Literalism vs. Truth?

There was a Gallup poll done recently on whether or not the Bible is literally true.

One third of all respondents "...believes the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally word for word."

All I can say is yikes- that is really scary. What ever happened to context, or the use of different literary genres or the rich metaphors of ancient literature- of which scripture is part?

What about literal, word-for-word interpretation when it comes to a book in scripture like, say, Leviticus for instance?

With the recent death of ultra-conservative Christian fundamentalist leader Jerry Falwell, I have been reminded again of the dangers of a rigid literalism in interpreting scripture- as well as how far it can lead people away, in some cases, from some of the most central values Jesus stood for- such as the Sermon on the Mount, and the Golden Rule.

Anyway, it just got me thinking about the importance of really digging deeper into the rich layers of meaning contained within the diverse canon of scripture in Judeo-Christian tradition. Personally, I believe we do a great disservice- both to ourselves, the people we serve, as well as G-d when we choose not to 'dig deeper' and instead opt for a literalistic, face value approach that neglects the literary complexity and authentic character of scripture- that of inspired human accounts of dynamic faith as attested to by an ancient community, and even more importantly the message of radical inclusion of marginalized people that was at the very heart of Jesus' life and ministry.

Let's dig deeper and see where G-d leads us...

This could be an exciting journey!

Peace,

John