Biblical, Reformed Spirituality
Peter Adam, in his book, Hearing God’s Words: Exploring Biblical Spirituality (p. 29-30), lists seven ways that the hermeneutics of the Reformed tradition can help Christians interpret Scripture correctly (the first four were from Howard L. Rice’s Reformed Spirituality):
It paid close attention to the context of a text. According to the Puritan Thomas Goodwin, “The right context of Scripture is half the interpretation.”
Thomas Goodwin
It used the scholarly tools available. The Reformed tradition came out of the Humanist movement marked by careful scholarship, the use of original texts, the study of history and the use of language.
It assumed the fundamental unity of the Bible, and treated it as a self-interpreting book.
It knew that a right understanding of the Bible needs hard work, and the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Reformed tradition named and articulated its “rule of faith”, which it used to interpret the Bible. This “rule of faith” would be revised in light of the Bible, but also helped interpret the Bible.
It knew that the Bible is a book about God, and that our highest aim in reading the Bible is not to learn what we should do, but who God is and what God has done.
It used the Bible as the major instrument of ministry, in reading, preaching, exhortation and meditation.
Is Adam (and Rice) correct? Any thoughts?
I think that you’re right that these would be helpful today. Especially the need to read in context. We have too much proof-texting and hunting for a blessing. Also the need to read godward and not just for what I should do, we live in a pragmatic age that needs to be grounded in a god-centered world-view.