Description: Yung Suk Kim asks important questions in Biblical Interpretation: Why do we care about the Bible and biblical interpretation? How do we know which interpretation is better? He expertly brings to the fore the essential elements of interpretation--the reader, the text, and the reading lens--and attempts to explore a set of criteria for solid interpretation. While celebrating the diversity of biblical interpretation, Kim warns that not all interpretations are valid, legitimate, or healthy because interpretation involves the complex process of what he calls critical contextual biblical interpretation. He suggests that readers engage with the text by asking important questions of their own: Why do we read? How do we read? and What do we read? Endorsements: Kim analyzes the process of biblical interpretation with provocative accent. While acknowledging the value of historical-critical and literary-narrative contributions, Kim privileges the reader-response dimension. His contribution is distinctive in its depth analysis of the interplay between the interpreter and the text. He takes account of the expected diversity of interpretation, given the diverse storied-life experiences of interpreters. . . . The book is an enriching, collateral resource for graduate-level courses on biblical interpretation. --Willard Swartley, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary In this compelling introduction to the dynamics of biblical interpretation, Yung Suk Kim builds on established methods of interpretation to promote new strategies of reading, in which the question of what the text means is bound together with questions about the identity and circumstances of readers. With sensitivity to the ethics of interpretation and the values of solidarity and diversity, this book opens a way to focus on timely interpretations of the biblical text. --Ray Pickett, Professor of New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago At last, I l“ö