The Bible is easier to interpret once you have a handle on the message. For instance, we know that Jesus said Love God with all your heart and soul, and your fellow man like yourself - and that this summarises the Ten Commandments. From that conclusion, everything should be seen as spiraling into that idea (i.e. nothing contradicts it). You can interpret, but only within the bounds of what you already know.
We also know it's supposed to be a gospel (O.E. god-spel: good message) of salvation. We get to know Jesus and his message, we see how people act, what God condemns as sin, and how redemption takes place. There are letters written to the first Christian churches.
There are clearly some controversies, but there will always be where opinion is present, especially when the text is supposed to be 'authorative'. I think the biggest problem people have with the Bible (other than that they can't believe some of it), is not the interpretation, but the applicaton of it. If you think about it - it's not such a hard life to live, even if you can't accept it fully (the Bible also says what matters is what you persist in, and eventual think is right.
Give me an example of a part that requires interpretation, and I'll show you what I mean. Would you like the 'dead bury the dead' part?