In this issue and the next, we arrive at the heart of our yearlong theme. Thus far we have done a lot of spade work: first in diagnosing the problem of biblical illiteracy in evangelicalism, then in defending the nature of the Bible (inspired and inerrant) that we hope to recover, and most recently by examining what it means to recognize the Bible as the Bible, a canon, the sole authority for the life and faith of the church.
Now that we have this sacred text in our hands, a unified Word reliable and true, how do we go about reading it in order to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? We do insist that it is the Holy Spirit, working through and never apart from the Word, who accomplishes the work of modern reformation in our hearts and in our churches, yet it is no contradiction to say that we must also reflect upon how to read the Bible faithfully as did the Bereans of Acts 17:10-11. This is the very practical subject that will concern us in these pages, before turning to the content of Scripture in our next issue.
We all are guilty of reading the Bible by looking for what seems most important and pressing to us, sometimes with a stubborn unwillingness to let the text challenge and reshape our seemingly all-important concerns. But Michael Horton warns us against letting “central dogmas” dominate our interpretation of the Bible, even in the case of favorite doctrines such as predestination or union with Christ. Scripture provides its own clues as to what is important and elemental. We must let our theological hobbyhorses fall by the wayside, he argues, and turn to the rule of faith, for Scripture is its own best interpreter.
But theology is always needed to accomplish this task, argues Wheaton College professor Kevin Vanhoozer, and not simply a linguistic or exegetical approach to the Bible. We may (and must!) parse verbs and diagram sentences, but we also need a wholesale integration of “biblical studies” with “systematic theology.” This is such an important issue for evangelicals today that we later continue the conversation by posing a number of questions to D. A. Carson, professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
There are many things that influence the way Christians read the Bible, and in this issue Patrick Smith of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary pushes back against “new atheist” critics of Christian ethics with a discussion of the Bible and slavery. Context is crucial for this topic and others, and that is especially true when considering the development of African Christianity under the shadow of European colonialism. We hear so much these days about “cultural transformation,” but Modern Reformation regular David Wells talks about what the merging of commerce, civilization-building, and Christian culture-making has meant for the faith in this part of the world. Globalization and a culture of marketing are ubiquitous; therefore, John Bombaro of Grace Lutheran Church critiques the commodification of the Word of God in treating the Bible as “big business.”
We hope this issue will provide thought-provoking reading in the midst of summer. Let us all take time to consider how best to handle the Word of God with care, for the benefit of our souls.
Ryan Glomsrud
Executive Editor
