonance and analogy (multiple points of connection between a Bible story and a student experience); 4) exploring a theological theme; 5) an extrapolated question to take to the tradition; 6) a one-way critique (which can lapse into proof texting); and 7) a mutual critique (practice and theology are allowed to inform each other).

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    1. Dawut7 November 2025 at 06:53

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    2. Dawut7 November 2025 at 07:04

      Thanks, that's useful, though is only a report on what students tend to do. Their practice. What I am after is best practices in biblical interpretation, and why proof-texting is not one of them. I think Fee, G.D., and D. Stuart. 2003. How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth. 3rd edn. Zonder. is also useful, though perhaps less academic. The trouble is, they organise their material by genre, so you have to know where in the Bible you are to see what they say about helpful interpretation of its text. Proof-texters tend to jump around the Bible a lot.

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