Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul

by Walt Russell

Bible scholar Walt Russell insists that when we study the Scriptures properly, it is like playing with fire―a fire that can ignite dramatic change in our souls. With an intelligent, engaging style, Russell puts the tools in your hands that enable you to study different styles of biblical writing in depth. And this fuller understanding of God’s Word unleashes a heart-transforming power that burns away your defenses like fire, bringing radical change to your life.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biblical Studies, College

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2000

Reviews

[Ben Alain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily readable, accessible, and helpful introduction to biblical interpretation. It would work well as a book to take lay people through during an equipping class on biblical interpretation due to it not being overladen with technical jargon. Newer believers will likely benefit the most from it, but it still holds value for Christians a little further along in their walk.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the wonderful opportunity to have Dr. Russell as a professor for a class at Talbot. Highly recommended read for those wanting a valuable introduction to the fundamentals of hermenuetics while also providing practical defenses against common objections. This will be a book I will be constantly recommending to those unacquainted or wanting a polished presentation of an introduction to hermeneutic practice.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this was review as I have spent the last year reading about studying the Bible based on genre but there were a few new things. Overall a nice summary of studying Scripture. Easier to read than the Fee and Stewart book but still good.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introductory book to hermeneutics and a reading of the Bible that is sensitive to the distinctive genres of each book.

[Brian Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward and easy-to-understand hermeneutics. Very much needed in today's biblically illiterate society.

[Roger Wang]

Pretty good introduction to genre-based hermeneutics.

[April Shavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

great resource for Bible reading!

[Sheri Siegrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was tired, I remember nothing

[Andy]

This is one of the best books I have read regarding how to approach Scripture. It helps you see how to differentiate reading for study, and reading for devotion.

[Tyler Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my spiritual formation class at Biola and at first, I thought it was going to be boring, but boy was I wrong! I read the Bible so differently now and I try to go through all the principles of specific genres when I read and interpret the Bible. I like that Russell also adds stories of his own personal life that really brings the book to life as it talks about obstacles that he has had to overcome.
This book has also brought awareness to the amount of individualism we partake in reading the Bible as an American society. We like to place ourselves as the biblical character instead of trying to understand the passage for What it is!
This is one of those books that is not only a great read, but changes your perspective for a lifetime!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and understandable book on how to interpret the Bible. Written by Walt Russell from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, the book is a balanced approach to hermeneutics written with the layperson/undergraduate in mind. He is brief when possible, but expands on issues when he needs to.

I appreciated his relevant illustrations from the classroom, his personal life, church ministry and life in general. Russell is clear and challenges many ill-conceived notions of modern American interpretation. He uses familiar biblical texts as examples for putting his principles into practice. David and Goliath is used to show the shallowness of much preaching on the subject. Psalm 8 is analyzed and interpreted.

Russell's whole point is to fit this book squarely into the NavPress Spiritual Formation series it is a part of. The subtitle of the book shows his intention is not just to produce smart Christians, but changed Christians. Understanding the Bible will lead to changed lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our church is going to do an all-church Sunday School class this fall based on the book. I would recommend the book to any person who wants to know how to approach, read and apply the Bible better.

The only downsides are endnotes (I hate endnotes!) and some shying away from digging a little bit deeper into specifics of application.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell insists that “the Holy Spirit will not demean our God-given responsibility as interpreters [of the Bible] by doing the interpretive work for us!” In other words, reading the Bible takes effort. There are degrees of effort according to genre, yet the work of understanding primarily lies with the reader. The Holy Spirit will, however, enable us to grasp the “significance” of what we are reading, accept it as truth and apply its message in our lives.

Russell instructs how to read the Bible top down rather than bottom up – beginning with a book’s “genre” down to particular paragraphs or verses – rather than isolating verses or passages from their surrounding context. Not only does he emphasize the author’s original meaning of the text (as opposed to reader supplied meaning), he also points out the author’s intended “application,” while allowing contemporary applications in the lives of believers as long as they “do not violate the boundaries of the original application.”

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I read Fee and Stuart's excellent How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, but this book is written in very much the same vein (it in fact quotes from Fee and Stuart quite extensively). Since it has been so long I can hardly remember enough to compare the two, but in my mind Fee and Stuart set the standard here so much so that a book like this has to struggle to justify its existence.

That being said, I liked it a lot, and the author is careful to point out areas where he disagrees with Fee and Stuart in the way he approaches certain genres. If you're looking for a good overview of Biblical interpretation for a layperson, you could do a lot worse than to read this book. It gives good summaries of the major genres present in the Bible and does a nice job framing the approach to each with a set of questions to ask yourself as you are reading.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

very academic. but one should read something academic in theology if one is going to be pursuing the Faith. Russell explains approaches and perspective to reading the Bible based on the historical context and the genre of the books. I've never approached the Bible with this mindset. And as a literature major ~ it make sense to me! Don't we expect different purposes and elements from different genres of texts? Hence to approach some of the narratives in the Old Testament, one would look for "how God is the Hero?" whereas in the New Testament, we can ask, "How is Jesus shown/proven as the Messiah?" More importantly, reading this book deepened my sincere desire todiscover and be transformed by the power of His Word.

[Garrett Eaglin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, basic introduction to the field Biblical Hermeneutics, with helpful and necessary sections discussing the role of scripture in our own personal, spiritual formation. I would have liked to see more about the role of hermeneutics in the Church and a greater survey of the field of hermeneutics as a whole--as this leans heavily toward a grammatical-historical interpretation of scripture, and a (moderately progressive) dispensational eschatology.

To compensate for this lack, students should read: Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views, edited by Stanley Porter and Beth Stovell.

[Nathaniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Russell does not give as much consideration to the interpretations of scripture that are found through out church history, this is at times the strength of "playing with fire" at at time its weakness. Though this book is an excellent place to start in learning how to read scripture, and fight against a culturally relativistic reading of the bible.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good at bringing together Bible study and spiritual formation.

[Mary Foxe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Theologically sound, but I was not personally fond of it.