Kevin J. Vanhoozer

Summary: Amid a variety of interpretations and reading cultures, articulates essential principles for reading scripture.

One of the stinging critiques many of my friends who are skeptics make is of the plethora of biblical interpretations. They argue that it comes down to making the Bible say whatever you want it to say. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, whose life has been dedicated to the teaching and practice of biblical interpretation, is cognizant of that critique. In Mere Christian Hermeneutics, show more Vanhoozer attempts what C.S. Lewis attempted in Mere Christianity. That is, he seeks to articulate “those basic principles espoused by all Christians, everywhere, and at all times for reading the Bible as the church’s scripture” (p. 17).

The book is organized around the idea of ascending two mountains: Sinai (where the law was revealed to Moses) and Tabor (the mount of Transfiguration). Before beginning the ascents, Vanhoozer surveys the terrains of each ascent. Specifically, he considers the various reading cultures that have shaped biblical interpretation. For example, in the medieval period, he contrasts the scholastic and monastic approaches. Likewise, in modernity, he considers the schools of exegesis versus systematic theology. He also reflects on ways this mirrors humanistic and scientific cultures in the wider academy. He argues for an approach to interpretation that overcomes the polarization.

In the second part of the book, Vanhoozer leads us in an ascent of Mount Sinai. This concerns what we mean in speaking about the literal sense of scripture. Vanhoozer shows how this has always moved beyond the exegesis of the words to some larger sense of what the text is about. He argues for the practice of not only grammatical-historical interpretation but also grammatical eschatological interpretation. In essence, this means reading “trans-figurally.” That is, we read scripture across times and testaments in ways that link persons, events, places, and ideas.

But this form of “trans-figural” reading anticipates the ascent of Mount Tabor. Part Three focuses on the light of Christ, anticipated in the light revealed at the beginning of creation in Genesis 1:3. Then Vanhoozer engages in an extensive study of the transfiguration which he sees as a guide for our reading, in which the “matter” of scripture is transformed in the light of Christ such that scripture reveals to us the knowledge of God. Then, as we engage in this “trans-figural” reading and wrestle with the text, we ourselves are “transfigured.”

Finally, Vanhoozer makes concluding comments on how this may transfigure our reading cultures and our life of worship.

This is a very brief summary of an extended treatment. What I appreciate in this book is an approach to interpretation that focuses on Christ. He moves beyond our exegesis, even our biblical theology, to acknowledge our dependence upon Christ in the interpretive process. Christ is both the focus of scripture and the one who reveals its full meaning to his people. While Vanhoozer acknowledges the importance of careful exegesis, he reminds us of the reading cultures, the interpretive communities we all inhabit. What he offers is a way for us both to hear each other, but more importantly, to hear the one Lord over all our communities.

This won’t magically eliminate all our interpretive differences. But a common rubric of essentials may help us move toward a common mind, the mind of Christ. And that is no small thing.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review. show less

Since the 1980's, there has been an increasing openness to figural readings of the Christian scriptures. Of course, the question for a person of faith is not so much about interpretive methods, but about meeting God in the scriptures. Vanhoozer hits it out of the park with Mere Christian Hermeneutics. Pushing past technical strategies that facilitate our looking at the scriptures, this book focuses on a way for faithful people to come as answerable persons to the scriptures in order to meet show more with God. The question is not just one about figural readings, but transfigural ones. On the one hand, Vanhoozer says that suggests following through the figures of the scriptures to come to recognize the Christological focal point to which all figural images in the bible direct us. On the other hand, there is a possibility of being transfigured as we see the face of Christ in the text. Vanhoozer's book signals a new day in Christian hermeneutics, where we move past the fear of our academic credibility being met with suspicion, and instead approach the scriptures to meet God and read in a community as a people boldly coming to the scriptures in faith. show less

Um pastor e um teólogo podem caminharem juntos? Kevin Vanhoozer dirá: NÃO! Isso porque para Vanhoozer um pastor é um teólogo. Não qualquer tipo de teólogo, mas um teólogo público.

Kevin Vanhoozer e Owen Strachan buscam através deste exelente livro como o próprio subtítulo demonstra: recuperar a visão perdida. E que tarefa!

O livro tem uma introdução, quatro capítulos, divididos em duas partes, e uma conclusão. Na introdução, Vanhoozer começa demonstrando como a figura e o show more papel do pastor tem sido moldado pela sociedade. E a visão dicotomista vigente entre o teólogo e o pastor. Enquanto o primeiro é o sujeito de uma mente extraordinária que vive enclausurado numa torre de marfim chamada academia, lidando com os conceitos e teorias, o segundo, é aquele indivíduo não tão capacitado intelectualmente que por não ter as “credenciais” para a atividade de “teologia profissional” lida com as questões de níveis mais práticas, no contexto eclesiástico. A partir daí, o autor fala de sua proposta: o pastor como teólogo público.

A primeira parte escrita por Owen Strachan é dividida em dois capítulos. No primeiro Strachan faz uma “teologia bíblica” do papel do pastor, tanto no Antigo Testamento, como no Novo. No segundo capítulo, ele descreve uma “teologia histórica” do papel pastoral. Ou seja, mostra ao longo da história como o papel do pastor foi mudando até chegar na visão que temos hoje.

A segunda parte é escrita por Kevin Vanhoozer, e também é dividida em dois capítulos. No capítulo três, Vanhoozer lida com a “teologia sistemática” do pastorado. Aqui, o autor fala da natureza e propósito do pastor-teólogo. No capítulo quatro, é a “teologia pastoral”, ou seja, Vanhoozer procura responder a pergunta: o que faz um teólogo público?

O livro conclui com 55 teses sobre o pastor como teólogo público que foram explanadas ao longo de toda a obra.

Se eu pudesse definir o livro em duas palavras seriam: Equilíbrio e Amplitude. Vanhoozer e Strachan fazem um trabalho espetacular que procura o equilíbrio entre a visão pastoral e cobre uma gama extensa de assuntos que isso envolve e deveria ser leitura obrigatória para aqueles que aspiram ao ministério pastoral. Tenho certeza que farei muitas visitas a este livro ao longo de minha trajetória. show less

For centuries, the local pastor was a public theologian. The pastor was a peculiar kind of intellectual (not an academic specialist) who "opens up the Scriptures to help people understand God, the world, and themselves" (1).

Today, this classical vision of the pastorate is all but lost. The revivalist movement of the nineteenth century exchanged the thoughtful messages of the Puritans for "the freewheeling pulpiteer, master of the homespun story" (88). This devolved to the place where a show more person like Billy Sunday could boast that "he knew as much about theology as a jackrabbit knows about Ping-Pong" (90)! The movement of theology from the church to the university also undermined the pastor's theological role. Where Luther and Calvin were the leading pastor-theologians of their day, pastors are now pressured to take on a host of church-growth leadership roles while they leave theology to the experts in the academy.

In The Pastor as Public Theologian, Vanhoozer and Strachan passionately call for a return of the pastor-theologian. Pastors have a ground-level knowledge that academics will never have. Pastors are called by God to guard their flocks by challenging and weeding out false teaching.

Methodologically, Vanhoozer and Strachan divide the book into four sections, following the classical division of theology:

Biblical Theology: The Old Testament roles of prophet, priest, and king are examined in light of Jesus and their significance for pastoral work.
Historical Theology: The history of the church is reviewed and the devolution of the pastor's role is charted.
Systematic Theology: The moods of the Greek language (especially indicative and imperative) are used as a framework for examining the intersection between biblical and cultural literacy in the pastorate.
Practical Theology: The various biblical roles of the pastor are reviewed to see how they contribute to the health of God's house.
The chapters in this book are interspersed with twelve short essays from pastors who show how assuming the role of pastor-theologian has benefited their own congregations. The book then ends with "Fifty-Five Summary Theses on the Pastor as Public Theologian" (183). These theses condense the message of the book into six pages.

I would encourage every pastor to buy and read this book. It is not only an accurate diagnosis of a modern illness—it offers motivation and the first steps toward a cure. show less