Biblical inerrancy: Difference between revisions

Even if the bible is inerrant, it may need to be interpreted to distinguish between what statements are metaphorical and which are literally true. [[Jeffrey Burton Russell|Jeffrey Russell]] writes that "Metaphor is a valid way to interpret reality. The 'literal' meaning of words - which I call the overt reading - is insufficient for understanding reality because it never exhausts realty." He adds: <blockquote>Originating in Evangelicalism, the Fundamentalists affirmed that the Bible is to be read "literally" or overtly, leading some to reject not only physicalist evolution but even evolution science and to deny that life developed over billions of years. Evangelicals tended to believe in the "inerrancy" of the Bible (though they defined that term variously), a view that sometimes could unhelpfully turn the Bible into an authority on science and history.<ref>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QGU3rN6k7mAC&pg=PA155&dq=metaphor+literal+bible+pope+benedict&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JBK1U-v0NIHaOY6MgAg&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=metaphor%20literal%20&f=false Russell, J.B., ''Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven--and How We Can Regain It'', Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 14 & 129.]</ref></blockquote>