Reviews

Judges' comments: Australian Christian Book of the Year competition

This volume gathers a wealth of practical wisdom from Marcus Loane, Ken Short, John Chapman, Peter Jensen, J I Packer and a host of others. The editor contributes linking chapters that make this much more valuable than a simple anthology. This book will provide inspiration and guidance for anyone called upon to preach or lead a Bible study or teach in Sunday School. This may well become a standard text in theological and Bible colleges.

Bishop David Mulready, Anglican Diocese of North West Australia

I am delighted to add my voice to those commending the new book on preaching Preach or Perish. Donald and Nan Howard have done preachers, would-be preachers and congregational members a great service.

As soon as I saw the line-up of contributors I knew that our 22 ministers scattered around North West Australia had to have a copy. They’ve been delivered to each one as a gift from the Diocese. I’m half way through the book myself and I have not been disappointed! Quite on the contrary, I have been stripped bare, challenged, encouraged and uplifted. I don’t want to put the book down.

Preaching/teaching is such a vital part of any Christian ministry. This book helps in so many areas.

In fact, no sooner had Donald and Nan sent my order for 22 copies, that I’d ordered five more for others within the Diocese. Then I ordered one each for our preaching son and son-in-law. My secretary has two sons in the Ministry with the Lutherans so we ordered one each for them.

Please don't buy too many, as I just know I'll be re-ordering very soon!

Rev. Chris Moroney, Senior Minister, St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney

Donald Howard has done us a great service. He has collected a number of articles and talks together about communicating the word of God. Given the evangelical heritage of the Diocese of Sydney this is a very welcome addition to many books on preaching. For anyone who is interested in the art of sharing the gospel in the pulpit and the media this is a great tool. For the person who wants to gain a feeling for the ethos of the Diocese and the evangelical nature of our history this is a warm friendly home grown product of shared insights.

Some of the topics covered concern the nature of the work of preparing to preach the sermon: the preparation of the minister, the study of the passage, the shaping of the sermon, the discipline of practicing the presentation. What a great encouragement to see how much work and how many varied methods there can be in preparing to preach the precious message of the gospel and to explain and apply the scriptures. If you know some of the people who are writing, you can almost hear them speak to you and understand the earnestness with which they write.

Lay people, those who most often listen to sermons, will enjoy the insights in the lives of the ministers who are their pastors. They will read about the struggles, the joys, and the toil of preaching. They will rejoice in the encouragements in this book for the preacher, to not only understand the text, but to also know and understand the people to whom they preach.

It is wonderful to read about spiritual progress and lessons learnt the hard way in the art of preaching. Chapters such as “Confessions of a Reformed Bore” by Philip Campbell are entertaining, insightful and full of good advice.

There are also good perspectives on the helpful role of the wife and critic, the struggle and the opportunities of the retired preacher, the importance of preparation before media involvement and the need to listen to the voice from the pew and use your voice well when preaching and teaching.

All in all, a valuable contribution to making the most of Bible teaching for the preacher and the listener.

Dr Mark Thompson, President, Anglican Church League

There is a quite vigorous and exciting debate about preaching taking place in Sydney at the moment. All the participants are convinced of the importance of preaching. They know how critical effective preaching is to the life and growth of Christian congregations. Yet there seems to be a widespread sense of a need to lift the standard of preaching across our city in order to honour our Lord and edify his people.

On the one hand, dry and disengaged literary studies are boring the socks off some congregations. It feels as if pages are being read from a commentary with little concern about how this part of the Bible addresses life as a follower of Christ in the twenty-first century. On the other hand, the life-giving word of God can be so easily swamped by the repartee of the Christian entertainer. The skill of the preacher becomes the focus of attention rather than the power, love and holiness of the God whose word he dares to speak.

Every preacher I know wants to preach better and there is no end to the list of people who want to tell us how. Yet few combine a commitment to handling the Bible responsibly with a concern to communicate effectively as consistently as the contributors to this new book edited by Donald Howard. Donald is known as a trainer of preachers, a pastor concerned that God’s people are built up in faith by the effective application of the word of God to the lives of real people. He is just as disturbed by trite story telling and moralising and as by undigested and poorly communicated profundity. And he is a long-standing member of the ACL!

This collection of brief essays by preachers who have given their lives to helping men and women come to faith — and more, to grow in maturity in faith — through hearing and responding to the word of God, is full of wisdom and help for preachers of all ages. It demonstrates yet again that it is not only the latest internet gurus who know what makes good preaching and what hinders it. Theology and practice come together in an extraordinary way which will challenge old preachers and set good patterns for young ones.

With contributions from the editor, John Chapman, Peter Jensen, Marcus Loane, Donald Robinson, Kel Richards, Dudley Foord, David Cook, and many others, readers are treated to insights into preaching from preachers who have honoured Christ and served his people, not just in a short burst of popularity, but consistently over many years.

If you want to improve your preaching or improve your appreciation of preaching and all that it involves, you’ll benefit from reading this book. It is worth learning the lesson that good principles are lasting principles. I warmly commend it.

Reprinted with permission from: http://acl.asn.au/?s=preach+or+perish