How We Read the Bible in Churches of Christ with John Mark Hicks

How should we read and understand the Bible? Wes McAdams interviews John Mark Hicks about different ways churches of Christ have interpreted the Bible, either using a “blueprint” approach focused on patterns for the church or a more theological approach centered on God’s story and identity.

They discuss key biblical concepts like reading whole books for context rather than proof-texting, seeing Scripture as intended to form Christlike character more than provide ecclesiological details, and grounding unity in the core gospel story. Concepts of a “blueprint hermeneutic” versus a “theological hermeneutic” are explained as ways churches have viewed biblical authority. McAdams and Hicks also touch on church history, the risks and benefits of both hermeneutical approaches, and the importance of Christ-centered unity.

John Mark Hicks has taught full-time in higher education among Churches of Christ since 1982 and recently retired from his position as Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught in 40 states and 22 countries around the world. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to 47 books as well as contributing to both academic and popular journals. His experience gives a helpful perspective on both the historical and hermeneutical questions addressed in this episode.

Resources

• Watch This Episode on YouTube
• Searching for the Pattern: My Journey in Interpreting the Bible by John Mark Hicks

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Transcript (Credit: Beth Tabor)

WES: Welcome to the Radically Christian Bible Study Podcast. I’m your host, Wes McAdams. Here we have one goal: Learn to love like Jesus. Today we’re going to be talking about churches of Christ, the history of churches of Christ and the future of churches of Christ, particularly how we read the Bible, how we read and understand and apply scripture to our lives, to the way that we do church, to the way that we try to love like Jesus.&nb