Whether you read the Scriptures literally, or believe they are intentionally truthful and instructive through symbolism (for example, Noah’s time in the ark mirroring the span of a human pregnancy), is not what matters most. Many Christians, in their pursuit of spiritual correctness, end up using the Scriptures to condemn rather than to carry the gospel of peace.

We believe that God is Love, and that God is extradimensional, beyond even the boundaries of space and time. And as Jesus taught, whoever calls another person a fool is already in danger of becoming a destroyer themselves.

Symbolism aside, we believe the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, pointing to Christ even where they seem to stray furthest from ordinary reality. In accounts like the Creation story or the book of Jonah, the evidence of God’s hand is found in the prophetic threads that lead to Jesus. And where God inspires, there are many paradoxes to learn from.

For the human species to be changed, and to come through to the point where only God can save us from an end, our destructive ways first had to be exposed. Much changed between the promise to Abraham and the time of Jesus, and much has changed since, but one thing is certain: we can keep the precepts Jesus kept, because we want to be the light of love shining in darkness. These are the marks of an advanced civilization, and always will be.