Think Theology

Michael Patton offered 7 common fallacies that people use when interpreting biblical texts (found here). A fallacy is simply an unsound argument that is based off of erroneous reasoning (i.e., it is illogical). Patton’s seven common fallacies are: Preunderstanding fallacy: Believing you can interpret with complete objectivity, not recognizing that you have preunderstandings that influence [...]

Within the spectrum of Old Testament scholarship, the majority of non-evangelical scholars are advocates of the Documentary Hypothesis. This theory states that the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) was not written completely by Moses but by different post-Mosaic authors.  The theory suggests that these authors are determined by the usage of different Hebrew [...]

Lexicons are a great tool for studying your bible. A lexicon provides insight on specific words such as the form and meaning of words (or phrases) and will often provide specific details regarding the relationship between other words. A lexicon will provide dictionary definitions for each word and will then relate each word to its [...]

In The Hermeneutical Spiral, Grant Osborne writes of nine semantic fallacies. Semantics, determining specific word meanings, is a large part of exegesis, and for many, the process of doing basic bible study. We often hear of “word studies” that bring light upon passages of Scripture, and many bible students have provided the “background” information on [...]

I’m preaching through the book of Haggai for the next four weeks. Today we started chapter 1 (audio here). We’re going to study each of the four prophetic messages that Haggai gave to Israel, but let’s talk background for a minute – the background for the book of Haggai, the tenth of the Minor Prophets. [...]

“The hermeneutical enterprise also has three levels… We begin with a third-person approach, asking “what it meant” (exegesis), then passing to a first-person approach, querying “what it means for me” (devotional), and finally taking a second-person approach, seeking “how to share with you what it means to me” (sermonic). When we try only one and [...]

A few weeks ago I spent five days providing lectures for the Northwoods YWAM School of Biblical Foundations. The students and I interacted on the many subjects related to Pneumatology, specifically the Person of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Spirit in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in the OT and the NT. The [...]

Bible Interpretation In a Nutshell. Patton has some very simple insights for properly interpreting the Bible. I love the subject. I like his methods. Check it out. There’s even the world famous Michael Patton charts!

“In many ways, redemptive-historical interpretation resembles a close reading of ancient and authoritative texts, such as constitutional documents or even dense poetry. Yet there are differences. The redemptive-historical theologian (RHT) is, for this essay, an evangelical who affirms the verbal or plenary inspiration of Scripture. We assert the inerrancy, infallibility, sufficiency, progressive development, and christocentricity [...]