No two readers can understand a passage in Scripture in the same way, because reading the Bible is a voyage of self-discovery. What do these authors say about themselves? What does my understanding of their stories say about me?

Readers cannot hide from Scripture behind literary theories, cultural hypotheses, or any other form of make-believe. We are all created to be aware of God in his creation and his creation in ourselves. Only by looking outward can we see inward. That’s why our first parents lost themselves in a labyrinth of shattered images when they sought their real selves in ground-molded bodies.

Of course, it did not help that their quest for inner discovery began with attempted suicide.