Traditional doctrinal and historical interpretation both rely heavily on rational analysis. But from the disciples at Emmaus to the beginnings of the present century, it has been the impact of scripture upon the human heart that has changed human lives. In recent decades, this impact has been strengthened by advances in linguistic and literary theory, by such disparate influences as feminism, structuralism, Jungianism, deconstructionism, the analysis of archaic imagery and myth, the recovery of Gnostic texts, and finally an openness to pluralism, whether ethnic, geographic, religious, or interpretive. All of these factors are treated here with a brevity and comprehensiveness which convincingly show that the reader of scripture has a creative and not merely passive role. "Its strength lies in its thought-provoking rhetoric…a work worth exploring; seemingly, it has something for everyone."-Faith & Mission "This book deftly examines historical, literary, and psychological interpretations of texts, and then sketches a 'biblical empirics' that can reaffirm the revelatory function of holy writ."-Walter Wink