the Bible in Culture: Reading With All World Using Ethnohermeneutics

*Winner of the American Society of Missiology’s 2026 Book Award for Excellence in MissiologyHow to Read and Interpret Scripture Across CulturesHow can believers across cultures faithfully read and apply Scripture in a way that honors both the biblical text and their unique cultural contexts? In The Bible in Culture, Larry Caldwell introduces ethnohermeneutics—a revolutionary yet biblical approach to reading Scripture with, rather than for, the world. Drawing from decades of experience living overseas, Caldwell demonstrates that every culture has its own tools for understanding meaning and shows how God uses these to communicate the truth of his word. This approach is rooted in observing how Jesus, Paul, and others in the early church interpreted Scripture and in following their examples. Through real-life illustrations, interactive activities, and case studies, readers will discover how they can also read and interpret God’s word in their own cultures. This book will challenge your assumptions about the interpretive task, encouraging and equipping you to rethink how the Bible can be understood across every people group in various cross-cultural, multiculturual, and multigenerational contexts.