RE: We don’t (and shouldn’t) always take it literally.
I think the author has the right idea. Not everything in the Bible should be taken literally. Some have to be taken figuratively ( and I don’t think the author is referring to the slaughter of the Canaanites as figurative).
Many of Jesus’ sayings are clearly figurative (e.g., He is the door, He is the vine, we are the branches, etc. ).
Anyone who speaks English should not confuses figures of speech with metaphors. The Bible is not merely a book of metaphors. It is literal literature that uses figures of speech.
The author is on dangerous ground and does not know it.
The issue is not about taking the bible literally, it’s about taking it seriously. The Author does not appear to take the Bible seriously.