To Engage or Not Engage with Biblical Literalists. That is the Question.
AMA: Do you even bother trying to discuss the Bible with fundamentalists/literalists If so what is your approach?
In all honestly, I rarely discuss the Bible with fundamentalists/literalists. Especially not online. The reason is that most Biblical literalists are not interested in truly hearing another person’s point of view. They believe they are right and no amount of education or logic will convince them.
I grew up fundamentalist, I held a literalist worldview, so here’s a dirty little secret most don’t want you to know: a belief in Biblical literalism is not, in fact, based on logic or understanding the historical context of the Bible.
In most cases, the belief in Biblical literalism is tied to something else: it might be a deep-seated need for stability in one’s life, a desire to hold onto a worldview that paints God and the Bible in a specific and simplistic light, the desire to maintain the status quo, etc. In other words, I believe that in most cases the belief in Biblical literalism is not a logical one but is often based on some other deep-seated need that Biblical literalism addresses-often poorly.
And to be blunt, I don’t have the time nor the skills to try and figure out what that other deep-seated need is, especially for literalists who want to argue online. But even if I knew what that other deep-seated need was, I am not a therapist. I wouldn’t even know how to address those needs in the first place.
I’m not saying that all biblical literalists aren’t persuaded by logic. There are probably some individuals where you could debate the historical and literary context of the Bible and they would be convinced. But I don’t necessarily think that would work for most people. So sorry, I’m not much help with this question.
Instead, I choose to focus on those who have already rejected Christian fundamentalism or biblical literalism, those who are in the process of doing so, or those who technically are still fundamentalists but who have major doubts. Those who have doubts or are in the process of leaving have already begun the hard work of doing the inner work of exploring why they believed in fundamentalism and Biblical literalism.
They tend to be (though not always) more open to learning about the historical and literary context of the Bible and the ways in which Biblical literalism is actually a recent phenomenon that can be traced to the post-enlightenment period, if not the later. Also interacting with them tends to be more conversational. Those still within Biblical literalism often want to debate or convert, and I am not interested in that.
However, let’s say I do at one point decide to talk with Biblical literalists about the Bible. How would I go about it.
1) I would want to examine my reasons for engaging. Some important questions I’d ask myself: . Do I really think I will be able to change their mind? If my main motivation for engaging with Biblical literalists is the fact that Biblical literalism is harmful and oppressive and I want to convince them of the error of their ways, how likely do I think that will happen? Are there other ways to seek to end the oppression and violence that Biblical literalism has wrought? How long will I engage in conversation with them? What boundaries will I be setting up? What happens if they reject every argument I make? How will I respond if they start throwing in “gotcha” statements or logical fallacies?
Am I seeking to simply engage in dialogue? To hear and be heard? If so, is this person going to respect and actually hear me? And, being honest with myself, can I show that person respect and listen to them, even if I truly disagree with them?
2) After asking myself these questions, I will then verbalize my boundaries. For me, I refuse to engage in conversations that repeat the same thing over and over again. For instance, if I am talking to a biblical literalist about the clobber passages that are used to oppress members of the LGBTQ+ community, and I provide the historical and literary context for the verses and they keep saying ‘well that’s wrong. The Bible is the inerrant word of God and says homosexuality is wrong.” Then I know they aren’t engaging in good faith and we aren’t getting anywhere, so it’s a hint for me to move on.
Your boundaries may differ. The important thing is to establish the boundaries for the conversation and listen to the other person’s boundaries. Let me be clear, I am talking about boundaries regarding how long to have the conversation, the tone, language used etc. Not boundaries that say, “let’s just assume the Bible is the word of God…” that’s not a boundary that the start of a bad argument.
3) Make sure you know the Bible: Fundamentalist Christians spend a lot of time reading the Bible and studying it (albeit from one perspective). I know, I used to be one. If you choose to engage with fundamentalist Christians, make sure you know the Bible: the historical-literary context and if you can articulate various ways to interpret the Bible. Now that doesn’t mean that they will agree with you, and that won’t stop them from making bad faith arguments that caricaturize the points you made. But it makes sense to have a good understanding of the Biblical text.
Some useful books, articles, podcasts, scholars:
Dr. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
C. Wess Daniels, Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation as Resistance
Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So (2014); The Sin of Certainty (2016)
Emmy Kegler, One Coin Found: How God’s Love Stretches to the Margins (2019)
Patrick Cheng, Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (2011); Rainbow Theology: Bridging Race, Sexuality, and Spirit (2013)
Pamela R. Lightsey, Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology (2015)
Biblical commentaries:
Interpretation: A Bible Commentary For Teaching and Preaching
4) Screaming (or the online equivalent), and name-calling, rarely convince anyone about the righteousness of your argument and oftentimes just causes you to look like an asshole. If those you are talking to are being belligerent, or are trying to get a rise out of you, it would be wise to try and take a deep breath before responding. You can decide whether to continue engaging or not in the conversation, but screaming and cursing at them (even if they deserve it and it temporarily feels good) won’t really further your argument and may hinder it.
5) Don’t misrepresent their arguments-It can be tempting, for all of us, regardless of where we fall on the theological or political spectrum to misrepresent intentionally or not, the arguments from people we don’t necessarily like or agree with. Especially when they do that to us. But again, you need to ask yourself why you are engaging in this conversation, to begin with. Is it to “win” a debate (how do you measure it), then perhaps a do-anything approach is valid? Is it to convince the other person? Is it to engage in dialogue?
Note: I am honored to be participating in the Deconstructing Faith Summit. It is a virtual summit and registration is FREE. It takes place September 22-25. Check out this link to register: https://www.deconstructingfaithsummit.com/a/2147495138/gqLnhJNL