To draw meaning; a way of reading scripture

In Today’s Speaking to the Soul on the Episcopal Café’ web site Lowell Graham speaks about the differences in the resurrection stories we have in the Gospels. Near the end of his comments he says “I'm satisfied to read with devotion the various accounts … to draw meaning from it all, and not to get too exercised over the unknowable question of ‘what really happened’ in detail.” (Emphasis mine.) I’m pleased to see the author make this comment because both the literalists, on one side of the coin, and the atheists on the other side loose sight of this concept. In the Old Testament story of Jonah and the whale (fish), for example, the literalists will say that this actually happened as it is written and the atheist will look at both the story and the reaction of the literalist and say, “How can you be so gullible; this could not have possibly happened.” What both points of view tend to loose sight of is the truth that God wants us to take from the story; namely that when God tells us to do something we had better do it. This method of reading the scriptures “…to draw meaning from it all”; reading with the eyes of faith would be more productive than mounting the unnecessary and untenable defenses of taking all scripture literally. That and the more liberal Christians (echoing the atheists) would not have to say, “How can you be so naive.” and we could get on with the real work that needs to be done, loving God and people and all that that entails.