The Word of God for the People of God: An Entryway to the Theological Interpretation of Scripture. By J. TODD BILLINGS.

Abstract

Literature on the theological interpretation of the Bible as Christian Scripture is not only becoming abundant, but is also growing in confidence and depth. As such, this book is a fine example of the genre. Polemics against non-theological interpretation are as conspicuously absent as is any sense of embarrassment in speaking of the difference that God makes within the life of the world. Rather, Billings lucidly and accessibly offers a well-considered account of theological interpretation as ‘a multifaceted practice of a community of faith in reading the Bible as God’s instrument of self-revelation and saving fellowship. It is not a single, discrete method or discipline; rather, it is a wide range of practices we use toward the goal of knowing God in Christ through Scripture’ (p. xii). Billings is robustly ‘both … and’ rather than ‘either … or’ in his understanding of church and academy: ‘the renewal of theological interpretation means … an attentiveness to creeds and hymns in interpreting Scripture, as well as behind-the-text issues; a receptivity to the challenging address of the Spirit through Scripture, and a facility in historical and linguistic analysis; the importance of tradition in reading Scripture, and the importance of critical inquiry. Both tradition and critical inquiry are important dimensions of a larger drama’ (p. 67). Of course, this will neither resolve all problems nor please everyone. Nonetheless, in an age of a plurality of approaches to the Bible, it is important to be clear that proposals for theological interpretation are not some kind of bid for hegemony within the world of biblical scholarship, but rather a reframing of the enterprise where approach varies according to goal.