Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989)
Article: The Influence of Hermeneutical Frameworks in the Theonomy Debate
Author: Douglas A. Oss

WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989) p. 227

The Influence of Hermeneutical Frameworks in the Theonomy Debate

Douglas A. Oss

Introduction

“The temper and teaching of the Chalcedon school,” wrote 1 Meredith Kline of Greg Bahnsen’s Theonomy in Christian Ethics, “find typical expression in this product of the over-heated typewriter of Greg Bahnsen…. With its gifted and energetic leadership this movement held promise of great good. The tragedy of Chalcedon is that of high potential wasted—worse than wasted, for its most distinctive and emphatically maintained thesis is a delusive and grotesque perversion of the teaching of Scripture.”1 Almost everyone listened.

The discussion concerning the role of the Mosaic law in the new covenant has been beclouded at times by over-heated rhetoric from those on both sides of the issue. The theonomy debate in particular seems to have stirred more than merely an academic interest in the role of the law of Moses. The theonomists have reaffirmed an important perspective with respect to the believer’s love for the law of the Lord (cf. Psalm 119). They are motivated by a genuine concern that ethics, both personal and sociopolitical, be based not on the arbitrary whims of the finite creaturely mind as it struggles for autonomy from the Creator, but rather upon the only objective and absolute ethical standard available to man, God’s revealed word.2 It is unfortunate that on both sides of the theonomy debate there has been a tendency to react rather than interact.

WTJ 51:2 (Fall 1989) p. 228

One positive contribution of theonomy is a renewed interest in the validity of God’s law as an ethical standard. The question of the continuity of the Mosaic law as a binding code for Christians is receiving attention from a growing segment of the evangelical community. This increased concern for God’s revealed moral standards is a healthy sign, much in need during these times.

The purpose of this investigation is to consider how different hermeneutical frameworks, or models, may influence conclusions about the role of the Mosaic law. A survey of the various “frameworks” through which the biblical data is analyzed suggests divergent perspectives of the relationship between law and gospel. With respect to the function of these overarching hermeneutical frameworks, John Frame has said that “we need less argument about broad principles, more careful, detailed exegesis of texts. If all parties were to recognize this point about priorities, debates about ‘theonomy’ would cease.”3 Professor Frame’s point is w...