I have recently been doing a great deal of study in the area of hermeneutics and general Biblical interpretation. Often times in my studies, it seems as though I arrive at a fairly moderate position simply because that seems to be the most biblical. It was for that reason that this book by Vern Poythress really piqued my interest. The full title of the book is Symphonic Theology: The Validity of Multiple Perspectives in Theology. As indicated by the title, there is a strong emphasis on examining every angle of a discussion before reaching a conclusion. To allow a balanced view of the book I will first just outline some of Poythress’ main emphases and then make some observations about his approach and execution.
Very generally speaking, the book can be broken down into three sections. The first section emphasizes how many different perspectives exist in the world. Poythress illustrates the effect of perspectives in a broad number of ways beginning with practical everyday experiences and progressing through several Biblical instances. The point is that because every person is different, every person will automatically pay more attention to certain details while others notice different and even opposite details. Those differences can often be due to different backgrounds or simply different personalities. As Poythress develops this idea of different perspectives, he also emphasizes that these different perspectives are not actually a bad thing. In fact, when viewed properly, a proper assessment of the various perspectives can become a great asset to the student. Poythress also makes an important note of the fact that his thinking has been strongly affected by several known presuppositional thinkers the greatest of which would probably be Cornelius Van Til. That fact is important in light of how Van Til emphasized the idea that all human beings believe what they believe based upon certain presuppositions. That emphasis on presuppositions ties very closely to the Poythress’ examination of perspectives.
The second section deals with words and the precision or, in certain cases, the imprecision of language. In this section, Poythress does a brief survey of some basic linguistic principles and observes the fact that language is not quite as concrete as some might wish. He illustrates by showing that there are words with multiple meanings. In some cases, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is its contextual usage. Poythress also presents the idea of expandable perspectives. The idea basically boils down to the broadening of a word definitions via the method of principalization. In other words, Poythress shows how a very broad application can be made from a very narrowly defined term. Because of his premise regarding words, he is careful to define his terms to ensure that he is not teaching relativism.
In the final section, Poythress applies the principles of Symphonic Theology to a specific theological issue to demonstrate the practical use of the proposed system. Poythress presents miracles as the subject of discussion. In doing so, he tries to analyze the extremes of both the liberal position of no miracles to the charismatic position of continuationism. Whether Poythress was correct in his conclusions is beyond the scope of this article, nevertheless he well illustrated his point. Though both extremes may be completely off track, Poythress demonstrates that the student should be willing to examine both positions to analyze what aspect of truth the views hold central. From that point, Poythress shows his method of analysis and conclusion based upon the gathered details. We will now examine how the ideas that Poythress presented play out in practice.
First, Poythress’ dealing with the fact that all human beings are affected by perspective is quite insightful. There have been many theologians who almost totally agreed doctrinally while still criticizing each other’s positions. Their disagreement was not actually based upon a doctrinal difference, but rather a lack of understanding with regard to the position of the other. Unfortunately, that is a situation that is all too common especially in the world of Scripture. Christians often generalize a position before they have actually heard out the position. Without a proper understanding of presuppositions, the student of Scripture will never be able to even understand how he has reached his own conclusions. Poythress does an excellent job of addressing that problem and presents a good model to guard against such unfounded generalizations.
As previously mentioned, the second section of Poythress’ book deals with word meanings and their precision with regard to specific application. This is where the book tends to become a little dangerous with regard to Biblical interpretation. He does make some good points as far as how terms may not always be quite as precise as the systematic theologian might desire. His premise does, however, become dangerous when he proposes the idea of elasticity in word meanings. In principle, he has a valid point. For instance, he brings out how the word “Sabbath” is specific in meaning and its use in the Ten Commandments is very precise. He then points out that the much broader idea of consecration lies behind the word “Sabbath,” which is what I alluded to with my reference to principalization. Again, his application is good and it can be verified by the context of Scripture. That being said, a person with no context in Biblical hermeneutics could easily accept those principles carte blanche and in turn embrace an allegorical approach to Scripture. In fact, there are numerous subtle hints that betray Poythress’ Covenant biases. That it is not say that the book should be avoided, but I do not believe that it is a book that should be read without a previous context in Biblical Interpretation.
The third part of the book is good simply because it gives a basic model for how Symphonic Theology actually applies. Though there is certainly a time for theological works that are primarily conceptual and thus practical only in a secondary way, it is refreshing to read a book that has so much everyday application. Poythress demonstrates how fair comparison can not only lead a student to have a balanced theology but help the student to respect those with differing views. In the Christian circle, respect for others is so very important to true Christ-like behavior. As Christians, we may not always agree but we still love and care for one another as a result of our position of unity in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
Overall, this book can definitely be a valuable tool in helping a person to become willing to analyze issues from a reasonable perspective and break the mold of one’s presupposed or inherited doctrine. May we never tire of challenging our understanding of Scripture so that we may become more acquainted with our God. May we be as the Bereans who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
