LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Book Critique of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes

Submitted to Dr. Myron Kauk

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

NBST 610-D04
Hermeneutics

by

Caleb R. Brown
July 23, 2017

Contents
Summary…….………………………………………………………………………………….iii

Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………….iv

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….v

Bibliography………….………………………………………………………………………..vii

Summary
 E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien’s text Misreading Scripture with Western

Eyes title alludes to much about what the text is about, that is there is much that the church in the

west needs to take in account when the Bible is read in relation to interpreting the Bible.

Richards and O’Brien practically divide the text into three parts in many ways like the picture of

an iceberg. The text is written in an attempt to remind the readers of the Bible the cross-cultural

nature of biblical interpretation.1 Richards and O’Brien practically divide the text into three

parts in many ways like the picture of an iceberg. They bring to light the ideas of cultural mores

and values and even state that the most powerful ones are the ones that go without being said.2

The importance of understanding this is that when there is something that is missed about what

went without being said and the reader projects or substitutes that with what goes without being

said in their own cultural context there is great risk in misreading Scripture.3

Analysis

The authors text comes form the perspective of two biblical scholars that are drawing

from their time in missions abroad and the cross cultural experiences that they were a part of.

1
E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing
Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible, (Downers Grove: IVP, 2012), 12.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid., 13.
The heart of the text is to bring awareness to the instinctive reactions that everyone has to draw

from their own cultural context when reading and trying to understand it.4 Because of their

perspective, that being western Christians from America, they are able to practically

communicate how and why everyone, from every place and time always has the challenge to

interpret what the Bible says from their own cultural context. The text is not so much one to

teach the reader how to interpret as much as it is to make everyone who reads it aware of our

cultural blindness. That is what makes the text so practical in that it is explicitly experiential

from both authors. One of the introductory ideas of the text is an explanation of cultural mores.

Brandon J. O’Brien talks about his experience growing up in the south and being taught about

the evils of alcohol.5 That personal story is then used as an example of how western Christians

can often believe that their own mores can originate from the Bible because their was a focus on

certain passages of Scripture while others are ignored.6 This first section logically flows as the

authors each continually give examples on all the obvious misinterpretations that occur like the

iceberg that sticks up above the water. The next step the authors take is to move the eyes past

the obvious distance of cultures and languages to the distance of time. E. Randolph Richards

gives a great example of how other the Indonesian culture has a much different view of time than

the west.7 Richards mirrors back to previous chapters that explained how cultures will have

specialized vocabularies that reveal and give evidence to what it is that they value.8 All of these

chapters logically flow and communicate the ideas of how and why westerners misinterpret the

Bible. Not only are each of the arguments clear, when reading their text one can very practically

4
Richards and O’Brien, 11.
5
Ibid., 33.
6
Ibid.
7
Richards and O’Brien, 133.
8
Ibid., 138-139
understand the implications. Their experiences teach principles simplicity and the closing of

each section then gives the reader questions to ponder that allow one to apply the implicit

principle.

Conclusion

In summary, the Richards and O’Brien text is of great value not only for the seminary

student to read, but also for a Sunday School/Small Group leader as well as the believer who

would like to better understand basic principles to interpreting the Bible. A new believer that is

of older age, i.e. not a child, can get as much benefit as someone who has been a believer for

many years. The reason is all should read it is, it does communicate the importance of proper

interpretation through the authors personal experiences which makes it easily relatable. One of

the most practical teachings that the text gave was in it’s concluding chapter. The supremacy of

me is one of those fundamental character flaws that has plagued the human race since the fall of

man and it is one that Richards and O’Brien believe that Westerners are possibly the blindest.9

This observer could not agree more and I believe it is the most important teaching that the text

communicates three steps that help take the focus off of us, and on God and His people.10

9
Ibid., 207.
10
Richards and O’Brien, 208-209.
 Bibliography

E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes:
Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible. Downers Grove: IVP, 2012.