BOOK REVIEWS

Interpreting God 's Word For Today: An Inquiry into Hermeneutics from a Biblical Theological Perspective. ed. Wayne McCown and James Earl Massey. Volume II: Wesleyan Theological Perspectives. ed. John E. Hartley and R. Larry Shelton. Anderson, Indiana: Warner Press, 1982. x and 264 pp. Reviewed by Roger L. Hahn, Assistant Professor of Religion, Bethany Nazarene College, Bethany, Oklahoma.

This second volume of the Wesleyan Theological Perspectives series contains nine articles dealing in one way or another with hermeneutical issues. The preface sets the volume in the context of the dialogue on hermeneutics stimulated by the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Fellowship's 1980 study program on hermeneutics. The essays are arranged to provide a general progression from the historical to the contemporary to the practical. Though summarizing all the essays in a collection of articles can produce a tediously lengthy review a brief description of each of the essays is necessary.

The lead article, "Toward a Wesleyan Hermeneutic," by co-editor, Wayne McCown, is presented as a position paper and is to be seen as more than simply one of the essays; it purposely introduces the volume. McCown writes self-consciously as a Wesleyan. He both summarizes the contribution of John Wesley in the shaping of a Wesleyan heritage of hermeneutics and describes the effects of Biblical criticism in terms of how "we" interact with those influences. He stresses the discipline of Wesley in dealing with large portions of Scripture, Wesley's devotional and expository use of Scripture and the close relation Wesley saw between Scripture and life. McCown calls for a modified use of Biblical criticism that allows the canonical and supernatural dimensions of Scripture to receive just due.

McCown concludes his article with a brief programmatic statement for Wesleyan hermeneutics. Accepting the basis of Traina's inductive approach as standard he calls for increased study in the original Biblical languages, a wider use of modern reference resources, an extension of interest from individual texts of Scripture to larger patterns, and the development of a hermeneutic for application. Such an approach would improve Wesleyan preaching, enrich our Biblical Theology and provide the basis for a significant Wesleyan contribution to contemporary music.

The second article is, "The Hermeneutics of Holiness," by Carl Michalson. Beginning with the centrality of preaching in Wesley's ministry, Michalson demonstrates the way Wesley reflected the changing concept of hermeneutics during the 18^th century. The importance of application as part of the process of understanding is clearly seen in the way Wesley spoke of "unconcerned" congregations that heard the Word of God but did not receive it. Michalson then describes Wesley's understanding of holiness as augmenting the hermeneutical circle, transforming it to a hermeneutical "cycle." The pre-understanding of the Christian man is different from that of the sinner, opening the believer to understanding at a higher level. The call to perfection, a call to attain the whole mind of Christ, pulls the hermeneutical circle into an upward spiral.

Michalson also demonstrates Wesley's use of holiness to "demythologize" Scriptural texts. Wesley's zeal for inward holiness led him to interpret much of the first-century language of the New Testament in terms of his own message of deliverance from sin. The article concludes with a demonstration of the tension in Wesley between being released from the world and released into the world by means of holiness.

Robert Traina provides the third article, "Inductive Bible Study Reexamined in the Light of Contemporary Hermeneutics," written in two parts: "Interpreting the Text," and, "Applying the Truth." Traina reexamines the inductive method developed by Wilbert W. White as presented in the works of Howard T. Kuist and Charles Eberhardt from the perspective of several modern developments in Biblical studies. The view of Bultmann and the New Hermeneutic that presuppositionless exegesis is impossible is set in uneasy tension with White's desire for a scientific and objective investigation of Scripture. White is then credited with anticipating in his method the canonical criticism of Child’s, the literary criticism of Perrin and modern structuralist interpretation of Scripture. Traina then argues that White's goal of re-creating the author's intentions provides a safeguard against the dangers of emulating the hermeneutics that New Testament writers used in interpreting the Old Testament. Walter Wink's Transforming Bible Study is the next modern to have been anticipated by White, and Traina concludes Part I by discussing the tension between induction and deduction posed by the use of Biblical criticism.

Part II of Traina's contribution, "Applying the Truth," focuses on the need for the inductive method to develop a better process for application. Traina notes that this weakness of the inductive method is also a weakness of contemporary Biblical studies in general. He proposes an inductive methodology for application in three steps: Biblical analysis, situational analysis and application proper which correlates Biblical and situational analyses. Biblical analysis is seen to be complicated by the difficulty of resolving tensions between the ethics of Old and New Testaments and between situational and absolute teachings of Scripture. Situational analysis will both examine the motivations and intentions operative in current practice and practitioners and provide help in resolving the problem of which of conflicting Biblical absolutes to apply in a given situation. Traina concludes by discussing the conflict between induction and deduction when a theological position is expected to be the result of induction! He points out, "Induction . . . has much unfinished business. But it can be done, and it is worth doing!"

John Culp's, "The Impact of Modern Thought upon Biblical Interpretation," is the following article. Culp begins by describing what he sees as the three dominant perceptions that have shaped the modern understanding of reality: reality as historical, as secular and as pluralistic. He then proceeds to show the influence of these perceptions on contemporary Biblical interpretation. The wide-spread influence of the historical perception of reality can be seen both in the development and use of the historical critical method and the interest by conservatives in archaeology as a tool to "verify" the Bible. The assumption that the Bible can be studied like any other book and thus the development of methods to do so are evidences of the impact of the secular perception of reality.

Culp concludes by attempting to formulate a Wesleyan response to this impact of modern thought on the study of Scripture. He warns against the dangers of relativism, the exclusion of God from our explanations of events, the denial of human autonomy, isolation and a subjectivism that results from trying to harmonize all views. Wesleyan interpreters will affirm, according to Culp, the historical relativity of Biblical materials, the need for application of the Biblical materials and the place of both the activity of God and the freedom of humans.

The fifth essay, "Evangelicals and Critical Historical Method," is contributed by Robert W. Lyon. Lamenting the failure of evangelicals to encounter Scripture from a post-Enlightenment perspective, Lyon calls on evangelicals to "embrace wholeheartedly the critical and historical approach to the study of the Biblical texts." After acknowledging that such a call, "may appear ill-timed," in light of recent obituaries for the historical critical method, Lyon moves from a brief history of the development of the method to a critique of the method. He explores the particular inability of the historical-critical method to make theological judgments. Using the resurrection of Jesus as a test case he points out the inability of historians to verify the kergyma of the resurrection. Even if a historian could verify the fact of the resurrection that would not confirm the meaning of the resurrection. Lyon concludes his essay with a call for evangelicals to use the historical-critical method as a tool for understanding rather than for substantiating (or refuting) Scripture. He turns to Jesus' teaching on divorce as an example of an important contemporary issue that would be profited by such a historical-critical study. The works of John Murray and John R. W. Stott on divorce are criticized for relying on the dogmatic rather than the historical approach, but Lyon ends his essay without demonstrating the historical-critical understanding of Jesus' teaching on divorce.

Frank R. Spina submits an introduction to the current discussion of the canon in his article, "Canonical Criticism: Childs Versus Sanders." Spina summarizes the role of Childs' article in Interpretation 18 (1964) and his Biblical Theology in Crisis in introducing the issue of canonical criticism. The debate between Childs and Sanders is shown to take shape with the publication of Torah and Canon by Sanders and the Exodus commentary and Old Testament Introduction by Childs and the reaction of each to the other's publications. Spina then synthesizes the agreements and differences between Childs and Sanders. Among the differences are Childs' emphasis on the product of the canon as opposed to Sanders' interest in the process, Childs' rejection of a canon within a canon as opposed to Sanders' insistence on the necessity of it and Childs' interest in the canon as a vehicle of revelation as opposed to Sanders' interest in the canon as a vehicle of salvation. Spina concludes his contribution by posing a number of questions to both Childs and Sanders.

The Wesleyan interest in practical application mentioned in the lead essay by McCown is demonstrated by the last three articles. John E. Hartley develops a theme for Biblical theology in, "The Use of Typology Illustrated in a Study of Isaiah 9:1-7." Frank G. Carver gives very practical and detailed suggestions for Bible teachers in his, "A Working Model for Teaching Exegesis." Finally, James Earl Massey concludes the volume with, "Hermeneutics and Pulpit Work," an article that reflects the intersection of preaching and application in the Wesleyan tradition.

Hartley begins with a definition and defense of a limited use of typology. After briefly mentioning the extremes of the typology of earlier centuries, he interacts with the discussions of Wright and von Rad in developing his understanding of an appropriate typology. Following a literary and historical exegesis of Isaiah's 9:1-7, Hartley applies his proposed methodology. He develops Isaiah's use of previous events and images, comparing Scripture with Scripture to show the rich Old Testament understanding of ritual, worship and theology that informed the passage in Isaiah. Hartley's typology shows its richness in the final section that demonstrates the way the themes and images just described from throughout the Old Testament find their focus in Jesus. Jesus' ministry in Galilee, bringing the light of the Kingdom, fulfilling the imagery of Gideon, and His realization of Yahweh's covenant with David serve to illustrate how typology can illuminate the inter-relationships of the Word of God.

Carver's title, "A Working Model for Teaching Exegesis," aptly describes his contribution. He begins by presenting his presuppositions as a Wesleyan for studying Scripture. He sees Scripture as incarnational, Christological and God-breathed. Carver also believes that holiness is the integral context of the Biblical message as a whole and that that holiness is revealed in Scripture both as God's offer of a grace relationship with himself in Christ and as the human response to such an offer.

Carver presents both the way he has used the model he will present and alternative ways in which he believes it could be used. He then lays out, in considerable detail, the model itself. He presents the questions that must be asked the text in literary, historical and content exegesis with suggested readings in every area. The model is bracketed with suggested readings on interpretative theory and the questions that lead to application. A person preparing a syllabus for a course on exegetical method will find much of their work done for them here.

Massey's concluding essay affirms the necessity of hermeneutics for preaching. He makes the basic observation that the Scriptures are the Church's book and the Church certainly expects its preachers to study that book. Suggesting that "basic sense units" are the proper objects of that study Massey mentions the largest sense unit-a single book of the Bible-and the simplest sense unit-the sentence. He develops and illustrates the importance of the sentence for preaching in the central section of his essay. Massey also calls for a probing of the text to find the common focus that can produce a common faith for preacher and people. The final portion of the article affirms the role of the Holy Spirit in the hermeneutical process.

The book is physically easy to read but difficult to study. The type is relatively large and the pages are not crowded. Only one typographical error and one failure to italicize a transliterated Greek work come to mind after reading it. But the eye-pleasing type and spacing is undermined by the abominable practice of using end notes rather than footnotes. The necessity of keeping a book open to two places at once and having to constantly turn back and forth and find one's place on the other pages is a severe impediment to reading for understanding.

Every essay of the volume is useful, informative and worthy of both reading and re-reading. In each article this reviewer responded more than once with that, "Aha," that accompanies either recognition of a new expression of one's cherished views or an awareness of a valuable new insight. Spina's essay is a splendid introduction to whole issue of contemporary canonical criticism. Hartley's treatment of Isaiah 9:1-7 is a rich example of work that transcends the academic to become devotional as well. For devout Bible scholars that is a rare, but greatly desired delight. Michalson's contribution is lively and stimulating. The reader senses that Michalson has engaged Wesley in dialogue over his hermeneutics rather than merely reporting what Wesley said as so many Wesley studies do.

Naturally each of the articles also had points of weakness but engaging in critical dialogue with each is beyond the scope of this review. I prefer rather to simply note a few reservations about the book in general. If the editors or contributors seriously wrestled with the question of the difference between hermeneutics and exegesis, it is not apparent. Some contemporary writers use the word hermeneutics in the plural as a virtual synonym for exegesis and reserve the singular, "hermeneutic," to describe the general principles for interpreting a text meaningfully to a contemporary audience. If such definitions were intended for this work they were not articulated as is still customary when these altered understandings are used. When one sees the word, "Hermeneutics," as the key word of the subtitle and reads the title, "Interpreting God's Word for Today," one expects more discussion on the principles and methods of making Scripture speak meaningfully to the present generation. One can see that the contributors are, in general, skilled at determining what the text meant (though they seldom demonstrate that skill at any length) but they deal in generalities about the need for application. As one fairly well trained in exegesis I am appreciative of exegetical skill but the title of the book raised my hopes for help in the other half of hermeneutics-a hope that was disappointed.

The use of the word, "hermeneutics," in the subtitle and the preface description of this volume as being in dialogue with other Christians on the subject of Hermeneutics gives rise to the hope that one will find both an explanation and engagement with the so-called, "New Hermeneutic." Such a hope is also disappointed in this book. Although there are frequent allusions and side-glances there is no sustained direct engagement with Fuchs, Ebeling and others of the New Hermeneutic movement. Traina comes the closest to meeting this need in one brief section of part I of his essay, but he is more using the New Hermeneutic as a foil than he is engaging them in serious discussion. Surely a collection of essays on Hermeneutics could have included at least a single article that addressed this important area.

Reflection on what this reviewer perceives to be lack of engagement with an important issue in recent Biblical studies raises another question. What was the intended audience of both the contributors individually and the volume as a whole? Was it scholars? If so, in what field? Was it theological students, or pastors? Was the audience intended to be Wesleyan, non-Wesleyan or both? Many of the essays suffered from generalness when it was apparent that the authors were capable of more detailed and specific work. Did a self-conscious attempt to be both "practical" and "scholarly" undermine aiming at a specific audience and thus specific writing? Too much contemporary Wesleyan writing attempts to aim at every audience and ends up affecting none. This work could have benefited from a sharpened focus upon a specific audience.

Regardless of such weaknesses one is delighted to see such a book on the market. Wesleyan scholarship is under-represented in print and the Wesleyan Theological Perspectives series is a commendable effort to address the problem. Our credibility can only be enhanced by continuing to write, critique and be critiqued, and by improving in response to criticism.

John Wesley's Message for Today, by Steve Harper. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983, 160 pp. Reviewed by H. Ray Dunning, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Philosophy, Trevecca Nazarene College, Nashville, Tennessee.

Taking his cue from Wesley himself, Steve Harper has attempted to set forth the Wesleyan message in "plain words for plain people." He has avoided technical discussions and embellished his text with illustrations in presenting a simple statement of John Wesley's understanding of the Christian life.

The structure of this little book is the ordo salutis. The author's thesis is that Wesleyan Theology is dynamic rather than static and he seeks to demonstrate this dynamic character in relation to each of the "stages on life's way," thus making an effort to bridge what Mildred Bangs Wynkoop has called "the credibility gap" between life and theology which has developed in "Wesleyan scholasticism." It is this reviewer's opinion that it will serve as an excellent resource for laypersons in grasping a viable and Biblical theology of the Christian life.

While this book does not propose to be a piece of scholarly research, it is quite perceptive in its interpretation of Wesley and generally quite accurate.

However, there are a few points which might be questionable. In an attempt to reject a substantial view of sin, Harper rejects the idea of eradication because it "treats sin as a thing." This may be true if you take the metaphor literally, but then certain Biblical metaphors would result in similar inadequacies if not recognized as figures of speech. The most confusing thing about this discussion is that he raises the question in connection with conversion rather than entire sanctification where Wesleyans usually address the issue. Also, our author follows the American Holiness Movement rather than Wesley in making a sharp distinction between initial sanctification and the New Birth.

Harper's interpretation of Christian perfection follows his central emphasis on the dynamic character of Wesleyan theology. However, it seems to this reviewer to emphasize the "growing" aspect of sanctification to such a degree as to tend to lose the emphasis on the decisiveness of the instantaneous "second blessing." This is almost inevitable when the positive side is given exclusive attention, whereas Wesley was emphatic on the negative side as well. That is, there is a dealing with the sin that remains in believers and this sin in believers is given a death blow in the moment when God "cuts short his work in righteousness."

Our author does not speak of this side of the teaching about Christian perfection, except to speak about "power over sin" (p. 97), a victory which he also claims for conversion (pp. 67-68) and in much the same terms. It is difficult to see how a distinction is made between the first and second works of grace in this interpretation.

A particularly helpful aspect of this book is the concluding emphasis on the corporate character of the Christian faith. This is thoroughly Biblical and Wesleyan, and an important ingredient in cultivating the spiritual life, which is the end to which this work addresses itself.