Literal Interpretation

Have you ever discussed Biblical prophecy or eschatology with a dispensationalist who insists upon a “literal” interpretation? If so, I couldn’t recommend any higher the eighth chapter of Vern Poythress’s Understanding Dispensationalists. This book was tremendously helpful for me while I was a nascent Reformed theologian in a dispensationalist environment. Poythress takes us to the text, and leads us in reading the Bible in a God-centered fashion. It is literally the best piece I’ve read on the subject.

And be sure to read Pierce Taylor Hibbs’s brief yet insightful article, which demonstrates that the richness of Scripture transcends reductionist literal or metaphorical interpretations.