This book investigates the contemporary crisis in biblical interpretation, particularly the 'hermeneutics of suspicion' that emerged from modern and postmodern thought. Garrett Green examines key thinkers like Kant, Hamann, Feuerbach, Nietzsche, Derrida, and Barth, tracing the development of suspicion towards the Bible. He argues that postmodern deconstruction, exemplified by Derrida, shares hermeneutical insights with theology, particularly Barth's theology of signs, suggesting suspicion is not solely a threat but a secular counterpart to theological understanding. The book posits that theology's proper task of describing the grammar of scriptural imagination reveals a more radical source of suspicion in God's gracious judgment, ultimately committing Christians to an ongoing interpretive struggle within a faithful imagination.

The book is presented as a scholarly examination of complex theological and philosophical concepts surrounding biblical interpretation. It engages with critical theory and postmodern thought to re-evaluate traditional hermeneutical approaches. The author's argument suggests a nuanced perspective on the relationship between secular suspicion and theological insight, positioning the latter as potentially more radical. The work appears geared towards an academic audience interested in the intersection of theology, philosophy, and literary theory.