We find men on all sides of the question. There are persons who tell us this book is a good book - but then, there are others just as good. The Bible is inspired, and so was Plato inspired, so was Socrates, and so is the almanac inspired; in fact, everything is inspired - the book of Mormon, the Koran of Mahomet, the sacred books of the Hindoos and the Chinese; - they have their Bibles, we have ours; all are good, and one is about as good as the other. Shakespeare was inspired, Milton was inspired, Thomas Paine was inspired, and everything and everybody are inspired.
It is not worth while to waste time on false issues. When I open Shakespeare's plays I do not read at the beginning, "Thus saith the Lord God of hosts"; when I turn to Plato's writings I do not read, "Hear ye the word of the Lord"; when I peruse the almanac I do not read, "The word of the Lord came unto me." Hence, you see that this book must be judged by a standard different from all other books. Over and over again this book says, "Hear ye the word of the Lord." Now, the message is the word of the Lord, or it is a lie. It is the word of the Lord, as it professes to be, or it is a cheat, a swindle, a humbug, a fraud....
....What we most need is the book itself. It is its own best witness and defender. Christians sometimes try to defend the Word of God. It seems like half-a-dozen poodle-dogs trying to defend a lion in his cage. The best thing for us to do is to slip the bars and let the lion out, and he will defend himself! And the best thing for us to do is to bring out the Word of God, and let ''the sword of the Spirit" prove its own power, as it pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.
H L Hastings on The Inspiration of the Bible, ca 1930