Christian Explanation

[Samson]

My beliefs are nearly identical to Matt's as well—at least, on the stuff of his I've read covering specific orthodoxy (e.g., soteriology, the branch of theology that deals with salvation).

Am I a literal Bible believer? It depends on what you mean by "literal"—an important point to consider (especially in this place) because the term is often used pejoratively rather than responsibly. To interpret the Bible literally involves scholarly hermeneutics, a responsible exegesis that is conscious of theological themes and the details of the historical, linguistic, and textual context. If we held "literal" in its often pejorative sense with consistency, then the Bible has nothing to say to anybody today because, for example, Paul's two letters to the Christians in Corinth were written, well, to those Christians in Corinth. Christians in other places would have to ignore the letters, and even those in Corinth would have to ignore them a generation later because they were written to their predecessors, not them. What is often meant by "literal" turns out to be silly and unsustainable.

The Bible means what it says, and it says what it means. That's basically how we take the Bible "literally." Historical accounts are taken "literally" as historical, theological expositions are taken "literally" as theological, poetic praises are taken "literally" as poetic, etc.

Truly my fault for not being more specific with the question I asked in, "Do you take the Bible literally". I was referring in means of today's "Christian" core belief.

I agree that it would take scholarly hermeneutics if one is trying to define literal meanings and passages to those who take the core belief literal, but I do not agree that it takes that to simply read the Bible and have a rational, logical opinion about what is read.

Anyone who throws the term, "You're not a scholar, so you don't know what you are talking about" is only trying to make something more complex/complicated. And when referring that to someone's belief in this particular manuscript, it fits like a glove. You can do the same with poetic writing and branch off a million interpretations of the poets meaning, but in the end, it's still an opinion of someones interpretation.

I understand what you are meaning in, "The Bible says what it means, and means what it says". But then you have "Scholars", like you brought up, trying to give you their interpretations of what the "Bible" is actually meaning. (And of course your ever day televangelist/preacher/priest etc. as well). Again, simply people trying to make the Bible more complicated than it actually is.

I'm not going to go into the silliness of asking you, "Do you believe in the tales of Noah's ark, Johannah and the Whale, Samson and Delilah, Sodom and Gomorrah, David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Red Sea parting", etc. etc. etc. (I'm sure you know the stories by now)..

I will make this as simple as I can..."Do you believe in the "God" of the Christian Bible? Do you believe in Jesus and the Bible's breakdowns of his life, start to finish? Do you believe in a Hell from which the Bible has written? Do you believe in John's breakdowns of Revelation?