Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Introduction: Hermeneutics as an Ecclesial Practice -- Part One: The Church as Creature of the Word: Hermeneutics and the Risen Christ -- Reading in the Domain of the Risen Christ: A Conversation with John Webster -- Reading in the Wake of the Incarnate Lord -- Part Two: The Church as Institution: Hermeneutics and the Ecclesial Past -- Reading in Light of the Past: A Conversation with Robert Jenson -- Reading in Light of Christ's Ongoing Reign -- Part Three: The Church as Congregation: Hermeneutics and Togetherness -- Reading Together: A Conversation with Stanley Hauerwas -- Reading as Christ's People -- Part Four: The Church as Missional Community: Hermeneutics and the World -- Reading as a Sent Community: A Conversation with Missional Theology -- Reading in and for the World-- Epilogue.

"The Bible is meant to be read in the church, by the church, as the church. Although the practice of reading Scripture has often become separated from its ecclesial context, theologian Derek Taylor argues that it rightly belongs to the disciplines of the community of faith. He finds a leading example of this approach in the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who regarded the reading of Scripture as an inherently communal exercise of discipleship. In conversation with other theologians, including John Webster, Robert Jenson, and Stanley Hauerwas, Taylor contends that Bonhoeffer's approach to Scripture can engender the practices and habits of a faithful hermeneutical community. Today, as in Bonhoeffer's time, the church is called to take up and read."-- Publisher, page four of cover