Biblical scholar and historian Frances Young has produced a volume of essays on the topic of Ways of Reading Scripture. Most of the twenty-five essays that are included have been published elsewhere. But Young wrote some new essays for this publication. That alone shows extra consideration since often these collected essays do not include much by way of new, scholarly contributions.
Hermeneutics
Review of The Reformation And the Right Reading of Scripture by Iain Provan
Iain Provan has picked a fight with retrieval theology and certain forms of conservative Christianity (e.g., with Norm Geisler). While making his case for the right reading of Scripture (i.e., in line with the Reformation), he covers almost every area of biblical studies. Surprisingly, despite the wide-ranging argument, Provan writes consistently at a high level with mostly persuasive arguments.
At its core, The Reformation And the Right Reading of Scripture is a historical study of how Christians have read the Bible through the ages. Yet Provan argues historically for a particular kind of reading the Bible, namely, the kind of biblical interpretation practiced during the Reformation.
All Bible study comes down to at least two things
Bible study comes down to at least two things. Firstly, we read the bible to know what the text says, and secondly, we reflect on what text means by what it says. While this might seem overly simple, reading the Bible well nevertheless takes both effort and spiritual discernment. [Read more…] about All Bible study comes down to at least two things
How to Read the Bible to Know What It Means by What It Says
When Augustine wrote his manual on biblical interpretation, he observed that reality is made up of signs and things. Here’s an illustration to explain what he meant. A wedding ring signifies a promise of marital union. So a wedding ring is a sign. Yet it also a ring, which means that a wedding ring both signifies and is a thing. While such a distinction might seem pedantic or obtuse, it provides easy categories to explain why I am suggesting that we sometimes misunderstand the Bible’s meaning.
To understand the importance of signs and things, we first need turn to the Bible to see how it talks about heaven and earth and the Bible. [Read more…] about How to Read the Bible to Know What It Means by What It Says
Some Thoughts on Andy Stanley’s Unhitching Sermon
Before condemning or affirming someone, we should listen to the source (I am looking at myself here!). In light of that, I listened to the sermon in which Andy Stanley speaks of unhitching the Old Testament from our faith. here are a few thoughts.
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