Shared with Permission from Criswell Theological Review
Inductive Bible Study by Richard Alan Fuhr Jr. and Andreas J. Köstenberger. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2016, 371 pp., $34.00, Hardbound
In Inductive Bible Study, Drs Fuhr and Köstenberger strive to apply evangelical advances in hermeneutics to the topic of inductive study with academically sound and practically manageable improvements to its theory and practice. Of particular interest was their desire to incorporate the guiding organization of the hermeneutical-triad—history, literature and theology—at every stage in the systematic process of induction—Interrogative observation, interpretation, and application that results in both personal transformation and biblical theology.
The book moves in 15 chapters through four units of instruction.
Unit one sets the stage. Though the acquisition of the biblical message is complicated by historical, literary and theological gaps between author and modern reader, (time, place, culture, language, literature style, worldview) these prophets reward the diligent student with a transformative encounter with divine word. The best means of bridging these gaps so as to hear Scripture aright is found, say the authors, in the inductive method when said method is governed by a handful of common basic principles centered around discerning the author’s intended message, but adding evangelical commitments to historic doctrines of inspiration and their logical entailments. Observe and interrogate the text aggressively. Interpret the material through the use of the best sources and inter-biblical correspondence. Apply the message so as to achieve the author’s intended results in heart, mind and community.
Unit two unpacks five practical steps for seeing the text with precision. 1. Since most are limited to translations, never ideal, the student needs to compare translations to discover issues in the original texts through meaningful variance, whether translational, textual, or interpretive. 2. The student needs to penetrate the text with ever deepening questions about content, relationship, intention and implication, cycling back to this phase as investigation invites more questions. 3. Terms that are contextually crucial, theologically profound, historically particular, exegetically or textually uncertain, figurative or symbolic need pinpointing for investigation, recreating the lexical and emotional sense of each in context. 4. The reader needs to become attuned to the types of literary features that authors use to convey meaning. 5. The student needs to discern the full literary unit is for each text, which changes by genre.
Furh and Köstenberger use unit three to draw the student into investigating the questions raised in observation, detailing five more steps to ensure proper answers from the best sources. 1. The student needs to allow every text to be interpreted in light of a varied context historical (geopolitical, situational & cultural), literary (Surrounding texts, genre/subgenre, and canonical) and theological (thematic, covenantal & revelation-historical (i.e. timeline in progressive revelation). 2. Texts need to be interpreted inter-biblically with passages that connect historically, literarily, or theologically through things like cause-effect, sequencing, parallel accounts, character enlargement, common terms or phrases, repeating structure, or recurring themes that create vital tension. 3. The words highlighted in unit two need to be assessed through sound linguistic principles, avoiding common fallacies, and by engaging commentaries, lexicons, and theological dictionaries. 4. The student is encouraged to think thematically, regarding each passage as part of Scripture’s larger theological tapestry, employing inductive study for all corresponding texts. 5. Finally, the authors enumerate the kinds of resources available for deepening historical, literary and theological insight into a text, providing guidance for evaluating commentaries and basic principles for engaging them effectively.
Fuhr and Köstenberger end the book discussing processes and attitudes for wisely living out the the text in a modern context. They establish criteria for applications that stay true to the real world intentions of the writer without forsaking relevance. They appeal for transformative appropriation of the text through honest personal assessment before the authority of the text and through the illumination of the Holy Spirit in reflective meditation on the text. Finally, they cast a vision where one’s inductive study, practiced consistently, builds a rich tapestry of Biblical theology, expressed in the terms, categories and diverse motifs of the original authors to undergird their vital engagement of millennia of Systematic theology.
That said, Inductive Bible Study is well written, makes excellent use of summarizing charts to enhance memorization of steps and categories, and adds several meaningful discussions to the practice of inductive study. While I don’t imagine that Inductive Bible Study will replace the timeless Methodical Bible Study by Robert Traina, in this edition of its release, it makes a fine companion to it. I highly recommend it.
- They are spotty on application… some sections are excellently illustrated while others leave the reader for long spells without anything practical to bite onto… The two worst places they could have taken place are the two places it did… the early chapters are filled with cries about the importance of what the reader will learn in the future, but few “cookies” are given to engage their imaginations. And the application section which is the most methodologically challenged section to begin with and needed the boost of well crafted practical guidance… the authors missed a great opportunity to share personal testimony of moments from their past when they were transformed by the text. Since this unit closes the book off, the book ends with a whisper rather than a boom.
- Sampling of issues like grammar relationships to observe, word study fallacies, literary relationships, themes and motifs rather than a thorough introduction… too much feels like the authors should have ended sections with etc, etc, etc.
- The examples in the book are often excellent, but they are few in number and usually long… the book could be enhanced with the addition of many bullet point rapid fire illustrations in which each teaching section is applied to multiple genres.
- The methodological pulse of inductive study puts the writer under pressure to keep illustrations confined to the skill being taught… thus questioning only asks questions without giving answers…observation simply points out features rather than showing the student where such an observation will take one if one continues with the soon coming steps. While this makes sense rationally, it is a weakness in learning induction for the student and reader. They need constant encouragement and mental cookies to keep them energized and engaged… immediately valuable learning benefits on every page.
- The book would work better as a workbook than a book book. Induction is a process learned by doing. The structure of the book renders the student a reader rather than a participant. It’s like reading about falling in love or reading about playing billiards or piano.
- Some sections are sparse in categories, focusing more on introducing the idea of say literary relationship, grammar, or biblical motifs rather than taking the student through a well-stocked and keenly illustrated cabinet full of them.
- The ambitious application of the hermeneutical triad to inductive steps often leaves the authors begging the definition of induction…neutral listening… listening as empty vessel learner. Pg. 85 Allow your knowledge of biblical and theological issues to influence you in your questions… but induction favors and open mind. Beware of how your presuppositions affect your ability to hear what is really being said. They have a strong emphasis on theological presuppositions concerning inspiration… they also allow their own theological presuppositions to get in the way at times… like their reading of Mark 7 and Acts 10.
- There is a measure of redundancy in their revisitation of the hermeneutical triad… they have a tendency to return to their early emphasis of why it’s important to master the skill at hand rather than on giving practical steps FOR mastering the skill at hand.
- The style of the book is an issue. On the one hand inductive study is aimed at the novice the writing (which is excellently crafted) is perhaps a bit too heavy, too dependent on the kind of learning that seminary students taking such a course would already have garnered from previous studies. Suggest adding more humor, more illustrative figure moving from known to unknown… break away from paragraph structure more to use visually gripping presentations of the data. Often the fleshing out of sections represented in the charts goes little further than the summary in the chart.
