Kevin J. Vanhoozer is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Chapter One: First Theology: Meditations in a Postmodern Tool shed

Vanhoozer states that doing theology includes God, Scripture, and hermeneutics which he calls first theology or “theological hermeneutics” (9). This chapter introduces “the post-modern challenge to theology” which is deconstructing the Bible of authoritative meanings behind the text, such as, patriarchy. Chapter one seeks to answer which should come first in our study of theology, theology proper or bibliology. Vanhoozer state that both should begin our study. The first chapter introduces “the notion of Scripture as a diverse set of divine speech acts.” This chapter introduces “the importance of learning wisdom by indwelling the biblical texts.” Vanhoozer’s strong contention is that “wisdom is more than information.... It is lived knowledge” (39). Vanhoozer concludes “there is no more vital task facing Christians today than responding faithfully to Scripture as God’s authoritative speech acts---not because the book is holy but because the Lord is, and because the Bible is his Word, the chief means we have of coming to Jesus Christ” (41).