Evangelical Hermeneutics: The New Versus the Old (Paperback)

by Robert L. Thomas (Editor)
Key Phrases: plenior meanings, line between hermeneutics, gressive dispensationalism, New Testament, Old Testament, Grand Rapids (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I. . . recommend this book as an important review for evangelical students today. (Faith and Mission )

Product Description
A thorough and competent examination of divergent hermeneutical methods widely used by evangelicals today. (20040603)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Academic & Professional (January 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082543839X
• ISBN-13: 978-0825438394
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #371,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, January 27, 2004

By	Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are some books I can read in an evening or two and feel like I have a good grasp of what the book is all about. There are others that I can pour over hour after hour and still feel like I am only scratching the surface of the book. Evangelical Hermeneutics falls into the latter category. Though not an easy read, this book is rewarding.

Hermeneutics is one of the steps used in interpreting and studying the Bible. Specifically, the author defines it as "a set of principles for interpreting the Bible." Once a passage has been properly interpreted, meaning and application can be drawn from it. It stands to reason that if the principles of interpretation are wrong, the meaning and application are likely to be wrong as well. What the author seeks to show is how these principles have changed over the past decades and the effect that is having on Christianity today.

The author's goal for this book is fourfold:
-To discuss the recent changes in recent hermeneutics
-To show new meanings being attached to grammatical-historical interpretation
-To compare traditional grammatical-historical interpretation with new evangelical hermeneutics
-To identify the dominant principles of new evangelical hermeneutics

Robert Thomas believes strongly in the value of the traditional form of hermeneutics, known as the grammatical-historical method. Throughout the books he cites examples of modern theologians who have either wrongly applied grammatical-historical principles or have invented new methods of hermeneutics. More importantly, he shows the effects these people have had on the Christian world. He focuses specifically on several issues: feminism, open theism, missiology, theonomy and a few others. One of the more fascinating chapters deals with dynamic equivalence (which is a method of Bible translation) and how it is not as much a method of translation as a set of hermeneutical principles. Some of the other topics that caught my attention were preunderstanding and the New Testament use of the Old Testament.

There are several applications to my life and my faith that I have taken from this book. First, it has solidified my understanding of the principle of single meaning, which states that each passage in the Bible has one and only one meaning. Second, it has helped me see the value of the grammatical-historical method. Though this is the system I have adhered to in the past, I am now more confident that it is the most Scriptural method. Third, I see the importance of removing all possible preunderstanding before I examine a text. What I mean by this, is if I am going to examine what the Bible says about the role of women in ministry, I need to look at the passages to determine what they mean, not what they say about women's roles. It is a subtle but important difference. Finally, I have come to understand more clearly the Holy Spirit's role in helping me understand the Bible.

I can't deny that at times I felt lost in this book, primarily because the book presupposes a greater grasp of hermeneutics than I currently have. The other reason is that it spends a lot of time discussing the end-times and that is not a topic I have studied in great depth. The author also tends to use words without fully defining them. An example is the word "meaning" which he defines as "the author's truth intention." "Truth intention" is not a phrase I am familiar with, though perhaps if I was more familiar with hermeneutics I would be.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand how Scripture is supposed to be used. Realize, though, that it does help to have a solid understanding of hermeneutics before reading it. I suspect I will be returning to this book often as I study the Word.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Log in Thomas' Own Eye, February 1, 2009

By	Hellenistic Linguist "Mike" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews

There are many wonderful statements in this book. Thomas is an impressive scholar with a life time of study of the scriptures.

Unfortunately, this book seems to be more interested in pointing out everyone else's flaws with absolutely no awareness of the author's own.

Thomas spends over 500 pages lumping together people with whom he disagrees into one big category: the failure of preunderstanding. The book is a book about how everyone else has failed to interpret and study the Bible objectively because they have rejected Milton Terry's hermeneutical method, which isn't even necessarily true.

Its true. All the scholars he criticizes have failed to interpret scripture objectively. The problem is that Thomas doesn't seem to be aware that neither has he! Thomas has just as much preunderstanding when he approaches scripture as everyone he criticizes, but he never seems aware of it - at least not in this book.

Instead, Thomas excels at quoting someone he disagrees with, misconstruing that quote, and then ranting about how that person isn't objective, never realizing that his own preunderstanding has destroyed the authorial intent of the person he's quoting. Thomas regularly fails to understand the authorial intent of Moises Silva's statements on linguistics and interpretation. Thomas regularly fails to understand the authorial intent of Peter Cotterell and Max Turner in their book on linguistics and interpretation. And that's just the icing on the cake. Every single chapter is like that.

When it comes down to it, Robert L. Thomas is so busy pointing out the splinter of preunderstanding in everyone else's eyes that he is yet to have noticed the log in his own.
[...]

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!!!, April 27, 2009

By	Steven P. Gatdula "SteveG" (BaltimoreMD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Robert L. Thomas gives a clear and precise evaluation on how todays evangelicals have shifted away from the traditional grammatical-historical hermeneutics of the Bible. This book is a must read for Seminary students and Pastors who are faithful to the Word of God through expositional preaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!