I am beginning to work my way through a leadership & counseling series done by Paul David Tripp (visit his blog), along with some other students here at the Bible Institute. One thing he said that I highlighted in my mind was about truth. He said something along the lines of "truth to each person is not based on facts, but is based on their interpretation of the facts". I think he got it right....look how many viewpoints claim they know the truth? We all have the same facts...

The same is true when interpreting the Bible. It bugs me when I hear someone "exposit" scripture...then come up with some profound meaning hardly found within the text. The Bible is not a mysterious book full of allegories, hidden meanings, and secret truths. It is a book with a simple clear truth. I am convinced that we can interpret the bible literally taking into consideration the grammar & context. I think most "conservative" evangelicals would agree. But I also see many "conservatives" suddently take a slightly different approach when looking at Song of Solomon. Is it Christ & the Church? Marriage counselling? A graphic story? Michael Spencer @ internetmonk.com wrote an awesome article on this. See it here.