God has always had conversations with folks. Talking is talking. When God says he does something, he does something.
Did Jesus allegorically cast out any demons? Did Jesus metaphorically heal anyone? When he did things they were done instantly and miraculously. Was there any occasion where he said be healed and then let the natural science of things do what they do and take time? Wether its noah or jonah or the feeding of five thousand, God said he did it and is not bound by natural physics/erosion/plate shifting or whatever other earthly physical rule to make it happen.
The "danger will robinson" alarm raised was for the teaching of such ideas. The bible says one thing - doesnt say how and only gives a time. Going beyond that simplicity and inducting other folks into a set of ideas that isnt even there is where worlds of faith can come crashing down before they are even born. Binding our lord to something he isnt bound to. Im not talking about possibility here or something that pops into ones head, im talking about fervently clinging to and spreading a "truth" that was never ever told.
The type of faith, and thats exactly what it is, that allen is displaying here is the kind faith that is to be admired and hoped for. Too often it gets labeled as ignorant and uneducated, but its exactly the opposite. Look at it as a gift, one we all should want.
Remember though please, those that say it makes no difference for you wether its story or not, it is not so for many others. I for one, even at risk of putting my soul in jeapordy, would be standing near the front of the line somewhere telling God he is a liar if he said he did something but didnt actually do it. Who wants to serve something like that? Providence smiles though, wont have to deal with that sort of thing.
"And I, behold,
I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” -Jeremiah 1:18-19
"The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.
They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled. Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem." -Ezekiel 23:1-4
Is there a bronze wall called Jeremiah? God said he would make Jeremiah into a bronze wall that won't be prevailed against. Where is this elusive bronze wall? Forgive me if I come across negatively, but I think it borders on silly to say that everything has to be literal. What about my favourite passage in scripture for making Christians uncomfortable? (Ezekiel 23 is about as lewd as it gets...and the ESV uses nice words) Are those literal women? No. They are symbolic. God is telling a story where those two women represent groups of people.
Why does God make laws in this universe and then not follow them? He has a perfect understanding of them, so perhaps he can manipulate them. He's God after all. He has the ability to manipulate matter in ways that I don't. He doesn't have any reason to be contradictory to his own laws in order to display his power...because he's the only one capable of such miracles anyway.
I still have faith that God is all powerful. I don't think he "metaphorically" healed people. That's not telling a story, that's the life of Jesus. I'm not calling God a liar. I'm saying that God uses symoblism and metaphor to communicate with us, and sometimes he tells stories that are fictional in order to make a point. Am I lying when I use an illustration?
