Abstract
Written for seminarians, Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox, Five Models of Scripture aims to help students cross the great divide between the use of Scripture in faith and worship and in the world of academia. For many students, formal Biblical Studies can be experienced as a sterile deconstruction of faith, leaving only a pile of unedifying rubble. Reasoner argues with quiet conviction that this need not be the case: that careful reflection on five different approaches to the Bible can enable people of faith to hold in creative tension the insights of faith and critical analysis. These five approaches are based on different presuppositions: the Bible consists of historical documents giving access to the revelatory experience of ancient authors; or, drawing on more recent narrative approaches, the Bible is to be read as story; prayer provides another model, as Scripture invites readers to wrestle with the interaction between God and the realities of life; others again approach the Bible as a set of laws providing guidance for faithful living; and, finally, Scripture is used by some as a kind of oracle, drawing out pithy one-liners to speak to the heart and push hope into action. Each of these approaches has strengths and weaknesses, but elements of all five can be brought into a fresh synthesis to support faith and practical pastoral care.
After introductory chapters first reviewing the way in which faith communities in Israel and the early Church selected the texts now found in the different Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox canons, a thoughtful second chapter considers various understandings of biblical inspiration. The five models proposed are then evaluated systematically: a brief initial overview of the model looks for clues for recognizing when it is being deployed, and this is followed by a judicious assessment of the perceived strengths and weakness of the approach. Each chapter then concludes with some practical advice on the use of that model in ministry.
In the final section of the book, Reasoner turns to wider issues in biblical hermeneutics. Different chapters set out a brief history of debates around the different levels of meaning found in Scripture, particularly the literal and spiritual senses, the strengths and weaknesses of the Protestant sola scriptura concept, the idea of a metanarrative as an understated but overarching umbrella holding the diverse threads of the Bible together, and the use of the Bible in prayer and worship. This chapter clearly points to a key interest for Reasoner, as he considers lectio divina in some detail before turning to briefer reflections on the lectionary, the Daily Office, and the Rosary. Finally, all these diverse threads are pulled together around the conclusion that prayer offers the best approach for holding together the positive aspects of the other four models.
In many ways, this is a refreshing book that draws on years of teaching experience. Reasoner’s own spiritual journey is placed on the table right from the start as he speaks briefly about his grounding in conservative Evangelical theology before moving on to explore other traditions to become a practising Catholic. Unlike some who have been on similar journeys, Reasoner continues to value much of his Protestant heritage and similarly shows a deep appreciation for the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Despite this openness to other traditions, however, Reasoner’s unease with neo-fundamentalist approaches comes across clearly and stands in contrast to the warmth he shows towards the Catholic notion of Scripture and tradition as a single stream of inspiration.
Reasoner’s concern to demonstrate to seminarians that it is possible to grow through thoughtful – and prayerful – critical engagement with the Bible is to be welcomed, but his focus nevertheless leaves one critical area of reflection largely untouched: the fact that, outside the active membership of the Church, many of the people these ministers will encounter in secular society will almost certainly regard the Bible as a lifeless, irrelevant and outdated text used to prop up authoritarian conservative attitudes. As Frank Kermode pointed out decades ago, a classic like the Bible is only a classic for as long as people in the wider community find it a source of inspiration, and it is open to question just how much this is still true in contemporary Western society. Things are different, of course, in other, non-Western, cultures; but in the North American context Reasoner has in mind, perhaps other questions need to be considered as the Bible appears to retreat increasingly into the neo-fundamentalist bunkers Reasoner rightly wants to resist. This is therefore a thoughtful and welcome starting point for the readership Reasoner has in mind; but the debate about critical engagement with Scripture obviously needs to go deeper and further.