Beyond Biblical Literalism
As I read John Fugelsang's "Separation of Church and Hate," I find myself reflecting on the very negative impact that Biblical literalism has had on the church and the culture.
It has caused many to abandon faith and the church all together. It has made many religious folks look intellectually stupid. It has given us bad politics and strange institutions (the Creation Museum). Happily, though, people of faith can recover from literalism. And in fact when they do, the faith and the Bible can become more real and significant to them than when they were convinced that Adam, Eve, and Jonah were real live people and that women shouldn't teach men in church because after all as First Timothy says, "women should keep silent in church." Something I have noted is that when people move beyond literalism they can be so freed up. They often will say to me, "This makes so much more sense. I don't have to leave my brain at the door when I come to church or approach the Bible."