Biblio Format	Annotation
Aleaz, K. P. "The Indian Christian Pramanas as Constituents of a Theological Method: A Discovery from the Indian Philosophical Pramanas." Bangalore Theological Forum 23:1 (December 1990): 1-19.	In this paper we present a summary of the main points of a research done in an attempt to spell out the constituent elements of an Indian Christian epistemology (theory of knowledge) by way of identifying the Christian Pramanas (sources of valid knowledge) as emerging from the Indian Philosophical Pramanas, and indicating their use. Thus it is an investigation simultaneously into the sources of authority for the Christians, into the knowing process or hermeneutics and into an authentic theological method. It is expected that the Indian Christian Pramanas discovered through the Indian philosophical Pramanas would emerge as aspects of a viable theological method in arriving at the content of Indian Christian thought.
Anderson, Allan. "The Hermeneutical Processes of Pentecostal-Type African Initiated Churches in South Africa." Missionalia 24:2 (August 1996): 171-85.	Very little has been written on the subject of hermeneutics and African initiated churches (AICs). Not being a specialist in biblical studies, I do not presume to offer more than a cursory treatment of this subject, arising from reflection on research conducted in Soshanguve, in northern Gauteng between 1991 and 19952. Insights and remarks referred to in this paper were made by AIC church members during numerous interviews conducted'.
Arrastia, Cecilio. "The Church: A Hermeneutical Community." Occasional Essays 9:2 (December 1982): 18-25.	This article is the result of an experiment carried out in an Advanced Homiletics class of the Puerto Rican Evangelical Seminary. We proffer this information by way of introduction, in order to underline the fact that the article doesn't depend upon an unproven theory but upon something tested in practice. The experiment consisted in simply converting a whole class into a community of biblical reflection--a hermeneutical community--in order to involve it in a process of reflection as an introduction to the preparation of sermons by each group member. The same biblical passage was assigned to several small groups, and the members of the groups were asked to "take on" the passages, noting any homiletic possibilities. This was the raw material--a "homiletical dough"--which once baked, would produce a sermon. Each pupil had to keep in mind his own context, against the background of his own culture and dedication to his studies.
Barney, G. Linwood. "The Challenge of Anthropology to Current Missiology." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 5:4 (October 1981): 172-77.	Introduces recent developments in anthropology and argues that culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behavior. That definition is applies to three areas of missiology: a theology of culture, a definition of the Christian faith, and a definition of the nature of the church. These imply strategies for cultural learning, a more adequate hermeneutics, an approach to analyses of church and mission history and of 'doing theology'.
Blomberg, Craig L. "The Globalization of Hermeneutics." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 38:4 (December 1995): 581-93.	So what is globalization? To a large degree it depends on whom you ask, but it seems to me that five topics consistently recur with greater frequency than any others: liberation theology, feminism, economics, religious pluralism, and the contextualization of the gospel. What I would like to do is suggest a definition of globalized hermeneutics that is both narrower and broader than this pentad of concerns. It is broader because it is not limited to the five topics just mentioned. It is narrower because it presupposes a long-standing evangelical hermeneutic. After setting my definition into the larger context of contemporary hermeneutical discussion I will give six illustrations all gleaned from the NT (my area of greater competence), though I have no doubt that many profitable OT examples could easily be adduced as well.
Boshoff, Carel. "Christ in Black Theology." Missionalia 9:3 (November 1981): 107-25.	To concentrate on the Christology of Black Theology we need a clear vision of the situation in which Black Theology functions, the character of theology from a Black Theological viewpoint and finally the position of Christ in that structure. At the end we should make an effort to identify the hermeneutics of Black Theology and evaluate it in the light of Scripture.
Botha, J. Eugene. "Contextualization: Locating Threads in the Labyrinth." Scriptura 59 (1991): 29-46.
Budiman, Rudy. "Contextual Witness and Exegesis." The South East Asia Journal of Theology 21:2/22:1 (1981): 34-46.	The author shows that sound principles of contextual exegesis are to be found in the apostles' missionary methods in New Testament times. Mission is actually bringing the word of salvation in a new context. So also is exegesis: it is explaining the word of God into a new context, i.e., in modern times. The exegete must, first, understand the message of a certain pericope for people of the biblical context, then examines the sociological-cultural context of his days. Subsequently, the above message is restated for the latter context. It is the author's conviction that the word of God is relevant for all times, provided contextual exegesis is applied to it.
Caldwell, Larry. "Third Horizon Ethnohermeneutics: Re-Evaluating New Testament Hermeneutical Models for Intercultural Bible Interpreters Today." Asia Journal of Theology 1:2 (1987): 314-333.	An attempt to bring help to those involved in the cross-cultural interpretation of Scripture (ethnohermeneutics). Explores the typical Western hermeneutical model, examines some newly emerging models, then the models of the NT writers as the interpreted the OT.
Carson, D. A. "A Sketch of the Factors Determining Current Hermeneutical Debate in Cross-cultural Contexts." In Biblical Interpretation and the Church: The Problem of Contextualization, ed. D. A. Carson, 11-29. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984.	A few years ago I wrote an article with a somewhat similar title, viz.: 'Hermeneutics: A brief assessment of some recent trends'. In this essay I do not intend to repeat the earlier material, but rather to proceed along a line that simultaneously probes a little more deeply and yet skips rather superficially over certain difficult questions in order to deal more immediately with the bearing of hermeneutics on the theology of the international Christian church. One danger of the current hermeneutical debate is that hermeneutics may mire itself in introspection: it begins to overlook the fact that, from the perspective of Christian theology, hermeneutics, however defined, is not an end in itself, but a means to the end. To press beyond the confines of the discipline in order to discover what makes it tick and what impact it has on theology is therefore to escape the introspection and to probe more deeply; but it is also to deal rather superficially with narrowly hermeneutical questions of enormous complexity. In an international consultation like that represented by the papers in this volume, the risk must be taken.
Carson, D. A., ed. Biblical Interpretation and the Church: The Problem of Contextualization, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984.
Carson, Donald A. "Hermeneutics: A Brief Assessment of Some Recent Trends." Themelios 5:2 (January 1980): 12-20.	For introductory surveys of developments in hermeneutics, largely outside evangelical circles, one may turn with profit to the books by C. E. Braaten, W. G. Doty." and R. W. Funk. In what follows I shall survey five large areas of discussion in contemporary hermeneutical debates, but restrict bibliography to representative works. The presentation will be largely descriptive, only occasionally evaluative, until the concluding section, which attempts to assess these developments. The areas discussed are: 1) modern literary tools, 2) the new hermeneutic; 3) canon criticism and hermeneutics; 4) structuralism; and 5) the Maier/Stuhlmacher debate.
Chul-ha, Han. "An Asian Critique of Western Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 34-47.	Until the modern period the truth of biblical revelation has maintained its integrity in Western theology. It is at the point of this disbelief of modern scientific rationalism that modern western theology came in conflict with biblical faith. Modern western theology, however, made an attempt to escape from this fundamental conflict with the biblical beliefs through abstracting out a certain meaning from the integral faith of the Bible. Instead of taking the literal truth of the Scriptures, the method of abstraction is used, helping the modern western theologian to eliminate most of the stumbling blocks of biblical truth except for certain fundamental truths which vary, in fact, according to the system builder. It is with this background that "hermeneutics" has become a most important factor in recent years. The fundamental message of the Bible is considered to be culturally conditioned.
Cochrane, James R. "Resistance, Reconstruction and Theology: Truth and Method in Question and Under Fire." In The Relevance of Theology for the 1990s, ed. J. Mouton and Bernard C. Lategan, 59-82. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1994.	Cochrane investigates the way in which the question of the adequacy of theological truth claims arises in the contemporary South African milieu, where political struggles and the demands of reconstruction bring to the fore many counterclaims to truth. Some criticism of Christian truth claims in this context and a generalized conflict of interpretations lead to raising fundamental methodological questions for theology. In this respect, the main body of this paper addresses the problematic division between the fields of hermeneutics (with its tendency to depend, upon idealist philosophies and language as the location or, reality) and practical, action (with the concept of praxis functioning to determine many claims. for truth). The dualism, often expressed by these two approaches remains central to much methodological debate. A concept of "linguisticality" helps bridge the divide.
Cole, Victor. "How Can We Africanize our Faith: Another Look at the Contextualization of Theology." East Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 3:2 (1984): 3-20.	Though the term 'contextualization' has been around for over a decade, no clear consensus has emerged as to the meaning, the bases and the process involved in contextualization. This articles offers a perspective to the ongoing discussion. It also surveys the development of local theologies from around the world. Critical differences are noted in four areas: the view of theology, the data base for theologizing, the authority base in theologizing, and the hermeneutical principles employed.
Conn, Harvie M. "Contextual Theologies: The Problem of Agendas." Evangelical Review of Theology 15:3 (July 1991): 207-222.	In this article the author argues that the application of the biblical message to our contemporary world is necessary but not enough. We must go deeper into the historical and cultural context of the people with whom the gospel is being shared. The gospel must be inculturated, not just applied, Doing theology is more than a mental exercise; it comes from on-the-road involvement in the lives of people. It is the right relationship between text and context. The author discusses the agenda of the Early Church, of Anglo-Saxon evangelicals today and of the emerging churches in the Two Thirds World. This important article speaks to the heart of the hermeneutical crisis in developing a theology of communication which is both biblically faithful and culturally relevant. Reprinted from Westminster Theological Journal 52 (1990): 51-63.
Conn, Harvie M. "Contextual Theologies: The Problem of Agendas." Westminster Theological Journal 52 (1990): 51-63.	In this article the author argues that the application of the biblical message to our contemporary world is necessary but not enough. We must go deeper into the historical and cultural context of the people with whom the gospel is being shared. The gospel must be inculturated, not just applied, Doing theology is more than a mental exercise; it comes from on-the-road involvement in the lives of people. It is the right relationship between text and context. The author discusses the agenda of the Early Church, of Anglo Saxon evangelicals today and of the emerging churches in the Two Thirds World. This important article speaks to the heart of the hermeneutical crisis in developing a theology of communication which is both biblically faithful and culturally relevant. Reprinted in Evangelical Review of Theology 15:3 (July 1991): 207-222.
Conn, Harvie M. "Contextualization: A New Dimension for Cross-Cultural Hermeneutic." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 14:1 (January 1978): 39-46.	How much is theology and exegesis inevitably influenced by the ideological, cultural and socio-political values and commitments of the interpreter? This article examines the evangelical model of exegesis as developed through history as a directly pertinent methdological influence on our contemporary experience in cross-cultural hermeneutic.
Cook, William. "The Challenge of the Catholic Comunidades to Protestant Mission." Occasional Essays 10:1 June 1985): 84-95.	The Catholic communities have profound implications for Protestant evangelization in Brazil and in Latin America, The challenge is historical, hermeneutical, ecclesiological and missiological.
Croatto, José Severino. "Biblical Hermeneutics in the Theologies of Liberation." In Irruption of the Third World: Challenge to Theology, ed. Virginia Fabella and Sergio Torres, 140-170. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1983.	The way of approaching the biblical kerygma in this article is the hermeneutic one. In order to grasp the meaning of "hermeneutics" in all its richness--and in its methodological value for the theology of liberation--it will be appropriate to say something here about the sciences of language. Inasmuch as hermeneutics deals with the interpretation of a text, or of the events reported in a text, it is to be situated in the general area of semiotics, or the science of signs, of which language in the narrow sense is the most comprehensive expression. At first view, we seem to be presented with a paradox here. Hermeneutics may seem to be bound up with diachrony, or the becoming of meaning, or semantics, or the tranformation of the meaning of words or texts. In fact, however, although semiotics does accord a special place to synchrony--to the structural laws that regulate the performance of language--semiotics and synchrony are not the same thing. They are parts of a circle. Upon our return from semiotics to hermeneutics, in a circular journey that has respected the individuality of each, our hermeneutics will appear solidly founded. Let us undertake this long journey. At its end, biblical hermeneutics will appear in all its fruitfulness.
de Groot, Adrianus and Vriend, John. "One Bible and Many Interpretive Contexts: Hermeneutics in Missiology." In Missiology: An Ecumenical Introduction: Texts and Contexts of Global Christianity, ed. A. Camps, L. A. Hoedemaker, M. R. Spindler, and F.J. Verstraelen, 144-156. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.	Thus in a variety of ways the Bible itself has again become the subject of discussion. When people allow the real situation of global Christianity to come home to them and when they look more closely at the appeal to Scripture that Christianity continues to make, then hermeneutical questions gain new relevance and new urgency. The one Bible disintegrates contextually. Just what are the implications of this for missiological reflection?
Dhavamony, Mariasusai. "Indian Christian Theological Method." Studia Missionalia 45 (1996): 57-94.	Christian theology in India must be a pilgrim theology in search of the truth. Participation in the religious experience of people of other faiths is the sine qua non for understanding revelation itself. . . . Indian Christian theologizing has to take into account the Indian method of theologizing, for the means (the method) and the end (Indian Christian theology) are interdependent. The kind of method one follows in theologizing determines the kind of theology one produces. In order that Indian Christian theology be fully Indian and fully Christian, we respect what is true, good and valid in the Indian method which can enrich Indian Christian theology, being aware of the necessity of its compatibility with the Christian faith and tradition. Authentic values of the Indian culture are thus safeguarded and enriched by the Christian faith in its turn.
Duraisingh, Christopher. "Reflection on Theological Hermeneutics in the Indian Context." The Indian Journal of Theology 31:3,4 (July-Dec. 1982): 259-278.	Posits that every authentic moment of understanding is necessarily shaped by the historicality of the interpreter. A text becomes hermeneutically problematic only because the fact elements in the interpreter's historical context make earlier understandings or accommodation to the text strange or inadequate. What is it that constitutes the specific Indian-Christian hermeneutical context? What follows is is a description of our horizon out of which we understand anything that we understand.
Erickson, Millard J. "Presuppositions of Non-Evangelical Hermeneutics" In Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible, ed. Earl D. Radmacher and Robert D. Preus, 593-612. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.	Because of the very broad topic which has been assigned to me for treatment, it is essential that we note initially several definitional problems which we face. The first is involved in the use of the adjective, "non-evangelical." The idea of non-evangelical could cover a wide variety of views, each rather different from each of the others. Here we single out a few examples as well as seek to explore some of the assumptions common to many non-evangelical hermeneutics. A second preliminary issue to be discussed concerns the variety of presuppositions. There are theological presuppositions (doctrinal beliefs which affect the understanding of specific passages), philosophical presuppositions (pertaining to broader topics than the strictly theological or religious) and methodological presuppositions (the use of logic, inference, induction and deduction). We will sample presuppositions cutting across these categories. The scope of the paper then, should be conceived of with several limitations upon the original form as stated above. It will actually be something such as "Some Theological, Philosophical, and Methodological Presuppositions of Typical Non-Evangelical Hermeneutics."
Escobar, Samuel. "Our Hermeneutic Task Today." In Conflict and Context: Hermeneutics in the Americas, ed. by Mark Lau Branson and C. René Padilla, 3-8. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986.	An evangelical hermeneutics starts from a conviction about the basic unity of the text of the Bible. It refuses to begin by establishing polarities between the Old and New Testaments, between Gospel and epistle, between Jesus I and Paul, between prophets of the left and kings of the right. The key for the unity of the text is Christological. The polarities usually come from ideologies or philosophic systems foreign to the text, to the world of the Bible, world views that are opposed in content and intention to the saving purpose of God. This does not mean that we should ignore a plurality of emphases or perspectives that go along with the human and historic side of revelation. But we should be aware that as there are ways of reading the text that end by eliminating a God who has taken the initiative, there are also ways of approaching the text that end by destroying its Christological core. An evangelical hermeneutics does not separate a so-called "factual core" from its interpretation, putting in its place an interpretation that better suits whatever scientific or philosophical vogue happens to express the mood of the interpreter's age. Rather, it strives to grasp the deep spirit of each Bible author and of the totality of the message--and in that endeavor some scientific disciplines may be able to help.
Evers, Georg. "The Hermeneutical Implications of Comparing Contextual Theologies." Bangalore Theological Forum 23:3 (September 1991): 77-84.	The collaborators of Theology in Context, while amassing a huge number of publications of contextual theology, have not been able to reflect on the many issues involved in doing what we are engaged in. Here the question of hermeneutics comes in. How does one go about the business of comparing theologies? What criteria are available? As the subtitle indicates I would simply list these and other. questions and do some thinking in the direction of finding possible paths to tackle these problems. That, is, why I speak of preliminary remarks. I would like to divide these remarks into two topics 1) The inner-Catholic problem of unity and diversity and 2) The hermeneutical implications of inter-religious dialogue.
Fiorenza, Francis Schüssler. "The Crisis of Hermeneutics and Christian Theology." In Theology at the End of Modernity: Essays in Honor of Gordon Kaufman, ed. Sheila Greeve Davaney, 117-40. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1991.	This essay addresses one aspect of the crisis of modernity: the crisis of modem theology as a crisis of interpretation or, more specifically, as a crisis of the conception of theology as hermeneutical. A crisis of hermeneutics signifies that many controversies and disagreements exist, not only because individuals and groups have different beliefs and share different values but also because individuals and groups have basically different interpretive approaches to their beliefs, values, and practices. These interpretive approaches deeply affect how persons understand and come to their beliefs and practices and constitute the very rationality with which people approach, articulate, and explain their identity in relation to their particular cultural and political situations. For modem theology the crisis of hermeneutics is not simply about how one interprets the Christian tradition. The issue is much more fundamental because it deals with questions of how one even begins to undertake such a task of interpretation and whether theology is primarily hermeneutical or not. Because interpretation has been central to both traditional and modem theology, however, such a crisis of hermeneutics is at the same time a crisis of both traditional and modem theology. It is a crisis affecting the conception of the theological task and the very nature of theology.
Flemming, Dean. "The Third Horizon: A Wesleyan Contribution to the Contextualization Debate." AETEI Journal 9:2 (July - Dec. 1996): 3-30.	Focuses on the need of an adequate hermeneutic for the task of contextualization, since hermeneutics lies at the heart of of what it means to contextualize the gospel and our hermeneutic invariably determines the product of our contextualization.
Flemming, Dean. "The Third Horizon: A Wesleyan Contribution to the Contextualization Debate." Wesleyan Theological Journal 30 (1995): 139-163.	In the Asian setting in which I currently minister, Christians rightly view contextualization not as an option, but as a necessity for the church. Yet, all of the attention given to contextualization has not led to a consensus regarding its goals, methodologies, limits, and hermeneutical base. Even the definition of the term itself has proved to be extraordinarily slippery. n general, Wesleyans have been rather slow to enter the debate. Yet I believe there is an important and needed contribution Wesleyans can make to the discussion. This essay will focus on one aspect of the contextualization debate--the need for an adequate hermeneutic for the task of contextualization. I choose this particular aspect for two reasons: first, because hermeneutics lies at the very heart of what it means to contextualize the gospel; and second, because the understanding of Scripture and interpretation within the Wesleyan tradition has the potential to shed light on some crucial issues.
Gnanadason, Aruna. "Towards an Indian Feminist Theology." In We Dare to Dream: Doing Theology as Asian Women, ed. Virginia Fabella and Sun Ai Lee Park, 117-26. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990.	We need a reclaiming of the Bible as a feminist resource because, in spite of its misuse, it has also through history, provided authorization and legitimization for struggles.for human dignity and justice--there is clearly a liberation strand. The Bible inspires us to re-read it with a commitment to women's liberation in particular and human liberation in general. . . . What women will try to continuously do is to draw strength from their biblical roots, so as to open up a path into the future. This yearning for a new future, a new community cannot be minimised because it is a song for freedom from the dust into which women's humanity has been crushed for centuries. Our task as Indian women is clear-to search for a feminist hermeneutic which will carry all women and the whole church towards becoming a new arid living community in Christ.
Goba, Bonganjalo. "Towards a 'Black' Ecclesiology: Insights from the Sociology of Knowledge." Missionalia 9:2 (August 1981): 47-58.	There is no doubt that one burning issue in contemporary theology is the problem of developing a relevant theological hermeneutic. Today when we talk about contextualization we are actually wrestling with the problem of hermeneutics--one which takes our historical context very seriously. There are many types of contextual theologies, which are all attempts to formulate a relevant theological hermeneutic. This highlights the fact that theology does not fall from heaven but is colored by our experience. This is true also of our understanding of the Church. It is not my intention to spell out the role of theological hermeneutics since there are many studies which do that. My hope is to share insights from what is known as the Sociology of Knowledge. I propose to describe it briefly and then show how it influences my own attempt to develop a Black ecclesiology.
Gregorios, Paul. "Hermeneutics in India Today in the Light of the World Debate." The Indian Journal of Theology 28:1 (Jan.-March 1979): 1-14.	Author concentrates mainly on the general philosophical questions in hermeneutics and leave it to his colleagues to discuss the specific problems of biblical hermeneutics as such. His purpose is only to set the international context for the Indian debate on general hermeneutics. He also makes some comments from the perspective of the Indian philosophical tradition and the Christian theological tradition.
Haleblian, Krikor. "The Problem of Contextualization." Missiology 11:1 (January 1983): 95-111.	Purpose of article is to identify and analyze a number of problems raised by the use of "contextualization" and offer potential ways to resolve them. Seven issues are chosen for discussion: 1) defining the term, 2) differences from indigenization, 3) the legitimate agents for contextualization, 4) syncretism, 5) the limits of contextualization, 6) the gospel core, and 7) hermeneutics.
Hays, Richard B. "The Church as a Scripture-Shaped Community: The Problem of Method in New Testament Ethics." Evangelical Review of Theology 18:3 (July 1994): 234-247.	The author discusses how the Church becomes a Scripture-shaped community in making ethical judgments on the issues of our time. In developing a framework for pursuing New Testament ethics as a theological discipline, he outlines the threefold task of 1) the descriptive or exegetical, 2) the synthetic or coherent-images and 3) the hermeneutical or interpretative methods. He suggests a number of guidelines for both the synthetic and hermeneutical tasks and appeals to the Church to live under biblical authority rather than under the ambiguities of reason and experience. In a case study on homelessness he applies his method to an urgent ethical issue.
Hollenweger, Walter J. "The Theological Challenge of Indigenous Churches." In Exploring New Religious Movements: Essays in Honour of Harold W. Turner, ed. A. F. Walls and Wilbert R. Shenk, Elkhart, IN: Mission Focus Publications, 1990.	The indigenous churches of Africa provide three challenges for our own theological thinking: 1) to recognize a return of Christianity to its (third-world) roots; 2) the search for a new ecumenical and intercultural theology; and 3) the search for the practicalities of such an an intercultural theology, including three topics of vital concern: a) dreams and visions, b) healing of the sick and c) propositional and oral communication.
Hong-jung, Lee. "The Minjung Behind the Folktale: An Example of Narrative Hermeneutics." Asia Journal of Theology 8:1 (1994): 89-95.	Uses a well-known Korean folk tale ("The Rat's Bridegroom") to recover the reality of the Korean minjung (common person; hopes and assumptions about realities) and highlight hermeneutical issues.
Igenoza, A. O. "African Weltanschauung and Exorcism: The Quest for the Contextualization of the Kerygma." Africa Theological Journal 14:3 (1985): 179-93.	In light of contemporary hermeneutics how do we understand the ministry of exorcism in contextualizing Christianity in Africa?
Kanyoro, Musimbi R. A. "Interpreting Old Testament Prophecy through African Eyes." In The Will to Arise: Women, Tradition, and the Church in Africa, ed. Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Musimbi R. A. Kanyoro, 87-100. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992.	Kanyoro's essay focuses on polygamy in Scripture, emphasizing how predominantly male-influenced cultures have influenced both translation and interpretation of the Bible. Argues that men perpetuate polygamy for their own sexual, patriarchal, and material needs. Claims that polygamy is a form of oppression against women and that the church should stand in solidarity with women to reject this form of oppression.
Kanyoro, Musimbi. "Reading the Bible from an African Perspective." The Ecumenical Review 51:1 (January 1999): 18-24.	The reality of African Christians being ardent believers in the Bible. This paper presents research on the role culture has in providing a lens through which the Bible is read. Posits that the African cultural heritage needs to be explored through cultural hermeneutics so that we may understand how culture conditions people's understanding of reality at a given time.
Kato, Byang H. "Eschatology in Africa: Problems of Hermeneutics." In Readings in Dynamic Indigeneity, ed. Charles H. Kraft and Tom N. Wisley, 465-92. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1979.	Kato critiques Mbiti's discussion on eschatology in Africa, positing that Mbiti gives too much. Kato is an African with a more conservative (dispensationalist) western theological training than Mbiti's. He, thus, sees Mbiti as a contributor to theological syncretism and universalism in Africa. Two chapters have been lifted from Kato's book to grasp the significance of the struggle in theologizing with cultural distinctives in mind. The focus here is eschatology. Both Kato and Mbiti are involved in a fundamental theological debate. Their controversy revolves around the extent to which culture influences the ultimate exposition and interpretation of Scripture. Kato charges Mbiti with universalism at almost each turn of a sentence. He concludes with a ten point proposal designed to safeguard Biblical Christianity in Africa from syncretistic theologies like those of Mbiti. Kato may have failed to grapple with the cultural issues as thoroughly as Mbiti but the questions he raises are fundamental to the process in which both he and Mbiti are engaged. Perhaps Kato's approach is too western. But perhaps Mbiti is also too western and the answers Africa seeks remain for a future generation of less indoctrinated Africans to discover.
Keitzar, Renthy. "Tribal Perspective in Biblical Hermeneutics Today." The Indian Journal of Theology 31:3,4 (July-Dec. 1982): 293-313.	The specific purpose of hermeneutics is the communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the interpretation and ministration of the Word of God in the context of contemporary culture and, as M. V. Abraham says, "The tribal culture has to be taken note of in any serious attempt towards an Indian biblical theology" (Indian biblical hermeneutics, if I understand him correctly). The main purpose of this paper is to identify some issues involved in a. tribal biblical hermeneutics that is relevant to the different tribal peoples of North-East India. The Word of God must be interpreted in its relevance to the life and thought patterns of tribal peoples so that the message of salvation can be more meaningful for them.
Kinghorn, Johann. "Reflections on the Task of Theology in Africa." Scriptura 39(1991): 94-103.	This article reflects on the task of theology as an intellectual enterprise in the mode of Western analytical thought, in view of the challenges posed by 'Africa'. It addresses primarily the question in European circles of theology within Africa, what their particular task should be. Five areas of interest are pointed out: the need to develop a sophisticated theology capable of dealing with 'structural' social issues, the inter-religious debate; adequate ethical foundations, reexamination of 'eccesiology,' and the need for theological social theory.
Kuster, Volker. "Models of Contextual Hermeneutics: Liberation and Feminist Theological Approaches Compared." Exchange 23:2 (September 1994): 149-162.	In the philosophical and theological discussion in postwar Germany hermeneutics went through a boom which only came to an abrupt end through the effects on theology of the social irruption of the late sixties. "Hermeneutics were dethroned and who still asks for them today only shows that he is out of touch" K. Scholder concluded in the year 1971.1 The question of the social relevance of theology became the new leading theme, even if only for a short time.' After programmatic beginnings already with the political theologians Moltmann and Metz', today it is precisely the contextual theologians who are part of this tradition, like Latin American liberation theology or feminist theology that again kindle the hermeneutic discussion and add a new impetus to it.' The following considerations are an attempt to bring about a dialogue between some Latin American approaches, while at the same time pointing out structural resemblances to the theology of women from the Third World and to feminist theology.
Lategan, Bernard C. "Aspects of a Contextual Hermeneutics for South Africa." In The Relevance of Theology for the 1990s, ed. J. Mouton and Bernard C. Lategan, 17-30. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1994.	Lategan gives an overview of the contemporary debate. He sees "contextual" as referring to a sustained attempt to include the situation of reception in both the theoretical reflection on and the pragmatic implementation of the process of interpretation. Issues like the plurality of audiences and interpretations, the nature of the biblical text, the relationship between experience and thought, the implications of post-modernism, the ethical responsibility of interpretation, the emergence of the "ordinary' reader, the need for rethinking theological education and for recognizing the ecumenical dimensions of interpretation, are briefly discussed. In conclusion, reference is made to the resources available and the advantages of doing theology in the present context.
Lee, Archie C.C. "Biblical Interpretation in Asian Perspectives." Asia Journal of Theology 7:1 (1993): 35-39.	Presents three approaches to the Bible in Asia: 1) text alone approach, 2) text-context interpretive mode; and 3) cross-textual hermeneutics.
Lee, Archie C.C. "Cross Textual Hermeneutics on Gospel and Culture." Asia Journal of Theology 10:1 (1996): 38-48.	Early conversions in China were both to Christianity as a religious faith and to (Western) Christian culture. Today Chinese Christians have two identities: a cultural identity and a Christian one, with the latter often overshadowing the former. Can both be held in dynamic tension? The search for an adequate framework for cross-cultural hermeneutics is an attempt to restore the split identity and construct an appropriate faith in cross-cultural context.
Lee, Archie C. C. "Prophetic and Sapiential Hermeneutics in Asian Ways of Doing Theology." In Doing Christian Theology in Asian Ways, ed. Alan J. Torrance and Salvador T. Martinez, 1-11. Singapore: ATESEA, 1993.	This paper aims at investigating into two types of biblical traditions: the prophetic works and the wisdom literature. In the prophets, attention will be drawn to the ways the prophets understand the epic-historical traditions, how they treat their texts and utilize them to bear upon the contexts in which they are called to proclaim their messages. Only passages from Amos and Deutero-Isaiah are cited for our discussion in this paper. These two prophetic books have been studied in the light of wisdom influences. In our examination of the wisdom literature we shall see that wisdom tradition by its own character possesses the power to self criticize and so to reform and transform itself in the light of new experiences. The openness to correction, the courage to doubt and the acceptance of diversified and pluralistic viewpoints are attitudes of mind characteristics of wisdom thinking. The wisdom teachers apply these principles to their cultivation of wisdom. I propose that these sapiential hermeneutical principles, if taken seriously, will have great implications for our theological task.
Lindsell, Harold. "Biblical Infallibility from the Hermeneutical and Cultural Perspectives." Bibliotheca Sacra 133:532 (Oct.-Dec. 1976): 312-318.	Universal issues related to infallibility.
Mijoga, Hilary B. P. "Hermeneutics in African Instituted Churches in Malawi." Missionalia 24:3 (November 1996): 358-71.	This study is based upon primary research done among eighteen African Instituted Churches from various districts of Malawi. The aim of the research was to carry out a detailed study of biblical interpretation in these churches. Its specific objectives were: to investigate the issues that are considered when preparing for exegesis; to find out problems faced by local exegetes when undertaking biblical exegesis; to examine the texts and themes popularly chosen and the reasons for their choice; and to assess the role of songs in biblical exegesis. Regarding the theological importance of this project, it may be pointed out that researchers on AICs in Malawi have approached them from the historical, sociological, and anthropological perspectives. The approach adopted in this research was theological, and specifically from a hermeneutical perspective. It was the intention of the research that the hermeneutics perspective adopted would a) pave the way for further theological studies of AICs in Malawi; b) help mainstream Christian Churches learn something from how these churches interpret the Bible, and c) avail the AICs themselves of the opportunity to gain something from the experience of their colleagues.
Moseley, Romney M. "Decolonizing Theology in the Caribbean: Prospects for Hermeneutical Reconstruction." In Constructive Christian Theology in the Worldwide Church, ed. William R. Barr, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.	For the past two decades Caribbean theologians have been trying to "decolonize" theology in order to lend theological support to the subversion of colonial domination. Given the thoroughness of colonization in church and state by the British, French, Dutch and Spanish, decolonization requires a radical transformation in religious and political consciousness. In the political domain, decolonization is the forming of national and regional identities to complement the development of new structures of self-governance, independence and interdependence. In the theological domain, decolonization entails hermeneutical reconstruction--"critical discrimination as to what is primary and what is secondary, what is accidental, what is authentic and what is distortion" in the meaning and praxis of Christianity. How do we decolonize theology in the Caribbean? It seems to me that the decolonization of theology is both a retrieval of tradition and a hermeneutics of suspicion regarding the moral principles, values and truth claims of the tradition. Clearly, decolonization in the Caribbean does not entail the retrieval of its African, Asian or Carib religious heritage. There is certainly no attempt to formulate an African, Asian or native Carib Indian theology of liberation in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Conference of Churches stands out as the most significant agent of hermeneutical reconstruction, and a survey of its orientation and work will provide understanding of the decolonization process.
Moyo, Ambrose, Mavingire. "The Quest for African Christian Theology and the Problem of the Relationship between Faith and Culture--The Hermeneutical Perspective." Africa Theological Journal 12:2 (1983): 95-108.	An attempt to reopen the debate on African Theology with the hope of expelling some of the fears expressed towards African theology.
Müller, Julian. "African Contextual Pastoral Theology." Scriptura 39 (1991): 77-88.	The first step for every theologian, and especially for the practical theologian, is to acquire a sensitivity for the socio-cultural context. In order to understand the church's pastoral task in Africa, we should first try to understand something of the African context. This article focuses on some aspects of the African context. The kind of pastoral care which tries to accommodate the context fully is described as eco-hermeneutical pastoral care. Eco-hermeneutical pastorate is a unification of two terms. ecosystemic and hermeneutical. These two terms are integrated into one term, eco-hermeneutical, in order to capture the significance of both. Firstly, 'hermeneutical', puts emphasis on the element of understanding; secondly, 'ecosystemic' refers to the widest possible system or network of systems.
Muzorewa, Gwinyai. "A Definition of a Future African Theology." Africa Theological Journal 19:2 (1990): 168-79.	Three elements which should constitute African theology: 1) a new definition of African theology; 2) an African hermeneutical principle of the Gospel and 3) an authentic African Christian expression and contextualization of the faith with a consequent commitment.
Nicholls, Bruce J. "Doing Theology in Context." Evangelical Review of Theology 11:1 (January 1987): 101-106.	Contextualization is a dynamic process of the Church's reflection on the interaction of the Text as Word of God and the context as a specific human situation in obedience to Christ and His mission in the world. it is essentially a missiological concept. Contextualization is not a passing fad or a debatable option. It is essential to our understanding of God's self revelation. The incarnation is the ultimate paradigm of the translation of the Text into context. Concentrating primarily on the hermeneutical side, Nicholls clearly brings out the dynamics of the text, the context, and the church in the process of contextualization.
Ntreh, Benjamin A. "Towards an African Biblical Hermeneutical." Africa Theological Journal 19:3 (1990): 247-54.	Africans tend to follow a Western hermeneutic; more work needs to be done on an African hermeneutic in biblical interpretation. Follows new critical methodologies that take account of the involvement of the reader in the interpretation of the text.
Núñez, Emilio Antonio. "The Church in the Liberation Theology of Gutierrez: Description and Hermeneutical Analysis." In Biblical Interpretation and the Church: The Problem of Contextualization, ed. D. A. Carson, 166-94. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984.	At the present time there are several liberation theologies in Latin America, but the best known of them is the one articulated by Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian priest, in his book entitled A Theology of Liberation. The following ecclesiological reflection will be based especially on this book. There are other liberation theologians who are known in the English speaking world-for instance, Juan Luis Segundo and Jose Miranda. Nevertheless, because of the limitations of this paper the discussion will be reduced to the ecclesiology of Gustavo Gutierrez. In order to have a better understanding of his ecclesiological approach, it will be necessary first of all to provide at least a general description of the methodology he employs in his work. Then I will present a general description and evaluation of his concept of the nature and mission of the church.
Onwu, N. "The Hermeneutical Model: The Dilemma of the African Theologian." Africa Theological Journal 14:3 (1985): 145-60.	The hermeneutical task is to discern and transfer meaning from one time and place to another; this must be applied to the African work in theological development. Identifies four problems fir the African in terms of interpretation, and discusses the cross-resurrection as a model for the African Christian's hermeneutical enterprise.
Padilla, C. René. "Biblical Foundations: A Latin American Study," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 79-88.	In conclusion, to speak of a biblical foundation for theology is to speak of a hermeneutic which sees the Church as the hermeneutical community, the witness of the Holy Spirit as the key to the comprehension of the Word of God, contextualization as the New Testament pattern for the transposition of the Gospel into a new situation, and the Christian mission as the means through which God calls people from among all nations to the obedience that comes from the faith in Jesus Christ.
Padilla, C. René. "Hermeneutics and Culture: A Theological Perspective." In Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture: The Papers of the Lausanne Consultation on Gospel and Culture, ed. Robert T. Coote and John Stott, 63-78. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.	General orientation of the chapter: "hermeneutics and the historical situation are strongly linked. Without a sufficient awareness of the historical factors, the faith of the hearers of the Gospel will tend to degenerate into a "culture-Christianity" which serves unredeemed cultural forces rather than the living God. The confusion of the Gospel with "culture-Christianity" has been frequent in western-based missionary work and is one of the greatest problems affecting the worldwide church today. The solution can come only through a recognition of the role that the historical context plays in both the understanding and communication of the biblical message."
Padilla, C. René. "The Interpreted Word: Reflections on Contextual Hermeneutics." Themelios 7:1 (September 1981): 18-23.	The word of God was given to bring the lives of God's people into conformity with the will of God. Between the written word and its appropriation by believers lies the process of interpretation, or hermeneutics. For each of us, the process of arriving at the meaning of Scripture is not only highly shaped by who we are as individuals but also by various social forces, patterns and ideals of our particular culture and our particular historical situation. Thus, hermeneutics and the historical context are strongly linked. Without a sufficient awareness of the historical factors, the faith of the hearers of the Gospel will tend to degenerate into a 'culture-Christianity' which serves unredeemed cultural forces rather than the living God. The confusion of the Gospel with 'culture-Christianity' has been frequent in western-based missionary work and is one of the greatest problems affecting the worldwide church today. The solution can come only through a recognition of the role that the historical context plays in both the understanding and communication of the biblical message.
Padilla, C. René. "Toward a Biblical Foundation for a Two-Thirds World Evangelical Theology." Theological Fraternity Bulletin (1982:4/1983:1): 29-36.	If theology is to fall in line with the purpose of equipping the man of God for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17), besides being biblical in a narrow sense it must also be communal, pneumatic, contextual and missiological--it must be biblical in a wider sense. In other words, it must take into account the whole process through which the Word of God is made flesh in the people of God within a particular historical context by the power of the Holy Spirit. It will have a biblical foundation not only in the sense of responding to a grammatical-historical exegesis but also in the sense of being in harmony with the purpose of biblical revelation. The present paper is an attempt to look at the various dimensions of a biblical foundation (and therefore of hermeneutics) in the light of God's purpose in revelation and with special reference to theology in the Two-thirds World.
Parratt, John. "African Theology and Biblical Hermeneutics." Africa Theological Journal 12:2 (1983): 88-94.	Deals with 2 questions: 1) How far is the African theology based on the Bible? and 2) What approaches to interpretation of the Bible are adopted by African theologians?
Pettegrew, Larry D. "Liberation Theology and Hermeneutical Preunderstandings." Bibliotheca Sacra 148:591 (July-Sept. 1991): 274-287.	A brief response to the hermeneutical methodologies of liberation theology.
Pieterse, H. J. C. "Contextual Preaching: To Gerhard Ebeling on His Seventieth Birthday." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 46 (March 1984): 4-10.	Innumerable factors contribute to the context of the theologian --ecclesiastical, cultural, social, political and economical factors. No one who wishes to interpret the message of the Bible is free of these influences--he cannot dissociate himself from his particular context. In view of this, the following thesis on preaching may be formulated: All preaching is contextual. Contextual preaching is preaching in which text and context co-determine the message that is being conveyed. This implies that context is constitutive in the homiletic process. Only when the preacher proceeds from the context, can his sermon reach the present situation of his congregation in a meaningful way. How can God's Word as understood in our context come into its own in the sermon? Gerhard Ebeling's' hermeneutical theology has achieved much in furthering a scientific understanding of the movement of God's Word from the biblical text to a living proclamation in the present context. I should like to pursue the implications flowing from this for the particular situation of the contextual preacher in South Africa.
Richardson, Kurt A. "Postcolonial Hermeneutics: The Generation and Communion of Indigenous and Historic Theologies." Jian Dao 8 (1997): 15-36.	It is often said that western Christian theology is in disarray, suffering from, among many things, the acids of historicism, repristinating theological statement, leave-taking of Christian faith altogether in some kind of postmodern theology, or simply accommodation to sociological notions also according to some "post-" factor. While some of these moves are being made, nations, churches and theologians are finding release from Western colonialist powers and influences, and a history to be told from the perspective of being-no-longer-a-colony have profound implications for the future of global Christian theology. Whatever ought to be said regarding the problems of late-modem Western Christian theology, the burden of this paper will be to engender thought about post-colonial experience which will be necessary to confront if a respectful and mutually enriching theological partnership is to begin to be achieved.
Rutschman, Laverne A. "Latin American Liberation Theology from an Anabaptist Perspective." Mission Focus 9:2 (June 1981): 21-26.	In this paper the author looks briefly at three frames of reference that help us to understand Liberation Theology as it is being done in Latin America and enable us to assess its impact upon missions as well as to identify areas of interaction between it and the Anabaptist tradition. These include the relation between ideology and faith as understood in Latin American Liberation Theology, the relation between religion and society in the same context, and the hermeneutical circle as described by Juan Luis Segundo.
Sano, Roy I. "Ethnic Liberation Theology: Neo-Orthodoxy Reshaped--or Replaced?" In Mission Trends No. 4: Liberation Theologies in North America and Europe, ed. Gerald Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, 247-58. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979.	Sano, provides a study in practical hermeneutics. He explains why Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities try "to make better sense of our experiences" by identifying with the ethnic particularism in the story of Esther, rather than the cultural assimilation in the story of Ruth. Ethnic theologies of liberation also find in Scripture that the apocalyptic writers are more helpful to their cause than the prophets. Finally, Sano contends that "ethnic theologies of liberation place a priority on liberation rather than reconciliation. Theologically speaking, this means redemption comes before reconciliation." These emphases demonstrate "what has become outdated in neo-orthodoxy," and how ethnic theologies of liberation are moving beyond it. His essay is reprinted from the November 10, 1975 issue of Christianity and Crisis.
Savage, Peter F. "The 'Doing of Theology' in a Latin American Context." TSF Bulletin 5:4 (1982): 2-8.	Key issues in Latin America which evangelical theologians face include: 1) developing a hermeneutical approach and posture in the 20th century, 2) God, his Kingdom, and History; 3) the poor as sociological fact or hermeneutical key? 4) sin as an outdated concept or personal as well as structural; 5) liberation as salvation from what and to what? 6) the new humanity in Christ Jesus; 7) Who is Jesus; 8) the nature of the Church; 9) the church and the state; and 10) the global village.
Schlorff, Samuel P. "The Hermeneutical Crisis in Muslim Evangelism." Evangelical Missions Quarterly 16:3 (July 1980): 143-51.	Proposes that missionaries to Islam to consider the implications of a new push to use the Qur'an's supposed Christian teachings to build bridges to Muslims. Evangelical missiologists and communicators must face the question whether the Christian Qur'anic hermeneutic is worth its high cost. No doubt, one cannot expect unanimity as to the answer to this question. It is also clear that there needs to be more research and theological reflection to identify uses of the Qur'an that may not be afflicted with such problems and which maybe compatible with the evangelical objective. Above all, those engaged in Muslim evangelization need to heed the call of Walter Kaiser to join evangelical theologians in what he calls a "hermeneutical reformation," if the whole enterprise of Muslim evangelization is to avoid getting bogged down in the morass of relativity.
Singgih, E.G. "Let Me Not be Put to Shame: Towards an Indonesian Hermeneutics." Asia Journal of Theology 9:1 (1995): 71-85.	Explores how "good news" in Indonesia means lifting people up from situations in which an individual or a group is trapped in feelings of shame.
Stam, Juan. "The Hermeneutics of Liberation Theology." Bangalore Theological Forum 11:2 (1979): 122-41.	Explains Latin American liberation theology to an Indian audience. Orientation: In Liberation Theology, the task of hermeneutics is to serve Christian obedience in the midst of the concrete historical reality of Latin America. The 'hermeneutic problem' is thus shifted from the theoretical or cognitive level to the historical level of action and mission. As such, hermeneutics becomes fundamentally a dialogue between the biblical text and the text of present day socio-political reality within the Latin American historical process. Concludes: Hermeneutics must be our constant effort to clarify afresh the meaning of Christian presence and witness, faithful both to the biblical paradigms and to our contemporary reality, in the search for concrete, radical, effective obedience both individually and corporately. This, within the specific realities of today's turbulent Latin America, is the task which Liberation Theology has undertaken.
Starkloff, Carl F. "The New Primal Religious Movements: Towards Enriching Theology as Hermeneutic." In Exploring New Religious Movements: Essays in Honour of Harold W. Turner, ed. A. F. Walls and Wilbert R. Shenk, 169-177. Elkhart, IN: Mission Focus Publications, 1990.	In the inquiry after a better informed hermeneutic of the sources (the religious classics and the living context of the people in emerging tribal societies) begins with a philosophical interpretation of history through a dialectic which, in its broad outlines, may serve as a phenomenology of the church's experience of the new movements--a diachronic interpretation of the phenomena. The thesis of this dialectic of the church's mission to tribal peoples is the meeting of Christian proclamation with primal peoples in their own search for the Divine. Our method is thus grounded in the position that all religions contain some elements beyond the merely magical and pragmatic, some aspiration for transcendence, and some related ethical consciousness. The message of this essay is directed, first of all, to the missionary theologian. We shall dwell therefore on the conversion--intellectual, moral, religious, and psychic--of the church.
Sumithra, Sunand. "Theological Issues Confronting the Indian Church." AETEI Journal 3:2 (July - Dec. 1990): 11-19.	The basic issues confronting India in the next decade include: 1) the finality of Jesus Christ; 2) the nature and mission of the church; 3) worship; 4) methodological issues (theology, hermeneutics, languages); 5) the credibility of the Gospel and 6) pastor/teacher training.
Sundkler, Bengt. "Towards a Christian Theology in Africa." In Readings in Dynamic Indigeneity, ed. Charles H. Kraft and Tom N. Wisley, 493-515. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1979.	Sundkler suggests specific areas for theological consideration in Africa. He intimates that Africa has a theological contribution to make precisely because of her "Africanness." In fact, it is that "Africanness" that will bring out some of the richness imbedded in Hebrew theological perspectives but lost in the process of translation. Sundkler suggests that theologians in Africa must start with the fundamental facts of the African interpretation of existence and the universe. He admits there is a high risk of heresy and spiritual stagnation. But the opportunities for Africa and the Church at large are tremendous. For this reason he sees the need for a greater emphasis on training and leadership development in the African Church. Perhaps if we apply these ideas carefully a proper mix can be achieved that will point the way toward greater theological indigeneity wherever the gospel of Christ is preached.
Swartley, Willard M. "Liberation Theology, Anabaptist Pacifism and Munsterie Violence: Hermeneutical Comparisons and Evaluation." In Freedom and Discipleship, ed. Daniel S. Schipani, 66-75. New York: Orbis Books, 1989.	The aim of this chapter is to challenge the pacifist tradition with the hermeneutical contributions of liberation theology and to similarly challenge liberation theology with the hermeneutical contributions of the Anabaptist pacifist tradition. An additional goal is to show two forms of hermeneutic within sixteenth-century Anabaptism, thus providing a third hermeneutical perspective which, while not to be espoused, might stimulate a better understanding of the two main alternatives under comparison in this essay. I shall thus summarize and analyze the similarities and differences among the three historical forces denoted in the title of this article.
Taber, Charles. "Hermeneutics and Culture--An Anthropological Perspective." In Down to Earth: Studies in Christianity and Culture: The Papers of the Lausanne Consultation on Gospel and Culture, ed. Robert T. Coote and John Stott, 79-94. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.	How does one go about discovering what the Scriptures mean? The whole history of Christian interpretation of the Bible shows that there is no such thing as guaranteed, infallible passage of information from the Bible to human minds. If there were, Christians equally competent and honest and committed would come to identical interpretations; but as we can clearly see, they do not. For reasons which seemed good to God, and which we are therefore bound to accept, he did not choose, when he gave us the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible, to bypass normal human approaches to interpreting messages, but to use them. And these approaches are conditioned, colored, and limited by our human finiteness, our human sinfulness, and our human cultural, social, and historical contexts. It is my purpose, then, to explore some of the principal aspects of the processes by which people interpret messages, and to see how these can apply to our own efforts to understand and obey the Scriptures.
Tai, Ji. "Hermeneutics in the Chinese Church." Chinese Theological Review 12 (1996): 137-47.	Though Christianity's entry into China can be traced back a thousand and more years to the Tang dynasty, it did not truly take root there until a hundred or so years ago. From a scholarly viewpoint, in comparison with the West, biblical research in China has only just begun. If we turn to the life of faith of the church over the course of a long period of evangelism and pastoral work, however, we see that the form of biblical understanding and interpretation in the Chinese church has gradually taken on definite special features. These are the important components of theology in the Chinese church. This essay will attempt to provide a preliminary description and critique of these features and to form some opinions on the course of future developments.
Tano, Rodrigo D. "Towards an Evangelical Asian Theology," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 155-71.	Theological reflection is the search for the meaning of the present in the light of God's unchanging Word. That which distinguishes a particular type of theology is its method, themes and emphasis. It is in this sense that evangelicals in Asia can engage in theological reflection. The product of such an enterprise is a theology that must be biblically oriented and responsive to the issues and challenges posed by each situation in Asia. As a pilgrim and prophetic community, God's people in Asia must continually pursue the hermeneutical task of relating God's Word to the total context, discerning where the Spirit is leading and being alert to the burning issues of the day.
Tiénou, Tite. "Biblical Foundations: An African Study," Evangelical Review of Theology 7:1 (April 1983): 89-101.	This is an exercise in how the Bible should be taken to lighten our path in our task of developing theologies in context. It is my conviction that this could be applied to every single area of theology. First, we should deprogram our hermeneutics so that we don't only see in the Bible what our hermeneutical key tells us is there. This will help us reduce the effects of our pre-understandings. Secondly, we should read the Bible with the purpose of gaining new understanding. Thirdly, we should see how this affects our total context.
Tiénou, Tite. "The Church and its Theology." Evangelical Review of Theology 7:2 (October 1983): 243-246.	The Church's theological task in Africa today is to develop a functional theology which is faithful to God's revealed Word. Without such theology the Church becomes anemic and may be paralyzed. My purpose in this brief paper is not to pontificate a theology for us but rather to explore some of the obstacles which need to be overcome before we can develop a truly functional Evangelical theology (no! Evangelical theologies) in Africa. Central to the entire endeavor is the matter of hermeneutics which will be treated in the second part.
Tiénou, Tite. "The Church and Its Theology." Perception 20 (April 1982): 1-4.	The Church's theological task in Africa today is to develop a functional theology which is faithful to God's revealed Word. Without such theology the Church becomes anemic and may be paralyzed. My purpose in this brief paper is not to pontificate a theology for us but rather to explore some of the obstacles which need to be overcome before we can develop a truly functional Evangelical theology (no! Evangelical theologies) in Africa. Central to the entire theological endeavor is the matter of hermeneutics which will be treated in the second part.
Tiénou, Tite. "The Church in African Theology: Description and Analysis of Hermeneutical Presuppositions." In Biblical Interpretation and the Church: The Problem of Contextualization, ed. D. A. Carson, 151-165. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984.	Since the expression 'African theology' can be all-inclusive and meaningless, it may be of value to begin this study by defining the boundaries of the present investigation. The scope of this paper is limited to theological statements concerning the church in sub-Saharan Africa but not including South Africa. Our scope is further limited by the fact that we are examining here only published documents on the topic of our investigation. In the case of Africa, this is rather unfortunate because much of our theological creativity is in oral form--in songs, sermons, and rituals. This presentation would have been strengthened with studies of some of these non-written theologies. Alas, I did not have the possibility of conducting field research while preparing this paper. Nevertheless, I will be satisfied if this study contributes, in any way, to the understanding of the issues raised.
Ukpong, Justin S. "Rereading the Bible with African Eyes: Inculturation and Hermeneutics." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 91 (June 1995): 3-14.	The general experience in Africa is that the traditional mode of the official church's reading of the Bible is not capable of responding adequately to the questions that African Christians are asking about their life in Christ and their experience with the Bible. Examples of the type of questions which inculturation hermeneutic seeks to wrestle with could be multiplied but they would eventually all come to this: how to make the word of God alive and active in contemporary African societies and in the lives of individual Christians within their socio-cultural contexts. The point has already been made that new questions have arisen about the Bible which cannot be answered by the present mode of reading the Bible. These questions come from a certain conceptual frame of reference and therefore demand a new mode of reading the bible that responds to that conceptual frame of reference. To be sure, what is demanded is not a return to a literal reading of the Bible, but a reading that would be critical in its own way paying attention to the African socio-cultural contest and the questions that arise therefrom. This paper seeks to analyze the methodology of this approach.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. "The World Well Staged? Theology, Culture, and Hermeneutics." In God and Culture: Essays in Honor of Carl F. H. Henry. ed. D. A. Carson and John Woodbridge, 1-30. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.	In this essay I examine the role of theology in the interpretation of culture and in our present culture of interpretation. I first define culture and hermeneutics, and then argue that culture is an appropriate object of interpretation. Next I review some ways in which culture has been interpreted by historians, sociologists, philosophers, and theologians. I suggest that contemporary culture in the West is one in which hermeneutics itself is now considered one of the ultimate values. I speak here of the culture of hermeneutics rather than the hermeneutics of culture, for in the postmodem situation creative interpretation is taken to be one of the prime virtues of human being. In the final section I argue that there is more need than ever for the theologian to be interpreter and critic of contemporary culture, as well as champion of a counterculture that should be embodied in ecclesial existence--that is, in the church. It is only as we interpret Scripture that we will be able to establish an effective counterculture, which itself will be the most effective critique of the dominant culture. Ultimately, the interpretation that counts most is one's "performance" of the biblical text. The theologian as interpreter-critic is thus a player on the stage of world history. Theology's "staging" of the world displayed in the Christian Scriptures should constitute a crucial voice, or chorus of voices, in contemporary debates about cultural values and institutions. As players and interpreters of culture, both theologians and believers act as social theorists and social activists alike. This, at least, is the demanding role thrust upon Christian disciples, upon the community of those who assemble together to "do" the Word.
Walls, A. F. and Shenk, Wilbert R., eds. In Exploring New Religious Movements: Essays in Honour of Harold W. Turner, ed. A. F. Walls and Wilbert R. Shenk, 169-177. Elkhart, IN: Mission Focus Publications, 1990.
Wambutda, Daniel N. "Hermeneutics and the Search for Theologia Africana." Africa Theological Journal 9:1 (April 1980): 29-39.	This article attempts to give the minimal procedural exegetical unit within the hermeneutical circle which represents the total ground the exegete of the revealed word must traverse at one stretch; starting from the pericope to the point at which it becomes appropriated or prophetic and so directly relevant to a given sitz im leben: the life situation. The article does this only after it has clarified certain terms and developments and concludes that there is a great need for all those searching for Theologia Africana to take serious cognizance, of this biblical exegetical model herein propounded, and which must serve as a bridle, a curb, a limiting reference point without which we may in fact end up with a version of an African theology or theologies but not necessarily African Christian theology or theologies.
Wells, Harold. "Segundo's Hermeneutical Circle." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 34 (March 1981): 25-31.	Explains and critiques the hermeneutical circle as explained by Segundo in The Liberation of Theology.
West, Gerald. "No Integrity without Contextuality: The Presence of Particularity in Biblical Hermeneutics and Pedagogy." Scriptura S11(1993): 131-146.
West, Gerald. "Some Parameters of the Hermeneutic Debate in the South African Context." Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 80 (September 1992): 3-13.	The biblical hermeneutical debate in South Africa can be located and charted in a variety of ways. However, rather than offer a survey of the variety and complexity of these debates in this paper, I argue towards a delineation of the parameters within which all these debates should take place. Having done this, I then discuss a South African attempt to do biblical interpretation within these parameters.
Wittenberg, G. H. "Contextual versus Historicist Hermeneutics with Special Reference to Exodus 1-14." In The Relevance of Theology for the 1990s, ed. J. Mouton and Bernard C. Lategan, Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1994.	Drawing on Thomas Kuhn's concept of a "paradigm shift" theologians have claimed that an important paradigm shift is presently taking place from Western theology to Third World liberation theologies. Can this paradigm shift also be seen in the realm of Biblical Studies? Wittenberg argues that the paradigm shift in Biblical Studies is characterized by two different methodologies which can be termed historicist and contextual biblical exegesis respectively. He then explores historicist hermeneutics with special reference to the Exodus-interpretation of the three Old Testament scholars Hyatt, Noth, and Fohrer. Their dominant interest is shown to be the historical basis of the Exodus narrative, the main interlocutor being the critical modern person influenced by the Enlightenment. In liberation theology the interlocutor is the poor and oppressed. This occasions a shift away from the historicist position. The focus is on context, not only the present-day context, but equally the context in which the Exodus narrative was reactualized in Israel's long history of suffering under oppressive regimes. This occasions new scholarly questions and gives new insights into the meaning and significance of the Exodus narrative.
Woudstra, Marten H. "A Critique of Liberation Theology by a Cross-Culturalized Calvinist." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 23:1 (March 1980): 3-12.	The job, therefore, that we as evangelicals have to do--and this applies also to our evaluation of the various types of liberation theology--is to struggle hard with the question of how to interpret the Word of God. The true test of the liberation movement is not whether this movement agrees with one's personal background and inclinations or whether it conforms to the doctrinal tenets he or she has learned from childhood. The real test lies in its conformity to the Word of God rightly understood. This is why the hermeneutical question continues to be of primary importance, and is the focus of this article.