Speaking God's Words - Book Review

            I've just recently noticed that there is a section at Westminster Bookstore entitled CLEARANCE BOOKS. If you are a person with scarce financial resources this section is of your greatest interest. Among the titles on sale is Speaking God's Words: A Practical Theology of Preaching by Peter Adam. I had to read this book for a course called The Reformed Pastor taught by Rev. William Sishko. I heartily recommend the book for those who love preaching and who are seeking to learn more on the subject through biblical-theological lenses. And the price is really a bargain.

             In spite of the small appearance, Adam’s book on the theology of preaching is full of information. The book is dense but its logical progression and thorough biblical approach makes it easy to understand what the point of the author is. The book is divided into two major portions: in the first one Adam’s lay out the foundation of preaching and in the second he applies the foundations to the ministerial life enforcing his argument from examples of the great preachers in the history of the Church.

            The main lesson I learned from this book was to understand the broad extent of the expression “ministry of the word.” Adam helped me to see that preaching is not the only way to exercise this ministry. Although he does not detract anything from the authority and necessity of pulpit preaching, his broad and biblical definition of the term made me think how important it is every moment of instruction of the sheep our Lord grant to his ministers.

            I also greatly profited from his defense of expository preaching. Not that I was not convinced before, but the way he approaches the necessity of application (using graphs and charts), the importance of making our sermons relative for cotemporary listeners along with the example of the puritans and of Calvin served to trigger a greater in me a greater desire to develop all the elements of an expository sermon with excellence.

            I am very glad that I’ve read this book. I will certainly come back to it in the years to come during pastoral ministry. Especially in those moments when the impression that the exposition of the word of God is being ineffective nocks my door, along with the temptation of adding something extra to feed the flock.