Episode 89 (Bonus): A Little More About Metaphor…and Stuff
In Episode 84, Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi joined us for a conversation about how we approach scripture. How much is literal? How much is metaphor? This bonus episode contains additional insights from Kajsa focusing on a specific Old Testament story. It’s an illustration of how understanding the origin and larger context of a specific text can inform the ways we think about it now.
Notes & Quotes:
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It, by Peter Enns
“The Bible looks the way it does because “God lets his children tell the story,” so to speak. Children see the world from their limited gaze. A second grader might give a class presentation on what mom does all day. She will talk about her mom from her point of view, rooted in love and devotion. She’ll filter—unconsciously and in an age-appropriate manner—her mother’s day through how she perceives her family and her role in the family. She’ll get some things more or less correct, but she will also misunderstand other things, and get still other things plain wrong.” —Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So
“For Christians, then, the question is not “Who gets the Bible right?” The question is and has always been, “Who gets Jesus right?” The Gospel writers and Paul couldn’t have made that any clearer.” —Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So
Nephi would have failed the test by not listening to the spirit that said to kill Laban.