Literalism is Disrespect

“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?” These words by Janis Joplin in her 1970 song are a terrific critique of materialism, culture and the white protestant focus on privilege and prosperity. It’s ironic, it’s tongue-in-cheek and it does a better job at calling out hypocrisy than many sermons.

So when Mercedes-Benz licensed the song to use in a commercial intended to actually, you know, sell really expensive cars made by Mercedes-Benz, many Joplin fans called foul. Using the song to sell cars directly contradicted the song’s original intent and message. Using that song to promote luxury vehicles was an offense to Joplin’s artistic legacy. It was disrespectful.

I’m currently thinking about three dangerous ways that some Christians are disrespecting the Bible in a similar fashion, forcing ideas, dogma, interpretive frameworks and interpretations upon the text where they were never intended. I’m not talking about creative exegesis. I’m talking about bending scripture to meet your preconceived ideas of how scripture works.

One example is reading with strict literalism or adding a literalistic interpretation onto whatever translation one might happen to be reading. This usually means something beyond the common definition of the word, “literal,” or just trying to figure out what the words literally mean. What I’m referring to is reading with a very inflexible approach to interpretation that disregards cultural context, literary genres and the intended meaning or purpose of the writing. Ignoring any of these elements of the Bible means you are ignoring some of the most important parts of your scripture and thus, you are being very disrespectful.

Another form of disrespect is what is usually called an inerrantist perspective which insists that the Bible is completely without error in all its teachings. This is disrespectful because it is putting the words of humans above the Word of God. The living Word of God is Christ, and Christ is in all things so the work of creation must be greater than the works of humans. So, if you believe in a six-day creation and ignore the science God has laid out before you, then you have made the Bible an idol.

What is the third method of disrespect? Putting the US Constitution inside of the Bible and selling it for $60.

I think that Christians who read with these perspectives aren’t intending to disrespect the Bible, yet they are nonetheless. They are misappropriating the text in many ways that distort the real intentions and purposes of the text, often to support their own private agendas. They trivialize scripture by reducing the depth and significance of the text down to simplistic and superficial interpretations.

Is this disrespect? These fundamentalists are displaying a complete lack of reverence for the complexity and richness of our scripture. You tell me if there is a more accurate word, but for now I’m sticking with, “disrespect.”

The Bible was never intended to be taken as absolute, literal truth. None of the Bible writers wrote with that purpose. None of the writers thought that their writing would be understood as “scripture,” at the time of writing. It was only after many years that these writing would be cherished enough to be collected and held dear in canonical fashion.

Rather than viewing the Bible as a source of literal and historical truth, we should do our best to understand that the Bible is primarily a work of theology. The common denominator in the text is not reportage but a record of how our ancestors in faith struggled with God in their lives, saw God in their lives and attempted to record those experiences. The Bible conveys truth, but it is spiritual truth and wisdom, not a factual chronicle of historical events.

By way of example, imagine you were discussing the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien with a friend. You both excitedly buzz about how this fantasy epic was carefully crafted by a genius to explore profound themes of good and evil. You discuss how Tolkien demonstrated the nature of heroism and the importance of everyone’s struggle against powerful forces. Then suddenly your friend says, “If it wasn’t for the Battle of Helm’s Deep, you and I wouldn’t even be here having this discussion.” Wait, what? Your friend is reading Tolkien as if it was a history book? How could they miss the point so badly? Wouldn’t this careless reading be disrespectful to Tolkien? Think how much of the actual experience of the Lord of the Rings would be lost if it was taken as literal history.

How do I know we shouldn’t waste time trying to explain away the strange mythologies and implausibilities in scripture? Because by the third chapter we already have a talking snake.

Similarly, if you read the Bible with the expectation that the only way it has value is for every detail to be historically accurate, we are missing the point. Such readers miss the deeper spiritual messages and significance. They are then forced to spend time reconciling contradictions, scientific impossibilities, outright mythological elements and arguing for the plausibility of completely implausible events instead of seeking God’s interaction through scripture and understanding the larger directions of moral truth outlined in the stories. How do I know we shouldn’t waste time trying to explain away the strange mythologies and implausibilities in scripture? Because by the third chapter we already have a talking snake. The editors who compiled Genesis knew snakes don’t talk. They would trust we also know that. They would be shocked – if not rolling on the floor with laughter – that anyone would take that story as literal history.

Let me be clear, there certainly are historical facts in the Bible. Many of the events, places and people in the Bible are supported by archaeological evidence. There is also a lot of evidence to show that certain elements were not at all historical. These two things can both be true, and it probably takes a lot of work to figure out which is which over your lifetime. I’m sorry, but respecting your scripture means putting in that work, not just rolling over with a surface reading. The primary purpose of reading your scripture should be to encounter the Holy Spirt sacramentally. You are taking a lifelong spiritual journey as part of your relationship with God. You will see different things on each reading, you will change your mind during your life. The Bible is a guide in your journey, not a history textbook.

If you want to engage with your scripture in a meaningful and respectful way, you need to approach it sacramentally, listening to the Holy Spirt, then engaging with it theologically. There is a lot of wisdom we’ve been gifted. We can and should focus on the wisdom and do our best through scholarship to pull out the spiritual insights and lessons and meaning rather than get mired down in the literal accuracy of every detail. Digging into the text as critically as possible is how we honor the true intent and significance of the Bible.

I’m hoping this isn’t new to you. But if it is, you may go through some layers of emotional and cognitive dissonance. If you were raised in a conservative evangelical or fundamentalist faith, you may feel defensive while exploring the respectful way to intelligently approach scripture. The idea that the Bible is not meant to be literally true and historical in every account can feel like a threat to your core faith. You may worry that a more scholarly, theological and nuanced approach to your scripture is a slippery slope to throwing out everything. If the Bible isn’t 100% factual – whatever you might mean by that – then maybe all the elements of your faith should be questioned. Indeed, they should. Faith shouldn’t be easy.

I’ve had several comments on this blog make me realize that some people think I am attacking religion and Christianity entirely when I talk about taking the Bible seriously. The handful of readers who know me personally would – I hope – tell you that few people are more devout than I am. The last thing I would ever set out to do is undermine the Christian faith. My purpose is to defend it, and I believe one of the greatest threats to real faith is a shallow and disrespectful exploration of faith and scripture. This is truer today than ever in my lifetime. Christianity has become hotly tribal in many places in the United States. Christianity means something different based on your political background. Where Christ hoped we’d all become one, tribes have taken sides. I get it. Challenging long-held assumptions about faith and the Bible can feel like an attack on your identity. I’m not trying to talk you into joining my tribe, I’m trying to talk you into approaching your study and faith with empathy, openness, intellect, nuance and respect. That can and should lead to beliefs and opinions that contradict with my own. My purpose is not to get you to agree with me and my tribe. My purpose is to get you to fully explore your faith with the fullness of the gifts God has given you: intellect, scholarship, mythology, poetry, parable, epistle and yes, even history.

I can’t precisely pinpoint when the core of faith in the USA somehow became about insisting on the absolute, inerrant perfection of scripture. It really only started in the late 19th century and then took shape with fundamentalists in the early 20th century. This isn’t an historical approach. The earliest church writers discussed myth and allegory quite freely. Christians don’t worship the Bible. We worship a triune God. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Christians should primarily be interested in experiencing God through Jesus Christ, not idolizing the Bible. The Bible is not the reason we meet and work together as a global church. Jesus is the reason. The Bible points to our Christ and gives us a miraculously unending supply of new inspiration. It certainly gives us a theological and historical foundation for understanding Jesus’ life and ministry. It speaks of resurrection. But putting the Bible on an untouchable pedestal distracts from encountering the Holy Spirit in scripture.

Ask yourself, would you rather be “right,” about scripture or be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and in communion with Christ? Luckily, you can do both, but consider your priorities and be open to expanding your faith. God isn’t asking you to put away your intellect or force yourself to pretend that snakes can talk, and humans used to live to be hundreds of years old or that the earth is only 6,000 years old. The Bible is a precious gift, precious enough or us to take seriously through critical scholarship. The Bible points to Jesus and how others in our faith understood Jesus, but Jesus alone is worthy of devotion and worship.