The most common question that is asked of Christians today is, "Do YOU read the Bible literally". It is usually asked with an air of condescension, as if only idiots and crazy people read the Bible literally. I have been asked this question before, and in the past I have reacted with the response, "well...its complicated...". I'm never happy with that response, and neither is the person who asked. Its not a question that I believed can be answered in one sentence.
The Bible is a library that was gathered together over a thousand years. It is made up of books from different genres, written by different people in unique times, places, and situations. This is a fact. Knowing this, it should follow that we do not read every book in the same way. We should not read Matthew the same way we read Psalms, nor should we read Revelation the same way we read Romans. An affective reading of the Bible is done by exploring the context, historical setting, and intention of the writer(s). To make claims about "what the Bible says" without doing so would be doing it an injustice.
So I don't want this to be a blog where I just talk and talk. Here is how it will go down: I will introduce a topic, and you will all join in the discussion. Theology, and discussing God should not be a lecture, it should be a conversation! So join in!
How would you respond if someone asked you, "Do you read the Bible literally?"
What does "reading the Bible literally" mean to you?
3 comments:
I get that question on a regular basis as well Jimmy. And unfortunately the response people want from me isn’t a denouncing of literal interpretation, they actually want the opposite. These people want me to tell them that Genesis 1 and 2 are science books, they want me to affirm pre-tribulation (Tim LaHay style) rapture theology and all the while never question that God is on the side of the good old U.S. of A.
I feel like I’m still learning day by day how to read scripture. To read Paul’s letters as letters that were meant to be read out loud to a community. To read the proverbs as general ways the world works as opposed to “if, then” formulas.
So do I read scripture literally? Well, I think you and I are on the same page there. I do my best to go through cultural context, author and audience, and geographic/political issues happening at the time to find the author’s intent. But am I willing to use the blanket description, “literal”? No, I don’t suppose I am.
This question is a mask for one of two other questions. The person is either asking, "Are you an ignorant dufus?" or "Are you a defender of the faith?" depending on which side they fall on. Yes or no is all they'll hear from an answer, no matter how long of an explanation we give.
My response? Something like, "The Bible is a window to help us see God and to know God's heart. I read the Bible to throw wide the curtains and open the window and admire the view and feel the fresh breeze."
I'm certainly equipped to argue innerancy and such, but I'd rather get into a conversation about God.
That's really a loaded question... When I've been asked that question my response has always been that I take the Bible at face value. It seems that when people ask that question they are trying to classify you into some category. If you say no, they label you a 'liberal' Christian, and if you say 'yes,' they call you a literalist/legalist. I find that by taking the Bible at 'face value,' you are able to appreciate the cultural context and the intention of the writer better. Sometimes that means a literal interpretation, and other times it means a figurative interpretation. Unfortunately, too many Christians fall into the trap of believing that interpreting portions of scripture as metaphorical or figurative (instead of literal)lessens or negates the meaning of the passage. That, in my opinion, is putting God in a box...
Keep up the good work!
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