Are You a Literalist or a...?

When researchers are trying to explain the factions among Christians, they often use views on the Bible as a way of finding the faultlines. Some people take the Bible "literally," others symbolically.

"Literalists" and (I don't know of one word, so I'll make one) "metaphorists" usually don't travel in the same circles. In my experience, the literalists proudly tout their literalism (although, having heard sermons from preachers in this camp, I know that they often interpret the Bible quite symbolically) while the metaphorists vociferously insist that they are NOT like the literalists.

I refuse to issue a "pox on both your houses" because I think it is too easy - even cowardly - to run to the middle and say "I'm a moderate" just for the sake of position. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll position myself. I found help in Scot McKnight's fascinating "Hermeneutical Personality Test" in the Winter 2008"Leadership" Magazine. I discovered that I'm on the conservative side of moderate. So now you know. I'm a moderate - sort of.

What are you? Does it matter? I think it does and I think we could stand for a little more literal interpretation, especially these days. I think so because the mood of our culture has swung far to the metaphorical side, with serious consequences. The trend in attitudes toward the Bible (especially among younger people) is not toward violent literalism, but toward empty symbolism. "The Bible can say pretty much whatever you want it to say," is an increasingly prevalent attitude.

We need to quit talking so much about the dangers of a literalist interpretation of the Bible (forget the fracus over Genesis and evolution) and we ought to start considering the dangers of an overly symbolic, metaphorical reading. The pendulum is swinging the other way and we ought to pay attention.