by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 07/16/2024.

As you read this section, keep in mind that the New Testament is not merely a history book, it's meant to change us to become more and more like Jesus. When we read any passages in the New Testament, our goal should be to discern what God wants us to believe and do so that we can be obedient to Him.


According to Wikipedia, "Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. People display this bias when they select information that supports their views, ignoring contrary information, or when they interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing attitudes. The effect is strongest for desired outcomes, for emotionally charged issues, and for deeply entrenched beliefs...A series of psychological experiments in the 1960s suggested that people are biased toward confirming their existing beliefs. Later work re-interpreted these results as a tendency to test ideas in a one-sided way, focusing on one possibility and ignoring alternatives." (Confirmation bias , emphasis added)

According to Psychology Today, "Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. When people would like a certain idea or concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true. They are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views or prejudices one would like to be true. Once we have formed a view, we embrace information that confirms that view while ignoring, or rejecting, information that casts doubt on it. Confirmation bias suggests that we don't perceive circumstances objectively. We pick out those bits of data that make us feel good because they confirm our prejudices. Thus, we may become prisoners of our assumptions." (What Is Confirmation Bias? , emphasis added)

My article called How to Study the Bible explains in detail why it's so important to be as thorough, objective, and unbiased as possible when we study the Bible, to prevent confirmation bias. At denominational seminaries, however, their goal (according to their websites) is to create confirmation bias in people when they interpret the Bible (as the quotes below demonstrate).

When we look in the Bible to find passages that support what we already believe, this is not the way to find out what the Bible really teaches. When we study the Bible and we only see what our denomination believes, this is not the way to find out what the Bible really teaches. These are examples of confirmation bias, which will bring judgment on those who teach things that are not completely in line with what the Bible actually teaches:

"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)

There are hundreds or thousands of self-described Christian denominations and they all disagree with each other in certain areas, so they can't all be right. Imagine a hypothetical denomination that has completely accurate beliefs for every Christian doctrine and practice. Since it's teaching the truth for every biblical topic, this means that all of the hundreds or thousands of other denominations are teaching falsehoods in every area where they disagree with that hypothetical denomination, leading their congregations astray in those areas. Realistically, there isn't any denomination that's teaching accurately in every area (see my article called Cheat Sheet #21), so all denominations are leading their congregations astray in certain areas. Therefore, it's irrational and unwise to blindly believe everything that our church or denomination teaches us. As described in my article called Cheat Sheet #03, we're given numerous warnings against listening to those who are deceiving us, even unintentionally.

The New Testament is the instruction manual for all Christians (no matter what denomination you're a member of), written by God through human authors, and in His omniscience He made sure that it's relevant even to this day. In it, God tells us what to believe and what to do. If we don't properly obey Him, the painful consequences for our wrong beliefs or lack of obedience are our own fault for not being diligent enough to find out what He wants us to believe and do (see my articles called Cheat Sheet #11, Cheat Sheet #12, and Cheat Sheet #13).

In order to properly understand the Bible, we need to know that it was written by God and we need to study it without allowing any confirmation bias to influence our interpretation of what God has written (unlike the way that denominational seminaries are teaching people how to interpret the Bible).

For example, imagine doing a jigsaw puzzle. You dump all of the puzzle pieces out of the box, and you use the picture on the box to guide you in assembling the puzzle pieces together correctly. But if someone had put the pieces into the wrong box, then you're assembling the puzzle based on the wrong picture. The Bible contains the "puzzle pieces" that teach us what we need to know about every doctrine, but we'll see below that seminaries in different denominations are giving their students different pictures to use for assembling the "puzzle pieces" from the Bible (based on the denomination's traditions and beliefs). Their stated purpose is to create confirmation bias in their students because Baptist congregations want their pastor to be a proper Baptist, and Presbyterian congregations want their pastor to be a proper Presbyterian, and so on. However, we've seen that being biased is not the way to find out what the Bible really teaches.

Here are some quotes (taken in early 2022) from different pages at seminary websites in various denominations (emphasis added), showing that their goal is to create confirmation bias in people (based on the denomination's tradition and beliefs) when they interpret the Bible:

"As a graduate-level educational institution within the evangelical and Pentecostal tradition, the seminary affirms the Bible as God's written Word, the inspired, infallible, and authoritative rule for faith and conduct. Affiliated with The General Council of the Assemblies of God, the seminary's doctrinal commitment is found in the Statement of Fundamental Truths. Objectives...To provide culturally relevant professional skills training for pastors, missionaries, evangelists, military and institutional chaplains, teachers, and others." (Assemblies of God Theological Seminary )

"Though we teach our courses with pastoral ministry in mind, we also teach them with an eye to current trends in important theological debates. CBTS is founded on a commitment to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. For us it is the finest historic confession available to the church today. CBTS fully subscribes to it and insures that all our teaching remains faithful to it. In this way you may be assured that the teaching you receive through CBTS is not novel, but reflects the great tradition of Reformed Baptist thought growing out of the Reformation." (Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary )

"The seminary's commitment to the Scriptures leads to a framework of doctrine in which the great fundamentals of the Christian faith are armed and expounded. The doctrines of evangelical orthodoxy are taught in the framework of premillennial, dispensational theology, derived from a consistent grammatical-historical interpretation of the Bible...Training for vocational ministry is the primary purpose for which the seminary was founded and now exists." (Dallas Theological Seminary )

"For those called to minister in today's changing world, the Master of Divinity degree from Southern Seminary offers trusted and comprehensive theological education...As a convictional institution, Southern Seminary faculty all teach in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and the Abstract of Principles, an historic confession of faith written by the seminary's founders in 1859." (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary )

"With a commitment to biblical authority, Clarks Summit University serves undergraduate, graduate and seminary students by preparing them for lives of significant service for the cause of Jesus Christ in a variety of ministries and careers...We value the local church, the pillar and foundation of truth, along with the rich spiritual legacy of our Baptist distinctives and history." (Baptist Bible Seminary )

"Whether God is calling you as a pastor, missionary, counselor, youth minister, educator, worship leader, apologist, or something else entirely, NOBTS has a ministry training option for you...All the faculty members of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary subscribe to the school's historic confession, the Articles of Religious Belief, and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000...New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention." (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary )

"Upon the founding of the seminary in 1957, Midwestern Seminary's trustees declared that the seminary would adopt, as its own, the Baptist Faith and Message...Like our faculty and staff, our students are committed to theological education in preparation for the practice of ministry." (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary )

"Lancaster Theological Seminary, a graduate school affiliated with the United Church of Christ, is known for academic excellence, celebration of differences across Christian traditions, and creative engagement on issues important to our world. Our mission is to educate and nurture leaders to join in God's redemptive and liberating work so that all creation may flourish." (Lancaster Theological Seminary )

"Led by the Holy Spirit, Virginia Theological Seminary forms and educates leaders who proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helps others participate in God's mission throughout the world. We are a racially and culturally diverse residential community of The Episcopal Church" (Virginia Theological Seminary )

"General Seminary's mission, to educate and form leaders for the church in a changing world, has been a central focus throughout its long history. Chartered by General Convention in 1817, General's very name was chosen to reflect the intention of its founders: that it would serve the entire Episcopal Church. Church leaders, with a burst of national vision, conceived a theological institution that would belong to the whole Episcopal Church, where students from all parts of the country would come to prepare for ordination." (General Theological Seminary )

"The Doctor of Ministry program focuses on reaching the unreached in a secular age from a specifically Lutheran perspective. Students are pastors with at least three years continuous experience who want to deepen their perspectives and hone their strategies for the church's apologetic, evangelistic and catechetical tasks." (Christ School of Theology )

"Our graduates are skilled and artful leaders who have learned how to think - how to draw on the breadth of the Lutheran tradition and make it come alive for a new day." (Wartburg Theological Seminary )

"As the founding school of Boston University and the oldest United Methodist seminary in North America, we are a professional school within a cosmopolitan research university that is itself committed to "learning, virtue, and piety." Rooted in the Wesleyan traditions and drawing from the wider Christian traditions of the world, we strive to equip persons for ministries and vocations that foster personal and social transformation, that are oriented to the world's diversities, and that expand the prophetic legacy of this historic School of Theology." (Boston University School of Theology )

"The Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree is a 78-credit degree program that provides professional graduate education for those seeking to be: Ordained pastors or deacons...Rooted in the long tradition of Wesleyan and Methodist commitment to higher education" (Drew Theological School )

"Candler School of Theology is grounded in the Christian faith and shaped by the Wesleyan tradition of evangelical piety, ecumenical openness, and social concern. The school's mission is to educate faithful and creative leaders for the church's ministries throughout the world." (Candler School of Theology )

"Our roots are planted firmly in the Church of God and Pentecostal traditions, and we are constantly seeking to explore the depths of Christianity through these roots...The Seminary is committed to the absolute authority of Scripture and to the Holiness-Pentecostal interpretation of the Christian faith as set forth in the Declaration of Faith of the Church of God. As a denominationally sponsored institution, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary is fully committed to the spiritual, doctrinal, and ethical emphases of the Church of God and is firmly dedicated to serving and training its ministry...From its beginning, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary has followed a model for ministerial development drawn from the Scriptures and the heritage of Wesleyan-Pentecostalism: the community of faith. The underlying thesis of the model has been that equipping persons for ministry is the responsibility of the church and must be done in the context of being the church. The Seminary is the church of God gathered for theological education." (Pentecostal Theological Seminary )

"Master's Pentecostal Seminary (MPS) was established in 1996 to provide biblical, theological and practical training for ministry within a Pentecostal context...MPS serves both professional ministers and others who desire theological training." (Master's Pentecostal Seminary )

"Many seminaries are denominationally aligned, with a mission to prepare priests, pastors, and ministers specifically for the clergy requirements and standards of their church tradition." (Western Seminary )

"Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary opened its doors on October 1, 1902, to educate ministers to serve in the emerging frontier of the Southwest and meet the needs of a rapidly growing Presbyterian Church." (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary )

"More than 160 years old, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary has been building up the Body of Christ in a tradition rooted in Scripture and the Reformed tradition while developing innovative ways to respond to contemporary society's needs...Moving forward, Louisville Seminary will continue to prepare individuals for ministry and service in an increasingly pluralistic world." (Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary )

"We provide, using the best available technology, innovative and effective programs of theological education, grounded in the Reformed theological tradition, that inspire and empower learners for bold service to God's Reign in the world through individual, congregational, and community ministries." (Union Presbyterian Seminary )

"The mission of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary is to educate students who love the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, equipping pastors for the ministry of the gospel and preparing others in the Church for effective service in His Kingdom, all within the framework of the historic Reformed faith. The founding purpose of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary was to train pastors for the Gospel ministry within the sponsoring denomination. This fundamental purpose remains unchanged in the twenty-first century. As God has provided opportunity, the mission of the Seminary has expanded to include the training of men and women from many Reformed and evangelical churches, and from various cultures and nations, for a variety of ministries, including missions, Christian education, youth and campus work, and other specialized fields of service. Our instruction is guided by the theology and practice of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, a denomination which wholeheartedly embraces the historic Reformed faith, while stressing Christ's Kingship over every area of life." (Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary )

"The primary mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary is to prepare ministers and teachers to serve in the Seventh-day Adventist Church...Vision Statement: The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary prepares spiritual leaders to impact the world for Christ by teaching the Gospel summarized in the Three Angels' Message of Revelation 14:6-13...Core Values:...Being faithful to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and God's prophetic leading in our story..." (Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary )


Again, in order to properly understand the Bible, we need to know that it was written by God and we need to study it without allowing any confirmation bias to influence our interpretation of what God has written (unlike the way that denominational seminaries are teaching people how to interpret the Bible).