Here is another interesting fact that might explain why fundamentalists react the way the do when confronted on how they view the Bible.
From about the 18th century on Christianity was influenced by Common Sense philosophy. This philosophy/scientific paradigm argues that phenomena can be separated into observable facts. Using their basic senses, humans can come to a universal, objective understanding of these natural and external laws and truths.
This was huge during the Enlightenment, affecting science, art, and religion. American Christian thought reflected this; Christians believed that through exercising one’s common sense, individuals could read the Bible and come to an understanding of God.
This evolved into romanticism, developing theories about naturalism, subjectivity, and the experience of a phenomena (the idea of a thing, rather than the thing itself).
So in this sense, its not so much that fundamentalists are anti-intellectual. But their movement is based in a different intellectual paradigm.
Christian fundamentalism as a uniquely American phenomenon, shaped by a cultural experience and its reactions to social and political changes.
Fundamentalism’s roots go back to the 1870s, shortly after the Civil War, in an era of American prosperity and dominance.
At that time there were philosophical, scientific, and ideological influences on Christianity. As cultural ideologies shifted, Christian leaders reacted, going along with the changes, opposing them, and/or integrating them into their movement.
So Christians faced liberalization within their movement and broader social changes that affected their practice and acceptance of changes in their faith.
If God doesn’t tell stories, then what, pray tell, do you make of Jesus’ parables? Those were indeed figurative stories used to convey religious truths about God and Heaven.