Karl A. Kuhn, Having Words with God: The Bible As Conversation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008), vii + 239 Pps., $24.00.
Karl Allen Kuhn is Assistant Professor of Religion at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Kuhn notes that disagreements between believers often lead them to prayer, church tradition, reflection upon experience, and Scripture in order to attempt reconciliation. Scripture generally has the position of ultimate authority, he notes, so it is incumbent upon us to develop a worthwhile contemporary approach to understanding Scripture. In this title, Kuhn seeks to answer the question of how we are to read and interpret Scripture in the (post)modern context. Herein, he introduces an approach to Scripture that regards Scripture as a sacred dialogue between God and humanity, as well as between believers. This text is an attempt to provide a helpful contribution to the ongoing discussion among Christians about the nature of Scripture and how best we may engage what we refer to as the ‘word of God’. The primary task of this text, Kuhn postulates, is to demonstrate the various ways in which Scripture manifests dynamic conversation between God and human beings, as well as between individuals and other human beings.
Kuhn’s approach to Scripture as a sacred dialogue contrasts with the ‘monological’ view of Scripture in that it does not contend that God directly scripted every letter and word of the bible. While the monological view of Scripture is extremely attractive due to its simplicity, it is also this very simplicity that Kuhn critiques because it reduces the meaning of Scripture to only its past referent (i.e., it means what it meant). Additionally, Kuhn’s view of Scripture contrasts with the ‘piecemeal’ view of Scripture, that is, the one that takes from Scripture what is pleasing to it, and leaves the rest. His proposal of seeing Scripture as a sacred dialogue falls in between these polar views. His view openly admits that the biblical texts underwent a rather long and dynamic process of formation, with the attendant redaction, reinterpretation, and re-working of the stories that were ultimately included within the biblical writ. He notes that many instances of modifications to the Old Testament traditions by New Testament writers support this assertion.
Also commending a view of Scripture as a sacred dialogue, Kuhn contends, is the recognition that it embodies and invites dynamic conversation between God and humanity. For example, in chapter one, Kuhn highlights several biblical stories in which God is depicted as involved intimately with humanity and even, upon occasion, moved to action by conversation with human creatures. Thus, he notes, the Scriptures do not merely picture God as one who does all of the talking, but also as one who listens to his subjects. Chapter two extends this line of thinking by focusing on two instances in Scripture where it preserves two very different perspectives on the matter of whether or not those of non-Jewish descent can be a part of the community of God. He notes that the judgment in Acts regarding the issue mentioned above is essentially a compromise: neither circumcision nor following the entire law of Moses is required by converts to Christianity, but they are required to follow some parts of both laws (which displays the back-and-forth of conversation).
Chapters three and four reveal God’s instruction as dynamic, reforming and evolving. We see this most pronouncedly, Kuhn asserts, in Jesus’ and Paul’s recasting of God’s law throughout the New Testament. Moreover, in an important note, Kuhn highlights Jesus’ statement to the effect that this reforming and evolving of the word of God would continue, as God’s Spirit would come and teach them all things that were unready to hear at that time (cf. John 16:12–14). Kuhn maintains, furthermore, that the very form of biblical revelation invites readers into wonderment, ongoing reflection, prayer, and conversation in chapters five and six. For example, the parables of Jesus defy fixed interpretations, and the narratives of Acts resist once-for-all determinations of meaning. Rather, the narrative form of Scripture invites one to imaginatively and humbly reflect with God and with one another to discern God’s will for our time and place.
Kuhn lays out his approach to reading Scripture as sacred dialogue by three key principles, which he refers to as the Canon-centered approach, the Story-centered approach, and the Christ-centered approach. In that his method is canon-centered, he means that it is focused upon a particular body of sacred writings that most Christians throughout history have regarded as normative. By story-centered, Kuhn is referring to the overall narrative of God’s relationship to and with humanity, and the culmination of that narrative in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Being Christ-centered, this approach assesses every element of tradition through the lens of Jesus’ instruction and life example.
He shows how the Bible bears witness to an ongoing conversation which God initiates, inspires, and guides among humanity. Together, Kuhn argues, believers can discern and express the character of God, God’s will, and what it means to be God’s people. Kuhn offers practical suggestions on how readers can make use of this approach in their own study of Scripture. In sum, this book is a profitable read for individuals who possess interests in hermeneutics, as well as readers who are involved in teaching within faith-based environments.
Bradford McCall
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA