A brief history of 4 methods

	The astronomical findings of Kepler and Galileo in the 16th century were the first to seriously threaten this belief system. Cosmology, as described in the Bible was found to be in error. The idea that stars traveled on the underside of a metal dome -- the firmament -- that separated earth from Heaven was found to be in error.
	Further religious strains occurred in the early 18th century when it became obvious to most scientists that the earth's geological processes were exceedingly slow, and must have been accomplished over incredibly long periods of time. Bishop Ussher had predicted that the world was created in 4004 BCE. This left inadequate time for mountain ranges to erode and others to build up.
	Benjamin Franklin proved in the 18th century that lightning is a natural electrical phenomenon, and not thunderbolts hurled by Satanic powers.
	In the 19th century, Christians in large numbers started to abandon the institution of human slavery, rejecting the concept of one person owning another person as profoundly immoral. Passages throughout the Bible had justified, condoned, controlled, and accepted slavery. People began to wonder how the Bible could accept and regulate a practice which was so immoral, and to do it without criticism.

The result of such scientific and social stressors caused some Christian denominations to question the inerrancy and literal interpretation of the Bible. They gradually abandoned certain beliefs, and generated a major split in Christianity between Modernism and Fundamentalist. The split continues today. Fundamentalist and some other conservative Christians still interpret much of the Bible literally. One example is the battle between supporters of creation science and evolution.
 

Near the end of the first century CE, friction between the early Christians and mainline Judaism mounted. At the same time, Paul and his followers were evangelizing the Gentiles (non-Jews). The result was that the Christian movements became predominately non-Jewish and eventually anti-Jewish. Being ignorant of the Midrash tradition and antagonistic towards the Jews, the early Christians began to interpret the Christian Scriptures literally.

Christian theologian Michael Goulder pioneered the Midrash interpretation of the Gospels in the mid-1970's. _3,4 Bishop Spong widely introduced Midrash to the public. ₅