nThis
is not always easy, but certainly both literal and figurative language are present
in Scripture.
nWe
want to reject a Òmethodological literalismÓ which tries to avoid figures at nearly any
cost.
nWe
want to avoid allegorizing and other mystical approaches (e.g., numerology)
which find
figure and symbol when there is no reason to think the Biblical authors intended any
such.