One special feature of New Thought, emphasized more in some branches than in others, is known as the metaphysical interpretation of the Bible. This misuse of the term metaphysical raises a few philosophical eyebrows, but what it really means is treating Scripture metaphorically, seeking a deeper meaning beyond the literal. Jesus frequently taught in parables, which he later interpreted for his disciples. From the days of Philo Judaeus and of the early church in Alexandria, scholars have interpreted names in the Bible to arrive at deeper meanings. Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore compiled his Metaphysical Bible Dictionary of these interpretations.
Some metaphorical interpretations are consistent throughout the Bible.
For example, man and woman symbolize either body and soul or intellect and emotion. For this reason, well-meaning attempts to eliminate sexism in the Bible obscure deeper meanings. Unity minister Catherine Ponder and the late Divine Science minister Emmet Fox both have written extensively about metaphysical interpretation of the Bible. Direct experience of God is sometimes called mysticism . We need mysticism balanced and corrected by reason, with both firmly and practically anchored in the real world of daily life.