The goal of Graeme Goldsworthy’s Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics is to teach readers to interpret the Bible so that they can understand what God is saying through it. One of our goals as Christian educators is to ensure that children of all ages understand what they are reading. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics helps educators do this by breaking down the necessity of evangelical hermeneutics, discussing its challenges, and offering a reconstruction.
Goldsworthy begins by explaining the need for hermeneutics for every Christian regardless of denominational background. He argues that language, culture, history, literature, and the intended audience all play an important role in how the Bible is interpreted. The framework for interpretation is understanding the dimensions of communication as the communicator, the communication, and the receiver. He then explains how people let their own thought processes influence how they read Scripture, and he offers examples of people whose presuppositions have interfered with what the Bible is really trying to say. For example, after the coming of Christ, some ancient Jewish interpreters continued to think according to the law, due to presuppositions learned from historical traditions. [This is only part of the article. Want to read more online? Subscribe to the website by choosing "Register" from the menu above. It's free] Goldsworthy then discusses interpretive methods used by church fathers like Origen and Athanasius and spends a lot of time explaining when these methods should and should not be used.
Despite the foundation to biblical interpretation that Goldsworthy presents, prior to reading this book, the reader will want to know that it contains so much information that it may be overwhelming to someone with limited knowledge of hermeneutics. Although the introduction to this book briefly explains hermeneutics, the book is geared toward those with some prior knowledge. The book is also somewhat repetitive, especially in the author’s discussion of presuppositions. He explains reasons why presuppositions steer the interpreter from accurately understanding Scripture, and he suggests that we center our study on the gospel in order to read the Bible the way it was intended to be read.
Graeme Goldsworthy says that “the front line of adult Christian education in churches ought to be a comprehensive course in biblical theology” (52). While I agree wholeheartedly with Goldsworthy’s claim, I believe that young believers can also benefit from those who have an understanding of hermeneutics. As a children’s director, I have found this book tremendously helpful when reviewing the literature and programs we use at our church. How to ensure that what we present to our children is gospel-centered has become clearer after reading this book.
Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics demonstrates the necessity of hermeneutics and offers a thorough explanation. If you are seeking an in-depth look at interpretation over time and an understanding of the many ways the gospel is misread, you will find this book helpful.
Work Cited
Goldsworthy, Graeme. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation. IVP Academic, 2006.
Matthew Page is the children’s director at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Bryceville, FL, as well as a graduate student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
