Dear Michelle,

When one of my daughters was fourteen, she came to me with the same important question you’re asking.

I explained that the Bible was like a portable library … a collection of books, letters, and poetry from cultures of the Middle East. I shared why the Bible shouldn’t be read as if it were trying to be a modern science or history book. After all, science, as we think of it, didn’t even exist back when the biblical documents were written.

In those days (just like today), people often told spiritual stories for their spiritual meaning … not for their scientific accuracy. These stories were more like the parables Jesus told (like the Prodigal Son or The Good Samaritan). They didn’t have to be factually true for the meaning to be actually true.

I sensed that she already understood this. So I asked my daughter why this question was important to her, and she said, “Because our youth group leader told us that Christians have to take the Bible literally.”

At that point, I realized that her question was like the tip of an iceberg. Under the intellectual question, a social question was hiding.

My daughter knew that I loved her whether she agreed with my interpretation or not. But she wasn’t so sure about the youth group leader. If she didn’t agree with him, he might see her as someone he didn’t really want in the youth group. If she left the youth group, she’d lose many of her good friendships. But if she stayed and pretended to agree with him, she would feel she was being dishonest.

Underneath the intellectual problem of belief or understanding, she was grappling with a social problem of belonging. Both problems mattered to her, but the social one seemed more difficult.

If that’s true for you, let me tell you something I shared with my daughter. If other people can’t accept you because you don’t interpret the Bible just the way they do, you can still love and accept them … and you don’t have to agree with them.

They may not give you permission to think differently about the Bible, but you can give yourself that permission. That is part of what it means to be honest and have integrity. And I think the Bible (wisely understood) gives you that permission, too!

OK, you might be wondering, then, what might the meaning of the two creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2 be? That’s a great question for another day. But for now, here’s a suggestion: go back and read those stories, asking questions different from what most people ask. Instead of asking, “Are they factually accurate, scientifically, and historically?” try asking some questions  about meaning, like these:

What might these stories have been saying to ancient people about their place in the universe? What might they have been warning people against or trying to protect them from? How might these stories have special meaning to poor people living in the shadow of violent empires ruled by the rich? How are the two stories different, and what might those differences tell us about how they should be read?

When you engage these stories in this way, you'll explore their meaning, and you'll strengthen your own honesty and integrity.

~ Brian McLaren