from the context. Second, there is “flat interpretation” in which a passage is taken as literal if possible. Obvious figures of speech are recognized, but nothing more. Consequently, “we would ignore the possibility of poetic overtones, irony, wordplay, or the possible figurative or allusive character of whole sections of material.”25 The shortcomings of these first two approaches are apparent. The potential for ignoring the entire context of a statement is great in both cases. Thus, Poythress correctly