I belong to the Gallup Panel and complete surveys from time to time. The most recent survey was on Americans' values and beliefs. One question bothered me, as it did not offer the response I wanted, pertaining to my belief about the Bible. Their two most applicable choices were: 1. The Bible is absolutely true, and it is literal (means exactly what it says).
2. The Bible is absolutely true, but its meaning must be interpreted.

I believe the Bible to be literal in some areas in that its meaning is very clear, but I also believe there are some areas in which we must rely on Spiritual discernment. In other words, some parts of the Bible could be clearly understood by a non-believer, but there are also parts that could never be interpreted by a non-believer.

So what do you believe: is the Bible (a) literal? (b) interpretive? (c) a mixture of both?