Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Exegetical Fallacies: Book Review

Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson is a very informative book on common mistakes and misapplications drawn from the Biblical text generally from well-intentioned but misinformed believers. Though we may be sincere in our efforts, good intentions are not enough to insure clear and correct exegesis of the Scriptures. Yes, the overall saving message of the Bible can be clearly understood without having an insider’s look at the original languages and cultures of the day, but there are indeed certain nuances within the text which become even more explicit when placed under the light of the book’s first context. Many students of the Word choose to submit themselves to learning the language and culture of the first century to aid in their exegetical studies so that they may be better equipped in the preaching and teaching of the divine Word of God.

Strengths

Two strengths of this book are found in both the writer’s list of many examples of common fallacies among evangelical Christians and in the way he treats each one. Carson seeks to humbly, but boldly, confront the wrong beliefs and opinions which have been mistakenly drawn out from specific passages throughout Scripture in regard to what certain tenses or nuances of the original Greek language supposedly imply. He does this with a number of Bible interpreters who seek to place more weight upon the aorist tense, for example, than is in fact given. This can be seen very clearly in his quotation of Frank Stagg in his article, The Abused Aorist, which is found beginning on page sixty-eight.[1]

Weaknesses

However, one of the major weaknesses of this book is the overall length of each individual chapter. While the last couple are relatively normal in size, the first few are simply way too long. It would have been nice for him, for aesthetic purposes, to become somewhat more uniform in his writing by maintaining the same amount of information distributed throughout more chapters. Thus, the book would have basically remained the same size, just visually more readable.

What I Learned

While I did enjoy reading most of the book and learning certain valuable insights into the Scriptures that I will certainly safeguard in my hero’s utility belt, I did feel that the book was pretty high above my level of Greek understanding. Much of what I read I felt as if I was just reading for the sake of reading because I was not actually understanding what he was talking about. This is at no fault to Carson, I just do not think that I am personally as far in my knowledge of the Greek language to fully grasp some of his references. Basically, this means that there may come a day when I return to this book in order to walk back through its logical linguistical arguments. However, this day may not come for several years of learning and growing in my Greek studies.
In terms of how this will affect my personal reading and even teaching of God’s Word in the future I will continue to humble myself to the wisdom and knowledgeable aid of others. Though I do consider myself to be pretty strong in my personal exegesis of the Scriptures, there is still an unfathomable depth of learning and understanding to be gained from those of my contemporaries and also of those who have gone before me in their walks with the Lord. As I study, I want to make sure that what I am saying is accurate. Thus, I will access commentaries and computer programs so that I can be assured that what I am saying is not something totally foreign. I owe my entire Biblical understanding to, ultimately the Spirit of God but also, the men and women who have taught me the foundations of Scripture and its core message. Therefore, I must always remember that I am indebted to the works of others because of God’s grace.
An example of something that I gained intellectually from this book was the fallacy of failing to recognize distinctions (pg. 92) and reading Scripture in light of a purely emotional appeal (pg. 106). Though none of the information was necessarily new to me, the way Carson described the distinctions between men and women in the church and the gender specific roles was indeed necessary to me as I grow more in the knowledge of grace and learn how to articulate these concepts in a clear, correct and even considerate way. Did I benefit from this book? Absolutely, and if you are at all interested in this topic, then I would encourage you to read it as well.



[1] D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, 2nd ed. (Carlisle, U.K. : Grand Rapids, Mich: Paternoster ; Baker Books, 1996)., p. 68.

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