Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 177:706 (Apr 2020)
Article: Biblical Song And Theological Ethics
Author: Greg Forster

BSac 177:706 (April-June 2020) p. 172

Biblical Song And Theological Ethics

Greg Forster

Greg Forster is Director of Oikonomia Network, and visiting assistant professor of faith and culture, Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois.

Abstract

How ought theological ethics to draw upon biblical song? This article takes as a case study Dallas Willard’s use of Psalm 23:1 to authorize a general foundation for theological ethics. It uses methodological tools drawn from Richard Hays and Kevin Vanhoozer to evaluate Willard’s approach. Hays and Vanhoozer have developed approaches intended to connect nondidactic passages of Scripture to theological ethics, but their primary focus has been on narrative passages. This study tests whether their approaches work for song, an even more challenging kind of nondidactic passage. It finds that Willard’s approach is generally sound and produces useful theological insights, though it also has a few important weak points that could be improved. This conclusion sheds light on the merits of Willard’s case and further demonstrates that the tools Hays and Vanhoozer provide are helpful for evaluating theological use of nondidactic literature.

How ought theological ethics to draw upon biblical song? Theological ethics aspires to be informed by the entire content of the Bible, not just passages that consist of didactic ethical teaching. Richard Hays and Kevin Vanhoozer have developed approaches for connecting nondidactic passages of Scripture to theological ethics. However, the primary focus has been using these methods to draw upon narrative passages. This is important, especially because narrative is the most common genre of scriptural text. However, Scripture contains other genres. Perhaps the most challenging for purposes of informing theological ethics is biblical song. This article takes as a case study Dallas Willard’s ambitious use of Psalm 23:1 to authorize a general foundation for theological ethics. It uses methodological tools drawn from Hays and Vanhoozer to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Willard’s

BSac 177:706 (April-June 2020) p. 173

approach. This not only provides an opportunity to consider the merits of a bold theological effort from an influential figure; it also provides an opportunity to consider the merits of emerging theological methodologies when they are applied to the challenging task of drawing upon biblical song.

Just how much of a theological ethic can one derive from “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want?” In The Divine Conspiracy Continued, published posthumously with co-author Gary Black, Willard appeals to