Anabaptistica
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 56, No. 2 – Spring 2014
Managing Editor: Terry L. Wilder
By Jonathan T. Pennington. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012. 268 + xiv pages. Paperback, $24.99.
Jonathan Pennington offers a much-needed corrective balance to many books on Gospel studies that concentrate mostly on hermeneutical methodology with very little on attitude or focus. His book rightly warns that there is a danger in getting so caught up with the tools of exegesis that one misses God’s real message in the Gospels.
Pennington is Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His expertise in the field of Gospel studies is apparent throughout this thought-provoking book. Instead of an introduction to the four canonical Gospels, this book is a careful description of how to read, engage, and apply the Gospels (xiii). He lays a careful foundation and framework and then describes how spiritually to read (158-62), interpret, and apply the Gospels by reading them as stories.
As one might expect, Pennington is an effective teacher and storyteller himself. He leads the reader through a well-defined study, deftly constructing his case, and continually reminding the reader of each step that has been completed (169, 213- 14). One of his strengths is his lavish use of relevant illustrations. Whether it is a basketball game (175), golf (228), Kentucky derby (152), seed corn bagging table (209), orcs at Mordor (98), or a mother-in-law’s refrigerator magnet diet Bible verse (157-58), Pennington expertly employs these stories aptly to illustrate a point and help guide his reader to the importance of understanding story in the Gospels, which is the heart of his message. He notes,
We are a story people. In the very fabric of our being we are spring- loaded for story. Story is how we make sense of the world and our own lives. Story powerfully creates life and hope, the lack of which is depression. Hope is imagination, and imagination is central for human flourishing and life (46).
The primary methodological tool Pennington promotes is a helpful version of narrative criticism (169-77, 214-15). Rather than a dry, clinical narrative evaluation such as one might use for studying Shakespeare’s plays, Pennington exhorts the reader to find God’s message in the stories. He suggests reading the Gospels within concentric circles of contextual meaning (such as the macro-plot in the Gospels and even in the entire canon (183-202) as well as making God-centered applications that lead to Christ-centered preaching (216-23).
Fortunately, Pennington does not just give a theoretical argument. Along the way he applies his suggested method of study to Luke 7:1-10 for a practical test case (169-71, 180-82, 203-208). However, he uses plenty of other Gospel texts for examples as well (187-88, 91).
Another needed corrective Pennington offers scholars is a return to the centrality of the Gospels, which seem to have taken a back seat to Pauline studies in both academic and church life. He sees them as the keystone in the archway of the biblical canon—holding together “the Old Testament Scriptures on the one side and the rest of the New Testament writings on the other (231).
This reviewer disagrees with Pennington’s claim that meaning equals application—that the two are hopelessly intertwined (131-36). Instead, the traditional distinction between determining the one meaning of a text and its various applications seems the wiser road. Pennington’s blurring the lines between the two can lead to the logical extension that any given Bible text can mean anything. Pennington rightly argues against that disastrous claim, but it seems to be unavoidable with his methodology (135). It seems he is hedging too much on a text’s true meaning in his attempt to avoid claiming to have “the final and definitive correct reading” (136, the italics are his).
Surprisingly, even though he teaches Greek and has published the Zondervan New Testament Greek Vocabulary CDs, Pennington says almost nothing of the value of studying the Gospels in the Greek language. An emphasis on understanding Koine Greek would help this book.
Yet, most of this book is right on target. For instance, he notes the waning influence of Historical Jesus studies and the crisis of modern historicism (89-93, 148- 49). Recent studies have certainly led to many bankrupt conclusions that disparage the truth of the canonical Gospels. Instead, he affirms Richard Bauckham’s excellent proposal to read the Gospels as accurate eyewitness testimonies (98-103).1 Not only is this book helpful for pastors and teachers of the Gospels, it is also beneficial for any student of the Word of God. It is especially valuable for exegetically- trained students and scholars who may have lost sight of the powerful message of story in the Gospels as well as the need for responding to God’s powerful message contained therein. Pennington’s balance of narrative criticism with an emphasis on the spiritual message and the call for life change helps the Bible interpreter to stay on target in Gospel studies. His Gospel expertise has enabled him to make a fine contribution to kingdom work.
