Jude
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 58, No. 1 – Fall 2015
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
Edited by Ian Paul and David Wenham. Downers Grove: IVP, 2013. 263 pages. Paperback, $26.00.
A book consisting of a collection of themed essays from various authors is like a mountain range—it will typically contain an admixture of both “peaks” and “valleys,” that is, some essays are stronger and better than others. Preaching the New Testament, edited by Ian Paul and David Wenham, is no exception. Fortunately, in Preaching the New Testament, there are far more “peaks” than “valleys.”
Positively, this work features seventeen essays from leading New Testament scholars such as D. A. Carson, John Nolland, and the late I. Howard Marshall and R. T. France. The information is easily accessible to most pastors, seminary students, and well-read laity and is focused on pragmatics. While there are some technical terms and more advanced discussions scattered throughout the book (especially in the latter chapters) the majority of the text serves its purpose well in offering a “useful way into the question of preaching the New Testament, which will encourage followers of Jesus not just to follow his moral example, but to follow him in being effective teachers of God’s kingdom, truth and way ” (16).
Negatively, while the aims of this book are indeed ambitious, perhaps they are a bit too ambitious given space limitations. Often only a mere “helicopter view” of the subjects discussed is offered. An example includes Hardin and Maston’s section, “Preaching Paul’s Letters” (chapter 7), in which the authors attempt to cover the preaching of the Pauline Epistles in a scant twelve pages. It would have also been helpful if the authors had included a subject index for finding key terms repeated in the work, especially those that are technical in nature.
While there were a plethora of “peaks” throughout this book, some rise higher than others. Particularly beneficial is Snodgrass’s essay on “Preaching Jesus’ Parables” (chapter 3, emphasis original). This is a troublesome area for many preachers (including this reviewer) as there are usually two extremes homileticians fall into—those who are guilty by “subtraction” and those who are guilty by “addition.” Those guilty of subtraction reduce a complex parable to only one point. Conversely, those guilty of “addition” find numerous sermonic points that are absent from the text, “adding into” the parable more than is actually there. The damage done is missing the point(s) of the text by misunderstanding the flow of the narrative, and thus, losing or weakening the power of the writer’s intended, tangible effect. Snodgrass explains, “Parables are like Trojan horses. Defences go down, and objectivity and fairness are enabled, which if taken seriously require people to respond personally, not in the abstract” (47, emphasis original).
Ian Paul’s essay, “Preaching from the Book of Revelation” (chapter 11), was another pinnacle in this book. Paul’s keen insight into the multitude of Old Testament allusions embedded within Revelation was invaluable and goes far to explain why many (if not most) exegetes misinterpret the text of Revelation as they often overlook these important Old Testament themes (164–65). Rather than spending his time on the typical fare of the various ways of reading Revelation (i.e., preterist, idealist, historist, or futurist), Paul assists his readers in ascending up a different path. He challenges his readers to rethink their presuppositions regarding the exegesis of Revelation and invites them to see afresh the vivid vistas that await the careful climber who takes the time to see Revelation from within its canonical and historical contexts and not merely from the distant lens of one’s own theological system.
Chapter 13, “Preaching the Ethics of the New Testament,” was another particularly high peak in that Nolland discusses the importance of preaching the oft- neglected ethical material within the New Testament. This discussion is important because to disregard the ethical material of the New Testament is to undermine the Bible’s authority and to question the usefulness of Scripture in contemporary living. The problem in preaching the ethical material is that often anger and legalism result. Furthermore, the question as to whether a text is descriptive (temporary in its relevance) or prescriptive (timeless in its application) arises when covering the ethical material of the New Testament. This question stems mainly from the distanciation between the contemporary congregation and the first-century writer. In this essay, Nolland highlights the urgency and apologetic nature of such ethical preaching (197). Critically important issues—such as the deconstruction of marriage and family by militant feminist/radical homosexual groups, waning moral values, and increase of cohabitation—necessitate the preaching of the ethical material of the New Testament.
In sum, Preaching the New Testament is worthwhile and well deserving of a spot on the shelf of any pastor or student wishing to preach the New Testament faithfully. It is easily accessible, pragmatic, and current on the key issues in contemporary homiletics. While not without faults, this book achieves its goal in aiding the busy pastor with a helpful guide to preaching the New Testament.
