Importance of Innerrancy to Moderate Christians

What is the "criteria of inspiration"?How do we know if a particular interpretation was written by a scholar that had met that criteria of inspiration?What is the method by which we determine that someone is being led by the Holy Spirit, especially if their interpretation is not what we personnally believe?

qualitatively minor? Like the difficulty between the Southern Baptists and Assembly of God denominations on the use of "tongues"?
Southern Baptists: Tongues are a manifestation caused by Satan.
Assembly of God: Tongues are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit within.Now, what was that called when you attribute a work of Satan to the Holy Spirit or vice-versa? Oh yeah...blapheming the Holy Spirit, the one unforgivable sin.Could you point out how this differing interpretation can be classified as "qualitatively minor"?Which group was not inspired by the Holy Spirit when interpreting the Bible? You can use your Holy Spirit inspiration to provide the answer. I just want to know which group of millions will be in Hell even though they thought they wouldn't.

Ok. This appears to lump Catholics, Baptists, Methodists.....all in one flock. Then, by your criterion, all the denominations that accept the idea that humans are one of the extant species on this planet all descended from a common ancestor organism, are Christians and will enter Heaven? What do you mean by this statement?Edited by LinearAq, : No reason given.

My whole point was that both groups say the Holy Spirit has lead them to these beliefs that are so diametrically opposed to each other.
Why would the Holy Spirit provide such different interpretations of the Bible?Is every believer in one of the denominations failing to use the Holy Spirit in their interpretation? Are none of them asking God to help them when they read the Holy Word? I find it difficult to believe that there isn't at least some small percentage of these people sincerely crying out to God for His guidance. Why has He denied it to that one denomination? I can think of no other explanation than God turning His back on those who are asking for help.I am not lead by the Holy Spirit, so I may be missing something. Perhaps you could provide some insight as to what God is doing here.

That's the crux of the issue, isn't it? How do I recognize when I am misreading or following my own flesh? What's the tell-tale sign or variety of signs? If we have been sincerely persistently seeking God, yet "misreading" or "following our own flesh...without recognizing it", how do we know that, this time, the interpretation is correct?
Wouldn't it be particularly difficult for us, if we have spent years in a "misreading" state, to recognize the true interpretation by the Holy Spirit? What type of corroborating evidence or feeling does the Holy Spirit give us that tells us "This time you got it right"?To address the topic, sort of:
Why is inerrancy so important when our Guide into the meaning of the Bible can be misread so easily and we don't even know when we are misreading Him?Why is the "literal" interpretation so important when our Guide is easily misunderstood or subverted by our unrecognized fleshly desires?How do you "know" you haven't been misreading Him for a number of years?

Background: LinearAq was saved when he was 16 and spent 26 years in a sinusoidal path of faith...sometimes strong, sometimes backsliding. At age 42, I decided that I would devote myself to becoming what God wanted me to be. I studied the Bible and many commentaries from within the evangelical movement and avoided anything that spoke against the veracity of the Word. At first, I felt I was becoming a better man of God. I became a deacon and a boy's group leader. Then I started seeing inconsistencies in the Bible....things that didn't fit with the God that was being preached and written about in the commentaries. I saw people within our district of churches passionately fight my ministries, proclaiming that the Holy Spirit led them to do so, even though I was sure the Holy Spirit was leading me to do those ministries. These were people of God who, like me, had lead others to Christ. Their fruits were like my fruits. I could find no way to resolve who was following the Holy Spirit and who was being deceived. When I questioned any teaching I was looked upon as if I had pounded the nails in Christ myself. The more I studied, the worse it got.
I want the saving grace of Christ to be true but the surety I had is not there.
So, perhaps I cannot understand your point of view, but let's try anyway. Are you always aware when you are out of touch?Is it the confusion that provides the knowledge that you are out of touch?Is it always the same?Is it similar to the feeling you get when you are driving and can't find your way? How so? By saying "He will do something" are you saying that He will not always do the same thing?Is it a feeling of surety that lets you know the something comes from Him?Have you ever felt sure that you were following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and then found out you were wrong?How did that feeling of surety compare with the real surety of knowing He was providing inspiration?If someone can think they are following the Holy Spirit when they are following their flesh even though they are sincere about following Him, couldn't they have deluded themselves into thinking they were saved, when they were not? Please explain how this could or could not happen.

It does sound interesting. However, I may be antagonistic toward the more glib ("it's so easy!!!) kind of posters. A lot of what has happened still stings a lot. It has been said that Christians kill their wounded and I feel that I experienced it first hand.I agree that the questions are pretty heavy. They are partly to point out that we cannot always be sure we are right even if we are sincere about our desire to understand.
There are many moderate Christians who are greatly devoted to Christ and have enormous impact in their community. Yet they don't believe in an innerrant Bible or young earth. They read their Bible and gain inspiration from it to reach others for Christ to save.If the Holy Spirit isn't with them then how do they do it?If the Holy Spirit is with them then how is it they keep getting the basics (literal Bible, Created not evolved...etc) wrong?Either the Holy Spirit doesn't exist and these deluded people are working under their own power to convert others to their religion, or God really isn't concerned with a literal reading of the Bible.