

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; 4 edition (June 24, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310517826
ISBN-13: 978-0310517825
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (201 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #4,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bible Study & Reference > Criticism & Interpretation > Exegesis & Hermeneutics #32 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bible Study & Reference > Bible Study #1104 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

If teaching disciples to read the Bible for themselves is the most important task pastors, teachers, churches can perform then I believe most have failed. I grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist church context that taught the innerancy and importance of reading Scripture daily and studying it corporately, but never once had a lesson in exegesis, hermeneutics, biblical theology, etc. I was fairly well-versed in theologically-rich works by John Piper and Jonathan Edwards in college, as well as apologetics, but still didn't understand how NOT to read my Bible, and how NOT to use commentaries (among other things). One shouldn't have to go to seminary to learn these things if reading the Bible is essential to the Christian life. It really wasn't until I started listening to expositional preachers and noticing the difference of how they handled Scripture and explaining how NOT to handle Scripture that I began to "get it." Too often I see well-known teachers in errors of redefinition and decontextualization, which simply recreates itself as disciples make disciples.There's a reason why expositional preaching and biblical theology are at the forefront of the Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. The importance and practical application of proper exegesis and hermeneutics are what Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart teach in this book. I'm actually disturbed by who I haven't seen seen write reviews of this book on Goodreads and . Reading this book, and others like it which they recommend, is extremely important. This is basically a how-to guide made as simple as possible, providing some basic examples to get started in each genre of writing one encounters in Scripture.
This is a book on interpreting the Bible and applying it to your life. My seven-member Bible study group (from an Evangelical Free church) did a 13-week study/discussion of this book. Thirteen weeks may sound like a long time, but it worked well for us for two reasons: First, the book is not light reading. You need time to read, struggle, re-read, and come to grips with each chapter. Second, the authors often ask the reader to read large portions of scripture as part of studying a particular chapter in their book. In their chapter on the epistles, for example, the authors ask the reader to read through all of I Corinthians in one sitting, then study it *again* using techniques that they teach in the book.We believe that this book is not a "basic primer"--it is not a book for beginning students of the Bible. For new Christians, let me suggest a book recommended by the authors themselves: "Knowing Scripture," by R. C. Sproul.OUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THE BOOK: 1) The book is written by two seminary professors who tell us, in the book's preface, that they are "believers, who think we should obey the biblical texts, not merely read or study them." 2) The emphasis of the book is on helping readers struggle with the questions of applying the Bible to their own lives. 3) The book eases the reader into the subject matter by giving some general principles of interpretation and by discussing the relative strengths of different Bible translations. 4) The book then divides the Bible into different types of literature (e.g., parables, law, epistles, prophets, and so forth); this approach helps to clarify the "rules of the road" in interpretation.
The Kindle formatting could be a bit better especially with graphs and examples, but that may be why the price is only $3.95! A super bargain in my book!:) (Update 11/21/14 - based on the book preview, the formating has been fixed, but now the price is up to $12.99 - still reasonable for the most Biblically sound, while not overly academic, book on hermeneutics.)In summary, Fee and Stuart book serves as a bridge between academics and lay people on the subject of understanding and applying scripture. Because of the excellent structure of the book, people can read the book with Fee and Stuart's opinions, and then form their own ideas. The breath of their knowledge will definitely help one interact with the Bible better.Ok first the facts: my seminary professor forced me to do a book critique on this book. At first I hated it, especially because I had the third edition. I took my teacher to task three times and had to stop reading the third edition. Then-hooray-I found out the fourth edition was published and even though the content isn't all that different; at least I didn't have to deal with ten year old scholarship and the TNIV notations. I made it through the first three chapters, and it was mostly clear sailing after then!:) This book is a book on hermeneutics (understanding what scriptures meant back then and applying it correctly to your life) of the various types of writing types found in the Bible so that people can understand their Bibles better in their devotional and study times. This book bridges the gap between scholarly hermeneutics textbooks and the general public. While it is tough to wade through at times, it is probably the best popular hermeneutics book, because of its easy chapter structure.
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