Looking for a way out of fundamentalism, rationalism and relativism The question this article poses is how the extremes of theological fundamentalism, rationalism and relativism can be avoided without compromising the authority of Scripture. The central theoretical argument of this article is that theological extremism can be avoided, should a plurality of methods be used – i.c. methods which are author, text and reader orien-tated. An acceptable theological framework should also be created to enable the theologian to interpret the Bible in such a way that conclusions arrived at can be checked and one-sidedness be avoided. Such a framework should take into account the relational scope of Scripture, the contours of Scripture itself and the historical nature of biblical material. A balanced relation between the divine and the human nature of Scripture should be maintained and Scripture should be approached from the perspective of the covenant. In its con-textualisation Scripture should not be seen as a document providing instant solutions to every problem, but as a para-digmatic document outlining basic contours according to which contemporary problems can be approached.