Book Notice: Word of God for the People of God

J. Todd Billings

The Word of God for the People of God: An Entryway to the Theological Interpretation of Scripture
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010.
Available at Amazon.com

Theological interpretation is all the rage at the moment. One good port of entry into the discussion about what is theological interpretation is Todd Billing’s book The Word of God for the People of God. The objective of the book is to introduce readers to the practice of interpreting Scripture in the context of the triune activity of God, who uses Scripture to shape the church into Christ’s image by the power of the Spirit. According to Billings: “In light of the rule of faith, Christian scriptural interpretation takes place on the path of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Spirit to transform God’s people into Christ’s image, anticipating a transformative vision of the triune God” (p. xiv) and “Scripture is the Spirit’s instrument by which the living Christ speaks words of power to God’s people, bringing life where there is death and hope where there is despair” (p. xvii). It has some good chapters, especially chapter 2 on, “Learning to Read Scripture Closely,” which engages general hermeneutics and biblical criticism. He concludes in that chapter:

In the end, the renewal of theological interpretation means fusing together what modernity has torn apart: 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 in which the Spirit is addressing God’s people through Scripture, calling us to stop attempting to control Scripture, and to receptively respond to God’s call through Scripture to enter into the Spirit’s work of making all things new in Jesus Christ” (p. 67).