Evangelicals, Theology, and Biblical Interpretation: Reflections on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture

Abstract The theological interpretation of Scripture (TIS) has become very popular in recent years among both biblical scholars and theologians. But this popularity has polarized biblical studies, as some biblical scholars have strongly rejected TIS while others have hailed it as the savior of the moribund historical-critical method. Beyond these contrary assessments of TIS, another key problem in understanding TIS is the diverse (and sometimes contradictory) methods employed by TIS interpreters. This article will study the positive and negative aspects of TIS from the perspective of Evangelical biblical scholarship and propose a spectrum of styles of exegesis showing the range of methodologies in TIS and how they relate with other types of exegesis.