A new Winthrop Poll confirms what most people who spend any time in the Palmetto State already know: South Carolinians are unabashedly religious, largely evangelical and armed with a strong belief that the Bible is the infallible word of God.
But faith leaders and parishioners say the poll questions ”“ including one that found 62 percent believe the Bible is the literal word of God ”“ aren’t nuanced enough to incorporate the range of theological interpretations such questions arouse in those who take their faith seriously.
“I see no conflict between the inerrant word of God and seeing things figuratively,” said Don Bowen, a Southern Baptist who describes himself as a born-again Christian. “Jesus says we are to be light and salt, but I don’t think of myself as a 1,000-watt light bulb or a block of salt.”