Jacqueline Grey and Paul W. Lewis. <i>Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Participating in God’s Story of Redemption</i>

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Participating in God’s Story of Redemption provides a brief overview of the principles of hermeneutics from a Pentecostal perspective. The work is a part of the Foundations for Spirit-Filled Christianity series and is focused on approaching biblical studies to apply the principles to everyday life.The work is divided into the following three sections: (1) “The Purpose and Passion of Reading,” (2) “Transformational Reading,” and (3) “Reading and Living.” Each section contains several chapters extrapolating on the overall subject of the section. Each chapter contains a photo of church art related to the topic of the chapter, a discussion of the subject, and an application section titled “What Do I Do Now?” The application section provides students with some topics to consider and a prayer they can apply to their own spiritual lives.The book’s introductory chapter provides the basic framework for the authors’ approach to biblical hermeneutics. They encourage the reader to use an approach to reading Scripture relying on principles derived from the acronym “PERSONAL” (pp. 5–15). According to the authors, the approach to Scripture is eightfold. One should “Pray,” “Evaluate Yourself,” “Read in Context,” “Seek Meaning,” “Observe,” “Note,” “Apply,” and then “Live and Share” (pp. 5–15). One will notice the progression from approaching the Scriptures with an unbiased perspective, leading to an interpretation consistent with the historical and literary context. Finally, the authors encourage the readers to interpret the Scriptures accurately and apply them to their lives to demonstrate the principles of spirit-filled Christians.The book's first section titled “The Purpose and Passion of Reading” aims to establish foundations for interpreting the Bible. This section introduces the reader to the subjects of the trustworthiness of the Bible, interpretation methods throughout church history, the interpreter’s presuppositions and preunderstandings, and the illuminating impact the Holy Spirit bears on the reader in the process of reading Scripture.The authors provide the reader with a very brief overview of subjects such as redaction criticism and literary criticism. Their main concern is providing the reader with a launching pad of hermeneutical principles to lead them in the right direction. The authors explain that biblical hermeneutics is not only a scientific venture but also “seeks the truth and beauty of God and his Word” (p. 77).The next section, “Transformational Reading,” introduces the reader to the biblical narrative as a whole and its intended outcome for the interpreter. Each genre is addressed, and the authors provide distinctive interpretive insight into each literary type. The authors briefly survey the biblical genre and its influence on how the reader should apply the overarching theme of redemption to the interpreter’s life. The authors instruct that “we must live out the story of Scripture within our contemporary contexts” (p. 91).The final section, titled “Reading and Living,” focuses on the aspect of the application of Scripture to the spirit-filled Christian’s life. The authors revisit the acronym “PERSONAL” that they introduced in the introductory chapter. This section deals with the importance of interpreter’s spiritual lives in light of biblical hermeneutics. Daily devotional reading and reflectional methodology for reading Scripture, such as Lectio Divina, are covered in this section. Also, the authors give special emphasis to the relevance and role cross-cultural readings play in the modern-day church within a global context. The authors emphasize that “working with others from different cultural contexts can expand our personal understanding of the biblical text” (p. 186). The authors provide a capstone to the section by demonstrating that the biblical reader is called to participate in God’s grand plan of redemption.Overall, Grey and Lewis provide a helpful introduction to the subject of biblical interpretation. As a biblical Pentecostal, I appreciate their desire to anchor a pentecostal-charismatic viewpoint to a solid biblical hermeneutic. Indeed, the progressive nature of this textbook should encourage Pentecostal readers to understand that a consistent hermeneutic unlocks a gateway to a charismatic experience faithful to the text of Scripture.The textbook’s incorporation of artwork at the beginning of each chapter helps the reader to make a visual connection between the text and the hermeneutical principles. This blending of art with theological interpretation uniquely contributes to the genre of hermeneutical textbooks. Indeed, the artwork should help the reader to connect the dots more easily in biblical interpretation.This textbook is very brief on historical methods of interpretation and even word studies. The bulk of the work seems focused on the spiritual formation of the interpreter, which is undoubtedly a necessary component of any biblical hermeneutic. The goal of biblical interpretation should be to lead one to a life-changing application of Scripture to his or her life.Thus, this work would be helpful for a first-year Bible college student, perhaps supplemented with additional works to fill in the gaps of some historical hermeneutical principles. In addition, this work is suited for the lay leader in the church who requires a brief introduction to the practice and application of biblical interpretation in a charismatic context. The authors’ goal of providing a work to the church with an emphasis on spiritual development is a well-received addition to the library of hermeneutical textbooks.