Farmer, Ronald L.  Beyond the Impasse: The Promise of a Process Hermeneutic.  Studies in American Biblical Hermeneutics 13.  Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1997.

Abstract

Contemporary biblical scholarship has reached an impasse. The various programs for bridging the gap between the ancient texts and their contemporary theological and ethical appropriation are often unsatisfactory at best and at worst even suspect in their results. We need an effective way to cross that bridge...or a new bridge. Ronald Farmer suggests that a "process hermeneutic" holds promise of moving biblical interpretation beyond the current impasse. This is the first comprehensive introduction to a process hermeneutic. It is not, however, merely theoretical discussion, but moves from the side of biblical scholarship to develop a solid methodology for bridging the gap between text and life. Farmer applies his process hermeneutic to a difficult text - Revelation 4-5 - and demonstrates this promising method in a piece of solid, responsible, and instructive interpretation.