The problem with limiting ourselves to a literal, dogmatic reading of the Bible—or any sacred text, for that matter—is very basic. Most sacred texts are ancient, and we try to approach them with our modern Western minds.
The challenge is to go deeper with the text. Too often we want to ask Did this happen literally as it says? Can that be proven? How do I know I am right about it? How does it line up with my/our dogma?
Most of us have been there at one time or another. I know I was...for longer than I would like to admit. But these questions do nothing but confound us, twist up our theology in knots, and alienate a good number of others. They're all about security and ego. The deeper, truer approach would be What is God doing or saying here? What does that say about God? What can it say to me here and now in my 21st century life? These are not easy questions. And there are rarely easy answers. It causes us to sit uncomfortably with the issues until we find the truth. And hold on to your hats here—it may not be the same truth for each of us.
It took me years to let go of the need to always be right about things and to always need answers, like filling in the answers in a Sunday School questionnaire. It's a relief to realize that God cannot be figured out or boiled down to definite answers. I've come to think that I wouldn't actually want a relationship with a god that could.
This kind of conversation with Scripture is not easy, nor can it be fully explored in a blog entry. But if you've never explored this kind of relationship with a text that can still be as vital as it ever was, it's well worth the effort.
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