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Book Review: Speaking God's Words ::
Looking for a book to freshen up your attitude to preaching? Steve Marquet thinks he’s found one…
Source: Perspective Vo5 No2 © Perspective 1999
Author: Peter Adam
Published:* IVP
Reviewer: Steve Marquet
I subscribe to the view that it’s good for preachers to read at least one book a year on preaching. Peter Adam’s Speaking God’s Words has been that book for me – and I’m happy to recommend it be yours for 1997.
The book is written version of the 1993 Moore College Lectures. In seven chapters Speaking God’s Words aims to ‘provide a robust practical theology of preaching.’ For Adam it is to be a theology of preaching, because ‘only theological arguments’ are convincing in the long term.’ This is foundational stuff.
It needs to be a robust theology, argues Adam, because the whole intellectual climate and mood of our age, and, therefore, of much of our church culture, severely devalues preaching. Pastors need to be steeled against accepting this view in their ministry.
By looking at what the Bible itself says about conducting a ministry of the Word, by looking at some helpful examples of ministry models in the past, and by providing some contemporary advice, the book’s theology aims to be practical.
In Part 1 of the book, Adams lays down in the three chapters his ‘Three biblical foundations of preaching’, conveniently summarised under three rubrics – God has spoken, It is written, and Preach the Word. Here Adams argues against views of revelation that make God unable or too transcendent to speak to us in human words. His use of the Bible is sound, and a refreshing change from those ‘Christian’ authors whose work with text resembles that of Uri Geller with spoons, or the magic of David Copperfield.
From the Old and New Testaments Adam shows that when God spoke, he had two audiences in mind; the generation present, and those to come. The “Today” of Psalm 95: 7 (cf Heb.4), the way 3esus applies the Old Testament texts directly to his audience (eg Mark 7:6-8) and other examples assume the ‘idea of cumulative and public preservation’ of God’s living and enduring words.
Under Preach the Word Adam takes us from Moses to the ministry of the Word after the apostles (i.e. teaching elders) and convincingly demonstrates a continuity of ‘exposition, application and exhortation.’
The clarity of Adam’s thinking and style is highlighted by six succinct implications with which he closes Part 1. You can already sense the practical impact these conclusions will make on anyone pursuing a genuine ministry of the Word, given the fact we’ve already been convinced God’s words are effective and God’s revelation is both historical and contemporary.
In Part 2 Adam moves to the practical part of his subject. In five meaty chapters he looks at 7he preacher at work’. Here Adam introduces us to a variety of Word ministries in the New Testament. He does this to show that preaching as a public, formal monologue is not the only ministry of the Word and thus ought not to bear the entire weight of a Gospel ministry. Adam highlights the ministries of John Calvin and Richard Baxter as excellent models of a variety of Word ministries in action. I found this material extremely challenging.
When Adam considers the purpose of preaching, his biblical theology is entirely practical. Instead of being performance-oriented (Have I preached well?), the Bible views preaching as a means to an end. I should be asking whether my sermon has served God, Christ and His people. Adam gives wise advice on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of doing this, with the preparation of a ministry sentence which summarises and applies the Bible passage to the hearers. I have no doubt that Adam achieves his aim of providing a robust, practical theology of preaching. His interaction with the Bible, his use of past models of those who have sought to implement a commitment to Gospel ministry, along with sound contemporary advice make this book nourishing and stimulating. Its clear style and argument, and its excellent chapter summaries, make it a pleasure to read, digest and apply.
Steve Marquet