What the Bible Intends to Say: Goals and Guidelines for Proper Biblical Interpretation

By Barry L. Callen

Is finding deeper meaning in the Bible a challenge for you? In this illuminating guide, Barry Callen reveals how Scripture becomes transformative when you read it not just as ancient text, but as a living document through which God still speaks today. Moving beyond surface-level interpretation, he shows how understanding the Bible requires three essential elements: church tradition, human reason, and personal experience-all guided by the Holy Spirit. Through engaging prose and practical wisdom, Callen demonstrates how these components work together to unlock Scripture's profound relevance for your life.

Challenging both rigid fundamentalism and detached liberalism, this book offers a balanced approach that honors the Bible's historical context while embracing its dynamic power for today. Whether you're feeling stuck in your Bible reading or seeking deeper spiritual insight, Callen provides clear guidance for encountering God's Word in fresh, life-changing ways. His thoughtful exploration helps you move from merely analyzing Scripture to experiencing its transformative power through the Spirit's illumination.

The reader following Callen's lead will be armed with the interpretation insights of a faithful scholar who speaks for Jesus. The point is new life in Christ. Real reading of God's written Word allows it to come alive and begin to read and alter the reader For such critical wisdom so needed by the church today, this book is to be commended indeed.
-Dr. Ryan Danker, Director of the John Wesley Institute

For Callen, reading is to be done in a "relational mode" that makes possible a "surplus of meaning." Callen presents clear and thoughtful guidelines for biblical interpretation. This book is life changing. It creates a powerful hunger for the life-giving Word of God and charts the proper path for entering the sacred biblical world as God surely intends.
-Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns, Director of Pentecostal House of Study

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1600393187
• ISBN13: 9781600393181
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Aldersgate Press
• Length: 142 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"