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Renewing Biblical InterpretationFor heavyweightsRENEWING BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION This is a serious and far reaching attempt by some notable academic scholars to engage with the crisis in biblical interpretation which is the result of recent developments in postmodern hermeneutics. The opening words of the introduction sound a warning to what might be a sleeping church unaware of what has been taking place: 'When it comes to the Bible, there is a lot at stake for the church and for the world. The God and Father of Jesus Christ who speaks and addresses us through the canon of Scripture by the Holy Spirit is utterly central to Christianity. Without the voice of the Living God addressing us through Scripture, Christianity collapses into such empty rhetoric, and the world is left without the redemptive, recreative Word of God.' As the writers point out, the plurality of approaches which exist regarding biblical interpretation within the academy results in the predominant feeling that biblical interpretation is inescapably subjective. 1998 seminarIn order to counter and question this trend, 'The Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar' (a series of consultations) began in 1998. This was an interdisciplinary meeting of Christian academics and resulted in this first volume of an ongoing and ambitious project, which seeks, as the title suggests, to renew biblical interpretation. The present volume examines the interplay between some underlying philosophical issues and matters of history, literature and theology. Other areas of study have been projected to the year 2006. Ways forwardThe result is a very stimulating and impressive set of essays which cover a wide scope of material, ranging from a historical assessment of the schools of thought which have produced the present crisis to some very positive and suggestive ways forward. Of particular interest was Stephen Wright's contribution 'An Experiment in Biblical Criticism' which proposes (rightly in my view), that the preacher is to be seen not only as an interpreter of Scripture 'but as the agent of encounter with the "other" which Scripture mediates.' This may sound like theologian-speak, but what it amounts to is a recognition that preaching involves far more than explaining and applying the biblical text - it also embraces the impact of the text and the response to it. The writer speaks in terms of having a balance between 'exposition' and 'performance' (not in the sense of entertainment or drama, but in the sense of bringing something about). There is much from this essay that the thoughtful minister could learn. This is not a 'light' read but it is a good read and is a welcomed and refreshing collection to a vital area of study and debate. We can only look forward in eager anticipation to the rest of the series. Melvin Tinker, Hull© Evangelicals Now - July 2001 |