“Stanley Porter has written numerous works covering just about every development in the study of advanced linguistics and hermeneutics. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone digested and made accessible a number of the best of Porter’s ideas for people who just want to teach and preach the Bible well? How about that! Porter has done it himself. This is no how-to manual filled with formulas to apply unthinkingly. But in under two hundred pages it ranges widely in the areas of use of language, flow of thought, literary genre, and biblical and systematic theology, complete with numerous examples from the underappreciated little letter to Philemon. Thanks for this gift, Stan, to the rest of us!”—Craig L. Blomberg, coauthor of A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis

“This book is a must-read for pastors and teachers because it will help them think more clearly and rigorously about the hermeneutical process and its practice. Stanley Porter leads the reader deftly through the complexities of theoretical hermeneutical discussions in a readable manner, offering examples along the way. The valuable ‘Study and Practice’ sections at the end of each chapter provide guidance for applying the concepts discussed. This book will stimulate and sharpen the thinking of any pastor or teacher who takes the time to digest it, and a careful reading will pay huge dividends. As a bonus, one also gets insights into Porter’s reading of key New Testament texts throughout the book. I wish I would have had this book during my time in pastoral ministry!”—David L. Mathewson, associate professor of New Testament, chair of the New Testament Department, Denver Seminary