Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture: Reading the Bible Critically in Faith

by David Crump

Personal, experiential faith is seldom given a seat at the table of academic theology and biblical studies. David Crump, however, with the assistance of Søren Kierkegaard's religious philosophy, claims that "authentic understanding, and thus authentic Christian commitment, can only arise from the personal commitment that is faith."Examining the various biblical, historical, cultural, theological, and academic hurdles demanding a truly Kierkegaardian leap of faith before one can meet the resurrected Jesus, Crump's "Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture" provides a very insightful discussion of key New Testament texts and issues revealing how Truth is discovered only through the subjectivity of faith.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Nonfiction

155 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2013

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not uncommon to find a dichotomy between faith and reason, between love for Jesus and desire for logic. David Crump, who serves as a religion professor at Calvin College, has experienced this as students who once were passionate about their relationship with Christ now struggle with the rigor of academic study (116ff.). Crump’s goal in writing is simple: we must encounter Jesus and then encounter Scripture, and in that order; hence the title of the book. In other words, one cannot fully reason to God but must encounter the living Lord. As Crump writes, “In the realm of Christian understanding, the most fundamental questions do not concern historical evidence, archeological data, literary genre, or any of the sundry matters usually tied to the rational explanation of empirical evidence.” “Rather,” he adds, “the basic issues in this arena are epistemological and spiritual: How can a person come to know God” (5). Faith comes not by knowing all the facts of the past but by taking a step of faith “realized in a profound awareness of personal need” (4).

To aid in his argument, Crump employs the use of Soren Kierkegaard and Ruldolf Bultmann as conversation partners in chapter one. Crump doesn’t endorse all their views, especially those of Bultmann (e.g., reductionist principles of historical criticism; see 11 n. 17), but he is unwilling to throw out the baby out with the bathwater (11). Both men had ways of seeing, according to Crump, that offer “an indispensible guide into the New Testament language of faith and discipleship that can be especially valuable to biblical theology in a postmodern world” (11). In the following chapters (chs. 2–5) Crump engages various passages where this experiential faith is observed; this section comprises the bulk of the work. In chapter 6 Crump concludes his study by noting that faith does not exclude reason but transforms it. He insists that the “Christian faith should not be a mental sedative that puts reason to sleep; instead, it should cause reason to be resurrected” (132). Reason submits to faith and faith gives it life: “Christ hands [reason] back again to be used more appropriately and insightfully in the search for truth” (112)

I appreciate Crump’s desire in writing this work. I’ve seen many a student lose or struggle with their youthful embrace of Christ in the midst of their critical engagement of Scripture in college. The academic guild today is riddled with scholars who exclude faith from their interaction with the Scripture and neglect, if not disparage, the ultimate end of Scripture: trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Kierkegaard himself lived in a context drenched in post-Enlightenment biblical criticism that drowned out personal, vibrant faith (124). That said, in responding to the dangers of this anti-faith academic inquiry, it’s easy to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction and place to high a premium on faith that is not grounded in fact.

There were other minor quibbles I had with Crump in this book. For one, I’m not convinced by his discussion of the NT use of the OT, particularly his critical engagement of Carson and Beale (26–27). On a related note, he overstates the case when he says 1st century of Jews reading the Bible would not have been expecting the Messiah as he came in Jesus (19–24). Yes, it’s easy to read our OTs with our Christian lenses, but what about Simeon and Anna (Luke 2)? These were two devout and faithful Jews (Luke 2:25, 27, 36); both them eagerly awaiting the coming of this Messiah and his promised redemption (Luke 2:25, 38). Yes, perhaps like the disciples they did not have the full picture of the promised Son of David (2 Sam. 7) who would also be the Suffering Servant (Isa. 53); but it is an overstatement to ignore their faith and expectation of the Messiah based on their knowledge of the OT Scriptures.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't agree with everything in this book but I loved how he took the perspective of Kierkegaard in his exegetical work. I think this is a helpful read to anyone studying Kierkegaardian philosophy at any level.

[Paula Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, David Crump, is an amazing guy, friend, and author in the area of justice and spirituality.

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this excellent book, Crump relays his experience, in seminary, of finding Kierkegaard only after he had already begun to understand God and faith in the ways Kierkegaard did - in this, Kierkegaard served to confirm and bolster his new experience of faith. I not only had this exact same experience with Kierkegaard, but with this book as well! I started to see faith and Scripture in a new light, and I was troubled by this until I found Kierkegaard, and Karl Barth, and then this book, all of which placed some intellectual validity on the way I began to see things. In this, this book was prophetic and incredibly helpful. It also, in the last chapter, describes acutely my own experience in historical-critical academic settings, and offers perfect insights.

My one criticism of this book comes with the discussion, in chapter two, regarding the NT use of the OT. Crump just goes too far in attempting to demonstrate that the NT writers' use of the OT was a creative, wild leap. To be sure, Jesus became a new hermeneutic, but with Jesus in place, the ways that the OT foreshadowed the coming of Jesus are in fact there, not simply wild creations of the faith of the NT writers.

Aside from this one (albeit very large) criticism, I loved every other aspect of this book - and in fact serves as a bit of a biographical counterpart to my own experience with God. Very helpful.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has much to commend it, but ultimately feels like it falls a bit short of what it could have been. To be commended: Crump's willingness and intellectual honesty to admit and explain how the so-called OT prophesies fulfilled by Jesus could never have been foreseen, but only understood after the fact and only through faith in Christ. This basic concept is at the heart of this book: Until one takes the "leap of faith" there are no logical, rational arguments that of necessity lead one to faith in Christ. The "leap" is an emotion-based choice, not a logical necessity. This seems true enough, but Crump leaves us with an admitted circular logic: One cannot believe the evidence supporting Jesus' Messiahship until one has already believed that Jesus is the Messiah. Had he provided some reasoning to make the "leap of faith" in the first place it would be an immensely useful book, as there is much of value and well-reasoned thought in it. But ultimately we are left with a once-you-decide-to-believe-it-will-all-make-sense appeal which seems to this reviewer to be equally applicable to any major (or minor) world religion or to any extremist take within any religion. Crump does nothing to dispel or even address this basic failing.

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Kierkegaard, then you'll like this. If you don't, or if your only understanding of him comes from Francis Schaeffer (and/or Van Til), then you won't. If you don't have an opinion on Kierkegaard, you might like this book, especially if you're looking for a way to cut through the Gordian knot of critical biblical studies to read the Bible again through the eyes of faith.

Look for a full(er) review on my blog later this month!

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! The author wrote this book after his own struggle with theological academia and his own spiritual life. He undertakes an explanation of the role of reason and faith and how the two should be integrated. He follows much of Kierkegaard's thought on the subject, thereby making the Danish philosopher accessible to those who are not often readers of philosophic writings. Excellent work!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Crump tests a few selected passages of scripture in the philosophical laboratory of Kierkegaard for a refreshing look into practices of biblical criticism that do not detract from the bread that brings life.

[Jerod Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book and I truly wish that I had been given it before I started seminary.