Tracing the relationship between Christ-centered biblical theology and the so-called Great Tradition, this book seeks to remedy often self-diagnosed weaknesses in evangelical (gospel-centered) hermeneutics. Meeting charges, first, that redemptive-historical approaches to Scripture tend to de-theologize the Bible, and second, that theological approaches tend to de-historicize the Bible, Scott Stine appropriates Calvin's famous "spectacles" metaphor to propose a hermeneutical method that orients the Scripture reader both upward (theologically) and forward (redemptive-historically). The outcome is a unique approach called typological realism, emphasizing that God reveals his good purposes along a typological trajectory, inviting believers to participate in the journey. This book does not seek to offer anything "new" to Christian interpretation of Scripture, but to join together features from oft-used approaches that not only fit together thematically but also remedy reductive tendencies. The goal is to help those listening to Scripture as God's shepherding voice to hear the fullness of his revelation, the purposeful process that culminates in the Beatific Vision.
