Book Review: Reading the Bible Missionally

Last updated on: March 6, 2017 at 5:39 am by Michael F. Bird

Book Review: Reading the Bible Missionally 2017-03-06T05:39:16-04:00 Michael F. Bird

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Michael W. Goheen (ed.)

Reading the Bible Missionally
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016.
Available at Amazon.com

By Mark Simon

The book is structured in five section, the first concerned with definitional issues presented from a diverse range of perspectives. The second and third sections contain chapters on missional readings of the Old and New Testaments respectively, while the fourth and fifth sections shift the focus to the practical domains of preaching and theological education.

For those new to the field of Missional Hermeneutics, the key chapters to set the scene are chapter 2 ‘Mission as Hermeneutic for Scriptural Interpretation’ by Richard Bauckham, chapter 3 ‘Mapping the Missional Hermeneutics Conversation’ by George Hunsberger, chapter 6 ‘Reading the Old Testament Missionally’ by Christopher Wright and chapter 9 ‘Reading the New Testament Missionally’ by N. T. Wright. These chapters are generally revisions of material published elsewhere, which outline the defining features and methodology of missional hermeneutics.

There are then a number of possibilities for the reader to dig deeper. Chapter 4, by Craig Bartholomew ‘Theological Interpretation and a Missional Hermeneutic’ works to tease out definitional issues in the field, based largely on David Bosch’s Witness to the World and Transforming Mission. Bartholomew highlights the importance of ecclesiology for a workable understanding of mission, but faults a narrow focus on the institutional church, or the church as alternative community. While not the only lens for interpreting Scripture, biblical interpretation needs missional hermeneutics, according to Bartholomew, because it focuses on the meaning of the Bible for us in the church today, and helps overcome the tendency of western biblical scholars still operating under an Enlightenment framework to “obscure their own ideological underpinnings”. Michael Goheen’s chapter ‘A History and Introduction to a Missional Reading of the Bible’ also advances the apologetic for a missional reading, seeking especially to convince Biblical scholars that mission is a valid and necessary interpretive approach.

In chapter 5, ‘Intercultural Hermeneutics and the Shape of Missional Theology’. John Franke argues that in order to avoid absolutizing our own socially constructed cultural models of interpretation, we need to seek out the views of Christians in other cultures who interpret the biblical texts in different ways from us. Franke’s commitment to postmodern approaches as part of intercultural hermeneutics is a provocative challenge to the hegemony of modernist, foundationalist approaches to theology.

The chapter by Mark Glanville on ‘A Missional Reading of Deuteronomy’ shows the potential for missional hermeneutics to produce surprisingly rich accounts of biblical texts that winsomely convey the good news of God’s concern to free communities from slavery and lead them into joyful feasting. A similar set of themes also emerge in Goheen’s chapter on Missional Reading and Preaching. He argues that missional reading orients the preacher to their task of preaching Christ with the goal of forming a distinctive community; a community liberated from bondage to cultural idolatry, a community living the ‘true story’ of the world, a community transformed by the power of God, for the sake of the world.

For those involved in theological education the final two chapters by Guder and Goheen contain a number of helpful suggestions for how missional readings can address some of the crises and criticisms facing institutions delivering theological education. Missional reading of scripture pushes teaching theologians to greater engagement with their cultures and contexts, a stronger focus on personal formation, and curricula which are better adapted to the changed needs of post-Christendom western society and the exploding demand for missional leadership training in the global South.

This volume is a rich resource for those concerned that the Bible be read and interpreted with a strong orientation to the needs and context of the church and world. It brings together contributions from many respected authors in the field. If there is a minor criticism of the volume, it is that none of the contributors are non-Western. Our engagement with the missional nature of the Bible will be further enhanced as we share readings of scripture that emerge from non-Western contexts where interpreters are grappling with the needs of the Christian and wider community in distinct cultural settings.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 27, 2017

Faithlife's Forthcoming Video Course on the Father and Son Relationship

Next Post

March 10, 2017 The Benedict Option - Responses

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Lands Blogosphere Book Review Calvinism Colleges & Universities Ecclesiology Emerging Adulthood Evangelicalism Foreign Affairs Gospel of John Greco-Roman World Humor Just War N. T. Wright Old Testament Resurrection Terrorism Theological Education Travel Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who had a coat of many colors?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Esau Joseph Jacob Benjamin

Books by This Author Books by Mike Bird

See All Titles »