Revelation or Rorschach

It has been said “that the Bible doesn’t always say exactly what it means and it doesn’t always mean exactly what it says.  But the Bible always means exactly what it means.”  Our mandate is to discover what the Bible actually states and what it actually means.  Scripture contains several different genres, and it makes use of various literary techniques.  These sacred writings also operate on multiple levels and even in different dimensions.  We must therefore reject a crude literalism when it comes to understanding and interpreting Scripture.  Also beware of forcing assumptions and prejudices upon the text.  The Bible is God’s revelation, not a Rorschach test.  Dinesh D’Sousa, Christian apologist states, “My way of reading is neither literal nor liberal, but rather contextual.  Only by examining the text in relation to the whole can we figure out how a particular line or passage is best understood.”  Treating the Scriptures with this sacred respect allows God’s Spirit to illuminate our understanding and ignite our imagination.