7 Crucial Questions about the Bible and
How the Answers Will Strengthen Your Faith
A Book Review
By Massimo Lorenzini
Denison, James
C. 7 Crucial Questions about the Bible and How the Answers Will Strengthen Your
Faith. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994. 176
pp.
Book Summary
Dr. Denison introduces his book
with the question, "Why this book?" He answers it by saying that he
believes God has called him to "prepare God's people for works of service”
(1). He says, "My heart's desire is
to teach Christians how to be the ministers God has called them to be” (3).
Part of Denison's attempt to do
this is the writing of this book. Denison
says three things about the book's format. First, the
questions are arranged in a logical order, so that the answers can build on
previous studies. Second, several "Check Yourself" sections are included
in each chapter, so that the reader can better remember key facts and
information. Third, endnotes are included to familiarize the reader with the
best academic sources and to point the reader to resources for additional study.
Denison says, "My goal...is to help God's people better understand His
Word, so that they can do their ministries more effectively” (3).
Chapter one is titled "Why Do We Read the Bible?"
In answer to that question Denison
gives the following reasons:
- The
Bible is God's book. It is important to read this book because the God of
the universe wrote it.
- The Bible
is a revealing book. We read the Bible because God reveals Himself in it.
- The
Bible is an inspired book. It has a divine side and a human side. God is
the author, yet He authored it by humans. Denison
gives examples of this type of paradox such as Jesus' deity and humanity.
- The
Bible is an authoritative book. Because the
Bible is God's book, His revealing book, and His inspired book, the Bible
is His authoritative word for us. In other words, we must obey what we
learn in the Bible. The purpose of reading the Bible is to experience
God.
Chapter two is titled, "How Was the Bible
Created?" Denison discusses
writing in ancient times, including the "paper" of the Bible and the
languages of the Bible. He discusses how what was written was also preserved and
handed down through the ages. Denison
discusses the formation of the canon of the Bible including the criteria of
canonicity and the divisions of the Bible.
Chapter three is titled, "Why Do We Need to Interpret
the Bible?" Denison brings up the questions of people who ask why we can't
simply read the Bible and do what it says; why must it be interpreted? In answer to that Denison, quotes several passages that
are obviously not meant for us to follow, along with some examples of serious misinterpretation
of Scripture by Christians in the past. We must interpret the Bible so we do
not fall into error and instead know what God's word is really saying to us.
Denison gives some additional reasons why the Bible needs
to be interpreted: The Lord calls us to Bible study, biblical characters
interpret the Bible, the Bible is God's authoritative word, the Bible is an
ancient book (he covers the time gap, the culture gap, the language gap, and
the perspective gap), and you must understand the author's intended meaning. Denison
then discusses, "Why must you interpret the Bible?" He answers the
question with the following: God wants to meet you personally in His word, you have
the right to study for yourself, and you should not depend on the opinions of
others. Denison closes this chapter
with a caution that the true teacher of God's word is the Lord Himself. We
must use the principles in this book by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter four is titled, "What Is the Bible About?"
Denison asks who the central figure
of the Bible is. The answer is Jesus. Jesus fulfills
the Old Testament and is the focus of the New Testament. The central theme of
the Bible, according to Denison, is
the kingdom of God.
Denison asks, "What are the
books of the Bible about?" He answers by briefly going over each division
of the Bible and each book of each division and explaining what each is about. Denison
then gives a brief chronology of the entire Bible.
Chapter five is titled, "What Are the Best Tools?"
Denison begins this chapter discussing Tyndale and
the story of the English Bible. Denison discusses the reasons for the multitude
of Bible versions available and how to choose a version. Denison then
discusses some other study tools. He offers advice on choosing a commentary
and recommends a few. Denison then
discusses concordances, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, topical Bibles,
and study Bibles.
Chapter six is titled, "What Can I Learn from
Others?" Denison begins this
chapter discussing Bible study methods of the past, beginning with the Jewish
era. Denison starts with Ezra in
the Old Testament focusing on literal interpretation, on through the rabbinic
schools who focused more on application without
interpretation and on to Alexandrian Judaism which sought "spiritual"
or allegorical interpretations.
From there Denison moves on to the Patristic Age and finding
Christ in the Old Testament, the triumph of allegory, and efforts to restore a
literal approach. The Middle Ages offer four methods: the catena (series or
chain of interpretations), the gloss (or annotation), schools of study, and the
development of allegorical methods. The protestant reformation offered some approaches
to Bible study from Martin Luther and John Calvin. The Roman Catholic church responded with creedalism and
the Anabaptists and other reformers influenced the development of Bible study
methods. In the Modern Era we have the influence of modern liberalism, Princeton
theology, dispensationalism, and the institutional model.
Denison briefly covers the
influence of each of these.
Chapter seven is titled, "How Can I Learn for Myself?" In this chapter, Denison
covers methods for personal Bible study. He begins with personal preparation:
You need a personal relationship with God, you must work hard, you must obey
what you discover. Some important principles to remember are: Scripture can be
understood, the New Testament interprets the Old, and Scripture interprets
Scripture. Some questions to discover the background of a passage are: Who was
the writer? Who are the recipients? What is the author's purpose? What kind of literature is this?
Denison then covers
the "four-fold" approach to studying the text. First, study the
grammar—the words and sentences. Second, study the history--its geography and
historical context. Third, study the theology—its central ideas and truths. Fourth,
study the practical—how to apply these truths to life today. He covers each
one at length. Denison then covers
other methods of Bible study. These include topical
study, biographical study, word study, Bible themes and doctrines, question and
answer, and book study. In his conclusion, Denison
says, "Learning about the Bible is not really the point—what we need is to
know God personally through His word” (166). Denison
discusses the practice of daily Bible study, reading schedules, and a suggested
routine. Denison closes by saying
he hopes that we do not just learn about the Bible, but that we learn from it.
Evaluation
I enjoyed this book very much, probably because it is about
the Bible and I love the Bible. I found it to be very practical in its
orientation. Denison does give a
lot of information about the Bible but its presentation is all wrapped up in
his pastoral heart. He truly does want the reader to grow in relationship with
God as a result of personal Bible study. This book would be good to use in a
study group such as a discipleship training class, as supplemental reading. If
I ever teach a class about the Bible I would seriously consider using it. I
also would suggest that all Sunday School leaders and
Discipleship Training leaders read this book for their own benefit as a church
leader.
The "Check Yourself" sections were very helpful in
causing me to grasp the material better by interacting with the information. Denison's
style of writing is very friendly, relaxed, and accessible to the uninitiated in
biblical studies. Denison's goal
for the book is, "To help God's people better understand His Word, so that
they can do their ministries more effectively” (3). I think he has accomplished
his part in this. It is now up to me, as the reader, to accomplish my part by
practicing personal Bible study consistently so I can be more effective in the ministry
God has called me to do.
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