"He is much more spiritually knowledgeable than me, however, so I have to accept the possibility that he is correct."
Is he? He may be more theologically informed, but otherwise, I have my doubts.
"The primary one is that, unlike modern versions, it does actually make sense. We lose the ridiculous elements — Eve emerging from Adam’s rib, the references to nudity, fig leaves etc."
Well, even if the explanation seems to make sense, explanatory strength is irrelevant. Even an internally consistent system that explains reality to the tiniest minutia can still be wrong. Which is always the case with interpretations whose claims can be neither demonstrated nor repeated. Furthermore, you can explain those "ridiculous elements" in a much more straightforward way:
