Explain the difference between liberal and literal Christianity.
Liberal Christians believe that the stories in the Bible should not be taken in a literal sense. Instead, they see the stories in a more mythical way. When liberals look at the creation story found in Genesis they may say that the story is there to emphasise the power of God, or to teach Christians about sinfulness through the story of Adam and Eve. Liberals would accept scientific theories such as the Big Bang and evolution as they could believe that God caused them.
The terms literalists or fundamentalists, refer to Christians who believe that the Bible contains the actual word of God and that these words are all factually correct. Literalists would believe the creation story found in Genesis is exactly as it is written. They would believe that God created the world and everything in it over a period of six days and then rested on the seventh day. There would be no room for scientific differences in their beliefs.