How does Scripture read Scripture, and can the church follow that lead?

Scripture or tradition? The things of God or the things of men? It’s easy, especially in the long shadow of the Reformation, to pit Scripture against tradition as enemies. After all, the goal of orienting one’s faith to the Bible alone can be so alluring.

But the Bible itself suggests there is a fundamental unity between Scripture and the tradition it embodies. Rightly appreciating this unity can set the stage for more faithful and robust engagement with Scripture. Today’s polarized world needs thoughtful Christians who can reasonably consider their faith in light of what the Bible actually says.

Scripture First examines where tradition comes from and how you can avoid trivial proof texting. Discover how the Old and New Testament can serve as a living and active resource for Christian life, and how God continues to leads his people as they engage his Word.

DANIEL B. ODEN is an associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Harding University.Daniel received his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies from New York University. He has contributed to A Comparative Handbook to the Gospel of Mark and an article in Hebrew and Beyond.

J. DAVID STARK is the Winnie and Cecil May Jr. Biblical Research Fellow at the Kearley
Graduate School of Theology at Faulkner University. David has published several articles and essays, as well as a monograph on how Paul read Scripture in his Second Temple context. For more from David, visit his website at
www.jdavidstark.com.

Scott Adair is associate professor of Bible at Harding University. Adair has served on the faculty of the College of Bible and Ministry at Harding University since 2001. His current slate of courses includes Christology, Living Christian Traditions, Life and Teachings of Jesus, and Faith and Mission of the Church. He also serves as teaching minister at Highway Church of Christ in Judsonia, Arkansas, where he has been on staff for more than twenty-seven years. Whether speaking or writing, the topic of Christian unity through the gospel has been the primary focus of his ministry. 

Stephen D. Lawson is assistant professor of theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology. He received his PhD in historical theology from Saint Louis University, writing a dissertation on the life and work of German theologian Erik Peterson (1890– 1960). Lawson’s writing has been published in Logos, Modern Theology, Newman Studies Journal, Restoration Quarterly, and Stone-Campbell Journal. His research is focused on theological responses to the rise of historical consciousness in modern theology, with a special interest in the intersection between theologies of history and political theology. 

Daniel B. Oden is associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Harding University. Oden graduated from New York University’s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies with a PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies in 2012. He has contributed to A Comparative Handbook to the Gospel of Mark (Brill, 2010), a forthcoming companion volume on Matthew and Luke, and an article in Hebrew and Beyond, a festschrift for Rodney Cloud. Oden’s primary research interests are the Hebrew Bible, its reception in Second Temple Judaism, and the social world of the ancient Levant. 

Keith D. Stanglin is professor of historical theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology in Austin, Texas, where he is the editor of the journal Christian Studies and the coordinator of the master’s degree program. He has written or cowritten eight books, including Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace (Oxford University Press, 2012) and The Reformation to the Modern Church: A Reader in Christian Theology (Fortress Press, 2014). His most recent book is The Letter and Spirit of Biblical Interpretation: From the Early Church to Modern Practice (Baker Academic, 2018). He specializes in Reformation and post-Reformation theology, the history of biblical interpretation, liturgical theology, and Arminianism. 

J. David Stark is Winnie and Cecil May Jr. Biblical Research Fellow at the Kearley Graduate School of Theology. Stark has published several articles and essays, as well as a monograph on how Paul read Scripture in his Second Temple context. Stark’s research interests include how Paul and others in the early Jesus movement had their readings of Scripture shaped by their allegiance to Jesus and how some version of this reading strategy might be recoverable for the contemporary church. For more from Stark, subscribe to his website at jdavidstark.com, where he helps emerging scholars improve in the craft of working well in biblical studies. 

Lauren Smelser White holds a PhD in theological studies from Vanderbilt University (2018). She also holds an MTS from Vanderbilt (2010), an MA in English from Abilene Christian University (2006), and a BA from Harding University (2004). White’s scholarship attends to connections between interpretive praxis, systematic theology, and material culture. She is particularly interested in resourcing this work for the sake of generating constructive proposals in conversation with faith practitioners and theological educators. At Lipscomb University, White teaches various undergraduate and graduate courses in Bible and systematic, historical, and contextual theology. She and her husband, Jason, have two children. 

Foreword | Mark W. Hamilton 

Introduction | Daniel B. Oden and J. David Stark 

1 | Creedal Expressions and Their Development in the Hebrew Bible | Daniel B. Oden

2 | Understanding Scripture through Apostolic Proclamation | J. David Stark 

3 | Ecclesial Unity, Biblical Interpretation, and the Rule of Faith | Keith D. Stanglin 

4 | Resisting the Primitivist Temptation | Stephen D. Lawson 

5 | Reading Scripture Baptismally | Scott Adair 

6 | Beyond Sola Scriptura: An Expanded View of Textual Inspiration | Lauren Smelser White 

Selected Bibliography

About the Contributors

Index 

“Oden and Stark have assembled six powerful essays firmly grounded in Old and New Testament depictions of God’s people striving to understand God’s word. Rather than the divisive patternistic restorationism often used in Churches of Christ, the authors convincingly advocate methods of interpreting Scripture that focus on the core affirmations of Christian faith—especially those proclaimed at and embodied in baptism. The object of godly biblical interpretation is the formation of the church into the image of Christ. These authors provide perhaps the healthiest and most hopeful way forward toward this goal seen today in Churches of Christ.” —Douglas A. Foster, University Scholar in Residence, Abilene Christian University

“These essays spark creative thought regarding how biblical interpretation impacts Christian unity. While focused on those related to the Stone-Campbell movement, the authors’ analyses of texts and methods can benefit those in a much wider circle. A good read for anyone meditating on the concept of a rule of faith and its role in understanding Scripture and building up the body of Christ.” —Susan Bubbers, Dean, The Center for Anglican Theology

“Scripture First calls us to consider what it means to take Scripture seriously. The authors prompt us to avoid blindly accepting or quickly rejecting the Restoration Movement principle of finding unity through adherence to Scripture. This work is challenging and thought-provoking; and, hopefully, it will spark significant conversations within the Stone-Campbell Movement and outside it as well.” —Todd Brenneman, Professor of Christian History, Faulkner University

“The Restoration Movement was birthed from a holy desire to unify divided Christian communities under the authority of sacred Scripture. While some hermeneutical commitments evinced in the movement have proven insufficient for that lofty goal, recent historical and theological work and increasing self-awareness have made possible new interpretive vistas that are critically and faithfully grounded in the achievements of Christian forebears—both Restorationists and others. These essays exhibit the best characteristics of such work. My hope is that Scripture First will be read widely to the edification and gentle provocation of all still committed to sharing in the mysterious work of the Father, reconciling all things in heaven and on earth in the Son through the Holy Spirit.” —Joseph K. Gordon, Associate Professor of Theology, Johnson University

“Scripture First calls for a new kind of patternism. Grounded in a close reading of Scripture, the authors recognize the core affirmations of the faith, promote the historic confession of those affirmations, and call for their expression in both liturgy and communal reading. This project faithfully reads Scripture and offers a path toward a fuller embodiment of the visible unity of the body of Christ. The integration of Scripture, the great tradition of the church, and a living community is, as Thomas Campbell speculated there might be, a ‘better way’ to realize unity in the present.” —John Mark Hicks, Professor of Theology, Lipscomb University

ISBN 9781684260911

Pages 208

Dimensions (inches) 5.5 x 8.25