Jeannine K. Brown, assistant professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, tackles this significant subject with “Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics.”

The first part of the book focuses on essential background information and historical movements and developments that put in context the study of hermeneutics. Chapter three, which deals with theories on where meaning is derived in written communication, is well-written and quite helpful for understanding various viewpoints on textual meaning.

Part two of the book is a good primer on the world in which Scripture took place: the languages, the context, the social constructs, the literary assumptions, etc. Living in the 21st century, so far removed from the time and culture in which Scripture was lived out, it’s important we interpret it with as much contextual information as possible.

Brown is at her best when specifically discussing the communicative aspects of hermeneutics. The chapters that deal with communications and genre are rich and helpful. Those who are serious about understanding hermeneutics and in learning to become better biblical interpreters will find this book an invaluable resource. At times the book can seem unapproachable for those who don’t possess a certain basic knowledge of hermeneutics; however, it’s well worth the effort to read the book and interact with its prescriptions.


“The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath” by Mark Buchanan, W Publishing Group, 224 pages
In the increasingly harried and complex 21st century world, it’s nice to think about rest, time away, a vacation. Yet how can we even afford to think about this—let alone actually embark on it—when any lost time in our lives will put us behind? But what if God has lovingly provided this for us?

Mark Buchanan, author and pastor in Vancouver Island, Canada, writes about how he became a Sabbath-keeper: “It happened subtly, over time; but I noticed at some point that the harder I worked, the less I accomplished. I was often a whirligig of motion. My days were intricately fitted together like the old game of Mousetrap, every piece precariously connected to every other, the whole thing needing to work together for it to work at all.”

So begins Buchanan’s encounter with changing his life—becoming a Sabbath-keeper.

For those who have read one of Buchanan’s previous books, which include “Your God Is Too Safe,” “Things Unseen,” and “The Holy Wild,” this book will not disappoint in that his keen and entertaining writing style are at their finest. Buchanan pulls the reader into his prose by regularly telling compelling stories from his life that aptly demonstrate the points he is trying to convey.

There is nothing new in the book’s theology. However, Buchanan’s ability to weave personal narrative with Scripture makes the book’s intentions persuasive—and those intentions are to encourage the reader to look once again at what God has prepared for us. As Buchanan writes, “Sabbath imparts the rest of God—actual physical, mental, spiritual rest, but also the rest of God—the things of God’s nature and presence we miss in our busyness.”