Evangelical Approach to OT

There are several differing perspectives a person can have when approaching the Old Testament (OT) Scriptures. Though this has been a reality since the dawn of Old Testament interpretation (i.e., the first century Pharisaic versus Sadducean understanding of the OT text), modernity and its epistemology have compounded this problem for modern day interpreters of the biblical text. Waltke in An Old Testament Theology mentions some of these approaches to the Bible. His description of the Evangelical approach to Scripture, I believe, should be the aspiration of all Christian bodies and individuals. He describes Evangelicals as standing under the Bible.  This posture is arrived at primarily by a Spirit wrought humility. All other stances on the Bible have an element of pride by either denying the infallibility of the biblical text or assuming an infallible interpretation. A combination of the doctrine of inspiration and man’s depravity and finitude are the elements that form this moral and theological compound. Dr. Mark Gignilliat mentioned in a lecture how the Bible was the center of the New Testament community. If the Scriptures are appraised as being the infallible rule of faith and practice then, organically, the Church should circle around the Scriptures as the core of how the body both exists and functions. The problem arises, however, when well-meaning, humble, Christians are at odds when it comes to what exactly the OT is actually meaning to say. The horizon of the OT author and his immediate audience contains far more obstacles than that of the New Testament biblical community. Since this is the case, a proper understanding of methods like the historical-critical method should be addressed. Any method that seeks to bypass the OT text in order to arrive at a “true” understanding of the OT by analyzing ancient Near East culture or archeological discovery should be rejected. Those under the Bible do not find a better shelter under the shards of archeology. That is not to disparage the necessary understanding of the ancient Near East or archeology, but we cannot be sure of a proper interpretation of our findings. Only the Bible provides an infallible narration of events that gives the reader a proper means to asses history. Our worship, then, should be one like the early church mentioned earlier. The Bible should set the parameters of our worship (faith) and the method of our ministry (practice). Modern man’s social, psychological, and scientific beliefs must take a back seat to whatever the OT text (and a hermeneutic that recognizes that the OT leads to the New Testament and its ramifications) is attempting to say. Only then can the church arrive at a unified mind as it undergirds its New Testament faith with a Spirit wrought understanding and embracing of the OT text.
 

Bibliography

Waltke, Bruce K., and Charles Yu. An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.