𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘃𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺
Academic Theology vs. Church-Based Biblical Hermeneutics: Recovering the Early Church Model for Today’s Church with Reflections from Kerala Pentecostalism Abstract The interpretation of Scripture stands at a critical crossroads in the 21st-century church. While academic theology has contributed significantly to biblical scholarship, it often remains disconnected from the life of ordinary believers. In contrast, the Early Church—and notably the early leaders of the Kerala Pentecostal movement—demonstrated a church-based hermeneutic where biblical interpretation was inseparably linked to community life, discipleship, and mission. This paper argues for a necessary return to that model, highlighting its biblical foundations, practical relevance, and the urgent need to bridge the gap between theological academia and local church life, especially in the context of Kerala's shifting Pentecostal landscape. Introduction: A Crisis of Interpretation in the Modern Church The global church toda...