Reading the Bible: I'm Changing my Mind

There are several faith related issues that I’ve found clumsy to explain as I try to span the difference between my current faith and worldview and that of Bible believing American evangelicals I have known and loved while living in the southwest.
The next few entries will be short summaries of my thinking and influential books regarding topics I have changed my mind about.

Issue #1 Biblicism: as in interpreting the Bible literally, and allowing it total authority in living a Christian life.

    I’ve lead a lot of Bible studies. In the past I have surely alluded to the idea that the Bible should be taken seriously, and we should try to interpret it literally and apply it to our lives as strictly as we can - knowing some passages are hyperbolic, but not most. The costly discipleship I find at the root of Jesus’ call to “all who have ears to hear” may well include renouncing possessions and following the Spirit’s leading into death by martyrdom. God may call us to serve as missionaries to the ends of the earth, never to see our family members again. I believe Christians should buy those ideas fully.
    Sometimes interpretation is a thin disguise for watering Biblical imperatives down. For fear of watering down the Scriptures, I’ve previously taken a literal approach to as much of the Bible as I could... But I never “greet brethren with a holy kiss,” even though I really do believe that Paul meant for his audience to actually do that. Call it cultural context - something first century middle-eastern people might have done. The fact is, we all pick and choose which verses we apply most fervently.
    I remember hearing, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” A simple mantra that allows people to stay on the straight and narrow path of fundamentalism. One problem of biblicism is that it makes the Bible, not Jesus the center of the faith. There are many writers in the Bible, and they sometimes contradict one another. Jesus is the clearest picture of who God is and what he wants from us. It is my belief (though not mine alone) that we should understand the Bible through what we know of Jesus.
    Ours is a time for sound bytes. Little catchy sentences, bumper sticker slogans, really. The individuals Americans call leaders are elected based on how firmly they stand on a handful of issues. No matter how complicated the issues are, a nuanced answer will not be replayed on the evening news. The public wants one-liners that we agree with - which means our beliefs ought to be summed up in one-liners. This is a bad direction to go down.
    Today, when I read the Scriptures, I still hold them as authoritative. I still listen for God’s voice in the pages, and often I hear it. I acknowledge that it is a story of the people of God, a story of origin for me and my counter-culture. It is not a science book. There are parts to be read as history, parts to be read as wisdom, poetry, music, prayer. I give the teachings of Jesus favor. If there are laws or advice or battles that conflict with what Jesus lived or taught, I wrestle with those things favoring Jesus’ position.
    Recently I was explaining one of these stories to my son saying, “Can you believe it? The people of God did not do what he wanted them to do. They disobeyed Him. And He let them do the wrong thing!” This on a story that takes several chapters to unfold. A story that, if taken out of context, would endorse the opposite of God’s will. A story I would not have understood without the help of a faithful community.
    Here is another provocative conviction of mine: reading the Bible without a faith community will not be as fruitful as reading together. The individualism of western culture has taken us away from the faith community, convincing us that we’ll do our best work in a private devotional time. Personally, I could not understand the Bible as well as I do (not that well, by the way) without the help of seasoned believers. It’s a complex book. The English versions were transcribed and interpreted from another language and another culture. Myriad denominations have a spectrum of orthodox views that have stood the test of time and been elaborated by millions of well educated theologians. There is not one right interpretation.
    Yet, I still read and enjoy the Scriptures with prayer and love. I still take it seriously. With the wisdom of my community, the knowledge I have gained, Jesus (The Word made flesh) as my compass in the murky parts (yes, there are parts that conflict with other parts!), and the Spirit of God to keep me from legalism. The Bible is still News - and it is still Good! Please, let us not reduce it to a manual for living, or a rule book or play book.
    Again and again we make a decision about some confusing issue. We bolster our decision with a motto or creed (bumper sticker). We fall in love with our creed and set it in stone. We suspect those who do not sport the bumper sticker as enemies. We make new laws. What we need is life that comes by the Spirit of God speaking to us. We think we want God to just tell us what to do, “Make it absolutely clear!” but what we get is an invitation to a relationship. We get some words from God on the things he wants us to know about. We don’t always get God’s statement on things we want to know about. We have to work the implications of the Christ out for our time and our context.

Here is a good review of Christian Smith’s book, The Bible Made Impossible. I think this review is about as good as reading the book, unless you really enjoy long passages about sociological research.
A more enjoyable read on this subject is Scott McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet


So, how should we read the Bible? Scott McKnight says "We are often not aware of how we are reading the Bible."
What is its purpose (since it's not a diet book, a history book, a science book, and it's not an instruction manual)?
What good is Face Value reading?