Rabbi Stephen Fuchs spoke at Hartford Seminary on Feb. 11, 2015, about his new book, What’s In It For Me? Finding Ourselves in Biblical Narratives. It’s a book,  he said,  that exists in what he likes to call the “sacred middle ground.”

Some people, he said, describe the Bible as the literal word of God, while others dismiss it altogether. In his view, the stories in the Bible “represent a truth that is neither literal, historical nor scientific, but teaches us how to live better lives.”

The Creation story, as an example, doesn’t have to be read as either “good science or bad science.”

“It’s not science at all,” he said. “It’s truth, it’s religious truth. The truth that we find in that story is truth that affects the way we live.”

Rabbi Fuchs also talked about Exodus, Cain and Abel, and Moses, and how those stories have messages that tap into what God wants us to choose for ourselves.

“I believe God has a will, a desire, and a message for all of us, and the only important question is, are we willing to listen?”

View the full talk on video.