Do you take the Bible literally?

In my discussions with others, there is a question that is asked that by its very nature misunderstands the nature of scripture. They will say something like, “Do you take the Bible literally?” For some they say this with scorn and for some they honestly want to know whether you believe the Bible and what it says. However, “literally” is a poor choice of words, for no one takes the Bible literally, nor should we. The Bible is written in different genres and within these genres there is symbolism and idioms and the like. For example, when it says the “trees clap their hands”, we don’t assume that the trees literally have hands and that they clap with these hands. Instead we ascertain that the Bible is written by humans and uses human modes of communication on of those being symbolism. We must also be careful with trying to interpret the Bible “literally”, because in that purview many have fallen into serious heresies. Whether being loose with the text or being a “wooden literalist”, we can often get out of the Bible serious errors if we handle it in a way it is not intended. There is a better question that cuts to the heart of both those who scorn the Bible and those who want to deal with it honestly. Are we handling the Bible with the proper hermeneutics? Or to put it in more colloquial terms – Are we handling the Bible scholastically? When you handle the Bible scholastically, the purpose is not to prove a point or a certain theology, but to understand what the text is trying to say. And those who love the Bible will lay down their tightly held beliefs and seek to submit it to a scholastic understanding that endeavors to let the text speak for itself. There is a distinct difference in the rigor of scholarship between those who value God’s word and those who don’t. If you read liberal papers, even by doctorates in the field, you will find that they skip out on scholastics to promote a theology or view they have. Sure they can site papers by other authors who have done the same, but because their submission is to their agenda instead of to the Bible they ignore the scholastic research that subverts their ideas. I have read papers by so called “doctorates” in the field and have been shocked. How did this paper pass scrutiny? On the other hand, those who truly care about what the Bible says are brutal and ruthless, not in a rude and obnoxious way, but demand proper scholarship and vetting of ideas. The goal is to kill idols not to hold on to pet theologies. Here is the thing, if God made the effort to give us the Bible, do you not think he wants us to understand it? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”. The whole point of the Bible is that we come to know God. I hear people say, well there are so many ideas about the Bible, how can we possibly know. And those who say this don’t know that there is proper hermeneutics or have watered the idea down so much they ignore proper scholarship. Yes, there are many ideas about the Bible, but there are a lot of foolish people who don’t approach the Bible scholastically, sadly even among “experts” in the field. In an error that claims to be based on science and evidence, it is odd that scholastic evidence is thrown out when in the universities when it comes to studying the Bible. There are so many doctorates that if put before real academic rigor would be stripped of their titles. Will there still be differences if we all had scholastic rigor, most certainly, because none of us are perfect, but the idea that we can’t know what the Bible says is a foolish one. Were there are differences, we don’t abandon scholastic rigor, but instead seek it more. What other field abandons the scholastic approach because of differences. Those who abandon scholastics live in a fairy tale world of their own making and try to pass it off as intelligence. If the Bible is true then we ought to continue our endeavors to let it speak for itself. Iron is supposed to sharpen iron, and by this means we come to understand what the scripture says. Iron sharpening iron is a part of loving one another. I have found that those who have this kind of hermeneutic and humility are strongly united with those who share their passion for the truth of scripture even in distinct and vital disagreements. They understand the foolishness of pursing our own agendas, and the importance of iron sharpening iron, for true scholastic endeavors prioritize this kind of behavior. Truth is the focus, not pet ideas or agendas. Their love of scripture unites them. They hold strongly that even in their disagreements they are brothers in war and united in the church and in their love for truth. The danger is not being without error, the danger is not seeking in love a scholastic understanding of the Bible. Instead, the danger is in those who are foolish and ask absurd questions like, “Do you take the Bible literally?” or “There are so many ideas from smart people, there is no way we can understand” or make statements like “Doctrine only divides or argues about foolish and needless points”. We all pursue ideas and doctrine whether we know it or not. Every time we say something about God or the Bible we are espousing or doctrine our belief about God. We can continue to dangerously and foolishly pursue our own agendas and ideas or seek to understand and allow the Bible to speak for itself. When you love someone, your desire is to know them in truth. We don’t tell the person who they are and expect them to conform to our perspectives. Instead, we seek to know them for who they truly are. And yet so many refuse to do this with God, because they do not want their worlds to be shaken. They love themselves rather than God.