The Importance of Biblical Theology
Thursday, 28 July, 2005
Over the past couple of months I've been thinking about the way that I've been taught to read the Bible and whether that way is right. Isn't it just a product of Sydney Anglicanism? Aren't there many ways to read the Bible? Isn't it just all about interpretation anyway?
It's funny—no one sits down and says, “This is how you ought to read the Bible,” and then proceeds to show you how to do it. Instead, you are taught how to read the Bible while you are doing other things. You are taught how to read the Bible when you do Bible study in a small group by the way the leader structures the study, phrases the questions and gently nudges you in directions he thinks you should go. You are taught to read the Bible when you sit in church and are taught what it says in sermons—you are taught to read the Bible as the preacher explains why he thinks the Bible is saying what he thinks it is saying. You are taught to read the Bible when you read books by Christians about Christian things—in the way they argue their case for what they believe and exegete the passages in the Bible which teach what they say it's saying.
So, as I was growing up as a young Christian, I was always taught that when you read the Bible, there are certain things you should always keep in mind (where the passage occurs in the chapter, the genre it's been written in, where it occurs in the storyline of the Bible, who wrote it, who it might have been written to, when it was written, etc.) If a phrase or an idea keeps popping up, it's probably because the author thinks it's important and therefore you should too. Most questions about a passage can be answered from the passage itself. You should stick to the text as much as possible and not go off on your own flights of fancy about what you think it means. The Bible interprets itself; you do not have to interpret it.
On Tuesday Mark Baddeley talked about the four different ways of doing theology.
Exegesis
This is basically understanding what the text says—taking one bit, working out what it says, taking the next bit and working out what that says. Mark pointed out that, in a sense, exegesis isn't an easy skill because most people don't read well in the first place and the Bible tends to compress what it says, which means it often requires slightly better reading skills than, say, reading Harry Potter.
Biblical Theology
This is thinking about how the Bible holds together as a coherent whole. Biblical Theology doesn't tell you what to believe; it examines the story/narrative aspect of the Bible—the shape of it and the one-ness of this narrative which has, as its key, the person and work of Jesus Christ. Although the whole Bible is the word of God and is important, when you step back and look at the whole, you will see that some of the stories and passages are more important than others because of their relationship to the over-arching narrative. For example, within the book of 2 Samuel, the promises of God to David and his house are not hugely critical to the narrative of the book within the book but they are incredibly important to the later prophets and the New Testament.
Historical Theology
Historical theology is the attempt to try and understand how Christian teachers and theologians have understood the Bible throughout history. It's a way of looking at the exegesis and systematic theology of the last 2,000 years. Historical theology involves studying people like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Barth, etc. and what they said about the Biblical text and how they pulled what they said together into a systematic whole. It helps you read the Bible better by taking you out of your narrow way of looking at the world and inviting you to consider what other people have thought and why they thought it. This is why we study church history at college.
Systematic Theology
Systematic theology is the discipline where you try to pull things together to create a coherent account of the key things you need to know as a Christian. It's the discipline where you ask questions like, “Who is GOd?”, “Who is Jesus?”, “What did Jesus' death accomplish?”, “What must I do to be saved?”, “What is the right way to pray?”, “What sort of worship honours God?”, etc. It's a way of showing what the Bible says on a topic. To do systematic theology, you have to use exegesis and bring together your exegetical insights. You also have to use Biblical theology because Biblical theology will show you that not all the passages you want to exegete have the same level of importance; some are more central than others and you will see this if you try to structure them in terms of the message that the Bible is on about.
Other
Are there other ways of reading the Bible without doing Biblical Theology but doing the same kind of thing? Yes there are. Mark says there are two main ways: dispensationalism and covenantalism.
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism (which Mark Baddeley says is fundamentalist and Arminian) focuses on how different different parts of the Bible are (eg. Genesis 17:10-14 [circumcision is a sign that you are saved] and Galatians 5:2 [Christ is the fulfilment of the promises and circumcision is of no value to you]). Dispensationalism is a way of understanding how the Bible holds together by saying that there are two “dispensations” or systems—Abraham is under one system but when Christ comes, that changes things to a different system so that the rules on how God relates his people have been changed. The problem with dispensationalism is that there is too much stress on discontinuity for these things are not exactly true.
Covenantalism
Covenantalism (which Mark says is popular in Reformed and Presbyterian circles) is close to dispensationalism but the main difference between it and Biblical Theology is that it tends to downplay all differences, blurring distinctions between Israel and the church, the Old Testament saint and the New Testament saint, etc. It plays up the unity of the covenants and God's working in the world so that most differences tend to evaporate, eg. baptism is the New Testament circumcision. The problem is, this isn't entirely true either.
So what?
I don't want to reproduce the entire lecture. I just want to talk about why I've come to see Biblical Theology as the right way to read the Bible. It may seem very arrogant to say there's a “right” way and a “wrong” way to read the Bible but I'm hoping that, once you finish reading the rest of this, you won't see my assertion as arrogant but as true.
“Biblical Theology”, says Mark, is a term very particular to the Sydney evangelical context. Few scholars around the world use it and they would probably be puzzled as to what it means because the name is a bit deceptive (after all, isn't Doctrine “Biblical Theology”? It's biblical. It's theological). Mark did't explain how the discipline began but anyway you can't point to a particular individual as being the “inventor” of it because, if you read Calvin, you can recognise it there. (He wouldn't have though.) Biblical theology is just a formal way of showing what is already there in the Bible.
But you won't see it in the Bible if you do not already hold certain convictions about the nature of Scripture. If you do not believe that all 66 books that comprise the Bible is the work of one author (God), then you will not see that author's purpose in writing it. You will not see the shape of the work as it develops from Genesis to Revelation. You will just view it as a random collection of writings and sayings with no apparent correspondence or relevance to each other.
But if you do believe that the Bible is the word of God and that he had a purpose in writing it, then you will view all 66 books as one piece of work and you will try to reconcile the differences between, say, Genesis 17 and Galatians 5 and try to work out why there are seeming contradictions. Or you will try to understand how the first 39 books (the Old Testament) have the same message as the last 27 books (the New Testament). Wrestling with the very nature of the texts will bring you to Biblical Theology.
Perhaps the thing that most convinced me about the “right-ness” of Biblical theology is that the authors of the Bible engage in this discipline—particularly in the New Testament. As you read the writers of the New Testament, they point you to key points in the Old Testament and give you the interpretive keys for understanding the whole. For example, have a look at the way Paul talks about God's promises to Abraham. He uses the promises to understand how the law relates to Gentile Christians (Gal 3). It's not just Paul either; Jesus engages in Biblical Theology on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and so does Stephen in his speech just before he is stoned (Acts 7). The Bible itself gives you clues which show you that not all texts are “flat” but there is some shape to them—some texts have interpretive control over other texts (eg. the New Testament controls the way we read the Old Testament for the New Testament claims the Old is fulfilled in Jesus).
And so I think Biblical Theology is the right way to read the Bible. Feel free to disagree with me though.
Current:
seen: Moon 15/10/2009
read: The Incredibles 11/10/2009
seen: She's the Man 05/10/2009
read: I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura) 04/10/2009
read: Astro City The Dark Ages Book 1: Brothers and Other Strangers (Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross) 04/10/2009
seen: Children of Men 02/10/2009
seen: Metric (The Metro) 30/09/2009
seen: 500 Days of Summer 25/09/2009
seen: The September Issue 18/09/2009
seen: Gilmore Girls: Season 1 17/09/2009
read: Flight (Volume 1) (edited by Kazu Kibuishi) 16/09/2009
seen: Ponyo 11/09/2009
read: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert) 05/09/2009
heard: Aimee Mann (Enmore Theatre) 04/09/2009
heard: Ben Folds Solo (Opera House) 31/08/2009
read: Phonogram: Rue Britannia (Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie) 26/08/2009
seen: Northanger Abbey 20/08/2009
read: The Princess Diaries (Meg Cabot) 18/08/2009
seen: The Phantom of the Opera 17/08/2009
seen: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 10/08/2009
seen: District 9 10/08/2009
read: Shortcomings (Adrian Tomine) 02/08/2009
read: AIR Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries (Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker) 28/07/2009
seen: Persepolis 25/07/2009
seen: Ghost Town 25/07/2009
heard: Gutter Twins (Seymour Centre) 23/07/2009
seen: Coco Avant Chanel 20/07/2009
seen: Gutenberg! The Musical (Seymour Centre) 16/07/2009
seen: So You Think You Can Dance? Australia Live Tour (Sydney Entertainment Centre) 11/07/2009
seen: Every Little Step 07/07/2009
seen: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen 03/07/2009
seen: Synecdoche, New York 30/06/2009
seen: Charlie's Angels 27/06/2009
seen: Penelope 26/06/2009
seen: Coraline 10/06/2009
seen: The Sky Crawlers 08/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Ultimatum 07/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Supremacy 07/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Identity 06/06/2009
seen: Stick it 05/06/2009
Comment:
@Sarah: Thanks for the tip RE Australian Breastfeeding Association! I never would have thought to look there. Ditto KMart: I was wondering if they did since Target don’t.
@Rae: Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out.
@Little Rachel: Oh, I’ll definitely be up for visitors! I may not be very good company (brain-dead, etc.) but I’ll certainly appreciate visits!
@Rachel C: CONGRATS!!! So excited for you 
Yours sounds like a good philosophy. One day I shall have to blog about Outliers!
@CafeDave: Thanks for the tip!
@Elissa: Thanks for your kind words! It makes me happy that you and Dave were excited we were getting married! Thanks also for the prayers!
@Elsie: There are lots of other lovely things I could have said about you, but let’s not overload my readers, shall we? ;P
Aww...thanks for the lovely things you said about me! I enjoyed reading this post (as I do with all yours). xo
Congratulations to you both. I know you will be such wonderful parents. You sound WAY too sensible! 
(Sorry to read that there were some unusual comments made about your marriage! We thought it was exciting. We still have a lovely photo of you & Ben in our lovely box of special memories. (I was only 22 when married & I was 30 when we had Bonnie...)
Everyone is different! I nodded through your post. SO many people feel the curious need to share their “horror stories” which is just dreadful. I remember complaining to David who said - go find people who are positive & listen to them. Great advice, which I did. Those people still have a big place in my heart because their advice was honest & gentle.
Bless you & Ben & the little Peanut. We pray all goes smoothly over the coming weeks/months ahead. We sometimes forget what a precious little miracle life really is…
Another book from the dad’s perspective I found helpful was From here to paternity - it’s an Australian book, and was followed up with a blog.
Hi!
I’m so excited for you reading your blog about being pregnant I am 13 weeks pregnant with #2.
You’re so right about all the pessimism “advice” that you get. I got so mad about it but never found a good response. I’ve had such joy right from day one with E that I just don’t want to buy into the negativity (I’m sure kids pick up on it too!).
My philosophy was/is to be a relaxed mum and from that figure out what was best for my baby/child. Get advice when you’re not sure on things or want to know how other people approached things, read books (loved Outliers!) that aren’t all about parenting… but just enjoy.
In a sample size of one to date, I’ve had such a happy, chilled out son right from day one. People say all the craziest advice… glad you don’t do guilt
With love,
R
Thanks so much for writing more! I love hearing how you’re going and all your thoughts.
After watching my sister I agree with you that it seems the first six months are perhaps the hardest. She got quite lonely at home all day; weekends were all right because then her husband was around but it’s just as you say… one feed ends then the next begins! If you are accepting visitors during this period then I hope to use some RDOs to come have grown-up conversations!
The book review of The Second Nine Months makes me want to read it now!
Names: We have one girl name that we both like and no boy names that we agree on. But they are also top-secret… so if anyone else uses them we can’t accuse them of theft! 
Yay Peanut, keep on growing, can’t wait to meet you!
Hello! Thanks for sharing
I loved reading your pregnancy update! I am glad to hear that things are all going pretty well, and I hope the rest of your 2nd trimester is as good.
I just wanted to add, that some other blokes decided that there was not much for the fathers-t0-be, and made a couple of DVD’s just for expectant dads. They are called ‘Being Dad’and i think they are available at big W. I have both though, if you would like me to send them!
Just wanted to wish you all the best!
Love
Rae
re: gluten: no idea!! I didn’t have to go on that diet - it was probably related to the test I didn’t do.
At the risk of adding to your list of advice:
Re: maternity bras - because I’m big I had to look hard for something nice in my size and discovered the Australian Breastfeeding Association. They have a massive range online and most are (dare I say it) sexy.
Re: maternity clothes - Kmart have a nice range of basic stuff.. I only found out towards the end of pregnancy and I would have liked to know earlier!
Re: Parenting classes - if you’re at RPA you can just ring the midwives section (they’ll put you through) and ask directly.
Congratulations again
Don’t laminate your ultrasound picture That is my advice.
Congratulations! This is so fantastic!
Thanks so much for sharing all of this… people swap engagement stories but rarely pregnancy stories! And it’s kind of similar don’t you think, all this excitement leading up to a big day!
So happy for you guys! Actually never been more excited for anyone except my sister! I think it’s because I think that you will both be amazing parents and love the idea that someone could grow up in your family.
Looking forward to many more posts on the topic.
Lovely news, Karen.
Thanks everyone! I will be sure to ask for help when I need it!
Great pic!! Peanut is cute! :D
Praying for you all!
xx
:D
I had a similar sort of morning sickness.. except I threw up! I’m suitably impressed that you coped OS.. that must have been tough.
It sounds like you’re doing marvelously otherwise!
Book recommendation on something a bit less technical and a bit more human: ‘Birth’ http://www.birthnet.com.au/
Praise be to God indeed! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
Congratulations, Beilharzen! Welcome to the slightly-bewildering world of pregnancy (and birth...and children...). God has blessed you greatly with this new life. We’ll be praying for Peanut’s growth and development, and for you guys as you prepare.
I’m sure you’re surrounded by baby veterans, but always happy to help with books/advice/recommendations/listening.
B&L;
Excellent job Karen! You SHOULD be pleased with yourself!
Have you discovered http://www.ravelry.com ? It is an excellent site with thousands of free patterns in its database, lots of support, tips, forums etc and of course - friends like me? Look me up when you get there - fionag77
PS Are you just wearing a bulky dress or are you sporting a bump under that dress?
oooh.... It’s done and it looks great on you! xxx
Well done on all that hard work! It looks great and will be very snuggly come winter!
Thanks for letting me know, Timo!
Hi there,
Thanks for pointing out the shortcoming on our website. I’ll pass it on to my colleagues and hopefully it will be rectified soon.
The documentary at Fashioning Now was by Holly Kaye-Smith; I’d be more than happy to put you in touch with her if you’d like.
Again, thanks for the comment, much appreciate it!
Kind regards,
Timo Rissanen
Thanks Mark! Much appreciated!
Rich survey, Karen. Particularly I was struck by the notion of Jesus being clothed with our sins. I heard recently somebody suggest the crown of thorns was a kings crown but it was made of the symbol of the curse in the Garden - thorns. I would like to read your thoughts about Joseph’s coat of many colours.
Looking forward to the next installment. Regards,Mark
It is lovely - and looks great on you.
You’ve made me want to read it - though I may need an interpreter at times!
Well done with the sewing!
I think it looks good - very relaxed and spring-y.
Hey Sandra! Thanks for the tip! I read it yesterday, but I struggled a bit because Lewis doesn’t start from the Bible. I wasn’t convinced by his argument. What did you think?
Interesting post Karen - Thanks
I like the ending too! :D
xxx
Fantastic post, Karen. Just great. Thanks!
Thanks Bec! Eternal life just keeps getting better and better ...
I do like the way you ended this post - excellent thought.
Personally I don’t feel that way. Maybe that’s something you should blog about?
Wow. Lots of things to pick up on there. It’s been interesting to see the changes to your blog these last 6-12 months: Twitter is certainly more immediate, but are there (gasp) downsides to having its constant buzz in the ear?
Is our (already fractured) ability to concentrate on a single relationship at a time further jeapordised by the regular buzz of tweetdeck (and worse yet, by the imagined sense of loss that goes with being off the grid)?
Or am I just projecting my own fears?
Hi Karen!
If you’re still thinking about this… I just read CS Lewis’s essay “Learning in War-time” which exactly addresses this issue (ie. how can we justify cultural & aesthetic pursuits when people are going to hell around us?). Have you read it? i’d be interested to hear what you think..
(i have it in his little volume “Transposition and other Addresses”, but it’s easily findable online)
I’m doing my own series on the trials and tribulations of writing on my own blog here http://sedshed.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20Head%20to%20Hand
It’s coming along slowly
Coincidentily, I stumbled upon the above Phonogram vs. the Fans cover when digging around for ID concepts for Salt. A disturbingly brilliant image.
Thanks Karen. At the very least, this post gives some context to your myriad of phonogram tweets. At best, it has reinvigorated my stagnated appreciation of comics.
Seriously, though 4,549 words. Is that the best you can do? I say, longer!
Blinks:
Why non-religious parents are starting to home school their children. Problems with American public schools. New models for education that will work (instead of just rote learning and teaching things to kids earlier).
Maybe discomfort is better for writing.
Showing her daughter that women are great by doing tours and walking in the footsteps of famous women. I like that this article is about engagement.
Jordan White, editor for Marvel, answers questions.
Jamie McKelvie answers questions.
Vision therapy as a treatment for ADHD, learning disabilities and even autism. The scientific community's opinion. The results of concentrated therapy.
Kieron Gillen on Phonogram, Siege, Ares, Loki and his collaborative relationship with Jamie McKelvie.
Superheroes and how they have changed the way we see urban landscape. Their attraction to New York.
|
|
Comments
I agree.
But my question is, how does the New Testament interpret the New Testament?
I have hitherto thought that the Epistles, especially letters like Romans and Hebrews, places the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus in their theological and scriptural context.
But having looked at Mark again and again this year, I’m starting to suspect that the life, actions and teachings of Jesus actually informs our reading of the epistles. It certainly informs our reading of Revelation.
Whatchoo think?
There are certain NT writers who definitely have the gospels in the forefront of their minds as they write. James especially comes to mind—look at all the allusions he makes to Jesus’ teaching, especially the Sermon on the Mount. I would say that the gospels really shaped the rest of the NT.
I disagree.
That is a caricature of covenantalism.
Don’t disagree with Karen. She is always right.
Nahhh, Philip.
But I am rather troubled by the content with this post. I don’t really see how biblical theology is set up as an alternative to both dispensationalism and covenantalism - everything I have read describes both both of these as interpretations, based on use of the approach of biblical theology. Holders of dispensationalism and covenantalism would disagree vigorously with other (I am so surprised that they are described as comparable!), but I can’t imagine either party disagreeing with what’s been asserted here as biblical theology.
The approach of biblical theology is not particular to the Sydney evangelical context (which I think you mention in your introduction). The term comes up frequently in Presbyterian/Reformed circles, and in theological discussions in other denominational traditions. That’s how we derive our view of the covenants. Nothing described here would be disagreed with by someone holding to covenantalism.
For example, the view that baptism is the new circumcision is a lot more nuanced that how it is exemplified here - infant baptism is based on a lot more than that.
Perhaps I am (I mean, obviously we both agree about how the Bible should be read) splitting hairs, but I am personally annoyed at how covenantalism is being misrepresented. I was taught to read the bible under both Presbyterians and AFESers espousing these lines.
Also, fundamentalism and Arminianism are quite different things, I think.
Do a search for “covenant theology” and similar search terms at Peter Leithart’s site for some good commentary based on this interpretation.
Different note… why is the coathanger diagram NOT on the internet???
Why does Mark distinguishes between Covenantalism and Biblical Theology? (Most of my info comes from him and his lecture last Tuesday.) Since he’s from Queensland, I figure he is not ignorant of the Presbyterian/Reformed view. There must be a reason why he says what he says.
Yeah, do ask him.
The PCQ isn’t that big or influential (it’s not Anglican Diocese of Sydney). Most people you’d ask would say that the Presbyterian church is the Uniting Church these days.
Leave a comment
Comment moderation is currently on.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete all comments I deem unsuitable for this blog. These include defamatory comments, comments filled with nothing but swearing and, of course, spam.
If your comment contains more than two URLs, it will be blocked by my spam filter. Please split it over two comments.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.