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Intro: It’s a question that comes up frequently — do you have an short answer ready?
There’s nothing quite so uncomfortable as stumbling over your words, and we’ve all done it. And while some inquiries or objections are tough to have short answers for, this one isn’t too bad.
Sponsor: (none today)
Bible segment: Amos 1-5, NIV (New International Version)
Apologetics segment: “Do you take the Bible literally?”
The utterly shortest response — answer the question with a question:
“If you said, ‘It’s raining cats and dogs,’ would you expect me to think that it’s literally raining hard or literally dropping pets from the sky?
A slightly longer exploration:
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard it, and you probably have, too. Unfortunately when it’s asked like that it’s a bit ambiguous and, as always, it’s good to ask a clarifying question (like “Tell me more…what do you mean by ‘literally?’ Would it be fair to say there’s probably a verse you read or heard that seems weird?”).
Today, however, let’s simply focus on a short/quick answer (not fully comprehensive of all permutations). And I like to answer a question with a question such as, “How do you interpret different types of literature.” That’s what works for me, but you may find it useful just to go straight to an example. A good one is the one I shared above.
Remember, “literally” means “exactly,” which, in the above expression would be “what I mean exactly is that it’s raining hard, not falling felines.” The key point is, “Yes, I believe the Bible communicates many truths exactly.”
Extra credit:
Notice the way the question above positioned — to put them (the person who asked you “Do you take the Bible literally”) in the position of making the statement. In other words, phrase it like they asked you the follow up question (go review that ‘utterly short response’ above). This makes them think about what they would mean if they asked the question — he/she is going to instantly think, “What I personally would mean is…”, and they’ll “own” their own answer.
Take action segment:
Pray through Psalm 126
Watch The Bible Project’s video on Amos (below).
Love you!
-R
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources