Models for Scripture

John Goldingay's Models for Scripture emerged from his decades of wrestling with how contemporary Christians should understand and interpret the Bible amid modern critical scholarship and postmodern challenges to traditional authority. Writing as an Old Testament scholar deeply committed to both rigorous academic study and faithful Christian discipleship, Goldingay recognized that simplistic approaches to biblical authority—whether fundamentalist or liberal—failed to do justice to Scripture's actual nature and function in the life of faith.

Goldingay proposes five complementary models for understanding Scripture: witnessing tradition, authoritative canon, inspired word, experienced revelation, and Scripture as script. Rather than defending a single theory of biblical authority, he demonstrates how these different models illuminate various aspects of how Scripture actually works in Christian communities. The witnessing tradition model emphasizes Scripture's role in preserving and transmitting the faith community's testimony to God's acts. The canonical model focuses on Scripture's normative function within the church's ongoing life. The inspired word model addresses questions of divine involvement in Scripture's composition and preservation. The experienced revelation model explores how readers encounter God through biblical texts. Finally, the script model presents Scripture as providing the basic plotline and character development for the ongoing drama of God's people.

Goldingay's approach has proven influential because it offers a sophisticated alternative to polarized debates about biblical inerrancy and higher criticism. His work demonstrates how evangelical commitment to Scripture's authority can coexist with honest engagement with critical scholarship and literary theory. The book has shaped discussions in hermeneutics courses and influenced pastoral approaches to preaching and teaching.

Who should read this: Seminary students and pastors seeking a nuanced understanding of biblical authority that moves beyond simplistic either-or formulations will find this essential reading. Scholars working in hermeneutics and those interested in how evangelical theology can engage constructively with critical biblical scholarship will benefit from Goldingay's careful theological reasoning. This book is not suited for readers seeking either a defense of strict inerrancy or a dismissal of Scripture's unique authority.