Interpreting God's Plan: Biblical Theology and the Pastor

Originally the papers from the 1996 Moore School of Theology, this is an excellent little primer on biblical theology and some of its different facets and implications. Don't be deceived by the lightweight look and feel of what you hold in your hands - some of the chapters are reasonably demanding and all are worthy of a lot of reflection on their argument. The aim of the book (as the subtitle suggests) is to help prevent pastors adopting an atomistic approach to their ministry by having no commitment to the unity of Scripture. Barry Webb's essay is particularly good with his insights into Mark 1:14 -15 as a hermeneutical key and I found Graeme Goldsworthy's first piece to be the jewel of the set. His chapter is probably one of the best brief overviews of the kind of biblical theology that has become associated with Moore College - it interacts explicitly with other evangelical attempts at biblical theology (Bright, Vos, Clowney, VanGemeren) showing where they falter, and exposes the 'multi-thematic vs single concept' debate on the method of biblical theology as a misguided enterprise from the start: a unifying principle and the multiplicity of biblical theology themes are not in opposition to each other.

Contents

1. Origins and Unresolved Tensions (Donald Robinson)
2. Is Biblical Theology Viable? (Graeme Goldsworthy)
3. Biblical Theology and Biblical Interpretation (Barry Webb)
4. Teaching Doctrine as Part of the Pastor's Role (Peter Jensen)
5. Biblical Theology and Ethics (Michael Hill)
6. The Pastor as Biblical Theologian (Graeme Goldsworthy)