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One of the most common questions about biblical interpretation is how much of the Bible ought to be taken “literally.” That’s a tricky question to answer, because the word literal actually has two distinct (but related) meanings. When the Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about the literal sense of Scripture, it’s referring to “the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation” (116). It’s in this sense that the Church endorses St. Thomas Aquinas’s adage that “all other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal.” So if we...

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Holy Spirit Indwelling Series – Part 5 Benefit of a Literal Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?Going against the illustrations presented in the four previous articles which argued against a literal non-miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit in favor of a representative indwelling, this article will focus on examining “what if”. What if there was a non-miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit as some believe today? What purpose would the indwelling serve? Some kind and earnest Christians establish the indwelling of the Spirit is a sign of righteousness, provides faith and conviction, gives knowledge and wisdom, guides decision making, intercedes prayer,...

Except in biblical or other written religious accounts, no scientific evidence has ever been documented to prove that there is a physical Heaven or a physical Hell. In the absence of evidence why then do millions of people believe so strongly in a Heaven and a Hell – and how could such beliefs in the unproven have survived scientific scrutiny for so long? For those raised in Judea-Christian doctrine Heaven and Hell does, in fact exist and one of these places is waiting for the soul of the deceased in the afterlife.

For example, Dr Eugenie Scott of the staunchly anticreationist National Center for Science Education (NCSE) revealed their agenda when she said: “ … I would describe myself as a humanist or a nontheist. I have found that the most effective allies for evolution are people of the faith community. One clergyman with a backward collar is worth two biologists at a school board meeting any day! … What we [such clergy and atheists] have in common is that we want to see evolution taught in the public schools … .”4

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10,000 Clergy Sign Letter Backing Evolution Rebekah Sharpe In preparation for the upcoming "Evolution Sunday" on February 11, 2007, the online Clergy Letter Project, led by Michael Zimmerman, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Butler University, has been gathering clergy signatures to support an open letter. The core of the letter states: "We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject it as 'one theory among others' is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance...

Better than one in four Americans believe that the Bible is "literally true and the actual word of God," the Gallup organization reported this afternoon. A Gallup poll taken this month gave 1,002 respondents three choices: The Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word; the Bible is the inspired word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally; or the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man. The number of those backing the "literal" view was 28%, with 49% selecting...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Feb. 3, 2006) -- Two brothers have more in common than blood today as Company K graduates. Pvt. Harjay Lacanilao was welcomed to recruit training by his older brother, Sgt. Harvey Lacanilao, a drill instructor in his company. When Harvey graduated from boot camp in 1999, Harjay had no aspirations to join the armed forces. After his graduation from Pacific High School in 2004, Harjay attended San Bernardino Community College and worked for Sears. His goal was to be a professional singer. On Jan. 17, 2005, Harjay attended his big brother’s Drill Instructor School...

Bible Research > English Versions > 19th Century > Young Young's Literal Translation Publishers' Note to the Third Edition NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that the Revised Version of the Old and the New Testament has come into the field since the learned and lamented author first issued his Literal Translation of the Bible, the demand for it from year to year has continued remarkably steady. This indicates that it still fills a place of its own among helps to the earnest student of Holy Scripture. In 1887 Dr Young issued a Revised Edition, of which two impressions are exhausted. The...

A question has arisen among FReeper believers, and deserves a thread on which to air beliefs. Is it right to take, for instance, the New Testament books of John, Luke and Mark as literal history, but then to interpret the Old Testament books, Like Genesis or Job as being merely symbolic? I believe in the perfect, complete, inherent and inerrant literal truth of all the books of the Bible, both Old and New Testament. Also, does believing literally in the New Testament but perceiving the Old Testament as "symbolism" disqualify one from Salvation according to the Bible? I am a...

The Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48 (An Exercise in Literal Interpretation) Dr. John C. Whitcomb Those who have discovered that the key to interpreting God's Word properly is to understand it in a normal/literal way, will also discover that Ezekiel 40-48 is not a burden to the Bible student, but a delight. What joy God brings to the heart of the believer when he realizes, perhaps for the first time, that God did not give us any portion of His Word to confuse us, but rather to enlighten us. God really does mean what He says! The last nine...

A primary difference between liberals and conservatives theologically is the way they interpret the Bible. Liberals read the Bible symbolically or allegorically, as a collection of interesting stories to take whatever meaning out of that pleases them. This allows them to reject various portions of the Bible they disagree with. Liberals label their interpretation as a “critical” approach, which essentially allows most of their theology to consist of finding ways to criticize the Bible, rather than actually trying to determine what it says. Theological conservatives believe the Bible is God’s inspired word to humanity, and therefore believe that the Bible...

HELPFOR BIBLE STUDENTSbyDaniel J. Phillips, M.Div.  Part Two: The Science of Bible ReadingThe Bible is inspired, but it is not magic. Merely pointing our eyes at its pages is a good start. Many never get this far. But it is only a start! We must also use our God-given minds if we are to gain anything from the Bible. Scripture will not miraculously "zap" its meaning into our passive little brains, all by itself.Hear Paul’s counsel to Timothy: "Think about what I am saying; for the Lord will give you understanding in all things" (2 Timothy 2:7). Paul does not...

Principles of the Literal Bible Interpretation By Cooper P. Abrams, III (Revised August 2001) * (All rights reserved) Introduction:         It is apparent from all the contradictory teachings of the many denominations and cults of Christendom, that they all cannot be right. For the most part, each claim to use the Bible as the source of their teachings. For example, most evangelical churches teach that salvation is by one's faith through God's grace apart works. However, some churches emphatically teach that baptism is necessary for salvation. Both may claim the Bible as the source of their belief. Most Protestants practice...