10: Turning the Gem
The Bible is like a polished gem. Every face gives you a different perspective.
“I’ve heard people say that they read it literally. As if that’s the best way to understand the Bible.
It’s not.
We read it literately.
We read it according to the kind of literature that it is.
That’s how you honor it.
That’s how you respect it.
That’s how you learn from it.
That’s how you enjoy it.
If it’s a poem, then you read it as a poem.
If it’s a letter, then you read it as a letter.
If it’s a story but some of the details seem exaggerated or extreme—
like when Samson kills exactly one thousand Philistines
or Balaam’s donkey starts talking to him
or Elijah is taken up into heaven before their very eyes—
there’s a good chance the writer is making a larger point and you shouldn’t get too hung up on those details.
You read it,
and you ask questions of it,
and you study and analyze and reflect and smile and argue and speculate and discuss.”
Quote from: Rob Bell. “What Is the Bible?.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-is-the-bible/id1146440401?mt=11