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R. Albert Mohler is the President of the Southern Baptist Seminary. He is a theologian with some sort of public recognition in the United States, which seems appropriate for the leader of the training institution of the Southern Baptist Convention. This link and this link will both take you to his blog/website.
‘He Is Not Silent’ is subtitled ‘Preaching in a Postmodern World’ and the book represents a skilled explanation of both a biblical theology of preaching and an insightful exploration of how the Bible and the preacher should engage with a post-modern culture that is present both inside and outside the church.
Dr Mohler’s evaluation of the state of preaching today introduces us to the areas his book addresses. He assessment is that Contemporary preaching suffers from: a loss of confidence in the power of the word; an infatuation with technology; embarassment before the text; an emptying of biblical content; and a focus on felt needs. Having identified the problem, the rest of the book seeks to develop a Biblical response.
The sense of unrgency that permeates the book stems from Mohler’s conviction that preaching is the heart of Christian worship and is a God given and God commanded form for communicating the substance of the Scriptures.
A quote: ‘The church does not preach because preaching is thought to be a good idea or an effective technique. The sermon has not earned its place in Christian worship by proving its utility in comparison with other means of communication or aspects of worship. Rather, we preach because we have been commanded to preach.’
Flowing from this assertion are the ideas of the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, the Bible as being the sole ground of our preached message, and that the Holy Spirit is pleased to work through the word to bring spiritual life and growth.
A quote: ‘ But if you call yourself a preacher of God’s Word, and you think that all of God’s speaking was in the past, then resign. I say that with deadly seriousness. If you do not believe that God now speaks from His Word – the Bible – then what are you doing every Sunday morning?’
Preaching that is biblical is expository by nature. Mohler explains that true expository preaching: is characterised by authority; creates a sense of reverence among God’s people; and must be at the center of Christian worship.
Expository preaching has been undermined by the post-modern mindset. The rejection of meta-narrative, which, in this case, is that the Bible is one unitary story of fixed and abiding message, told by God, who demands a response from us, is rife in Christianity. The book is worth Dr Mohler’s summary and explanation of post-modernity alone.
His analysis is not simply for those outside the church. The mentality that reads the Bible and emphasises: ‘this is what it means to me’, is part of post-modernity. It is distressingly prevalent among contemporary Christians. The issue should always be: ‘what did God mean to say?’
In the absence of this perspective is it any wonder that preaching is suffering? People leave church today thinking they’ve heard one person’s response to what the Bible said to them, not that they have heard God speaking authoritatively, with one voice to all, demanding a response. If you doubt this, ask around some Sunday and see how many people think they’ve just heard the Preacher’s opinion or that they’ve just heard God speaking His Word to them. (This exercise assumes the preacher preached from the Bible, which is less prevalent that you might think.)
Chapter 6 outlines Dr Mohler’s understanding of the Bible’s big story, the story Jesus proclaimed when He declared that the Scriptures testified about Him. Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation are evident in all the Scriptures in varying degrees of clarity and emphasis. It is to this big story of God’s that all our stories must be reconciled.
Chapter 8 speaks about ‘Preaching to a Postmodern Culture’. There is a concept that Paul’s preaching to the Athenian intellectuals at the Areopagus was a failed experiment that the Apostle renounced and instead preached nothing but the Word by the time he reached Corinth. Dr Mohler instead contends that Paul’s preaching was a successful presentation of the Scripture’s big story to a group that could be described as proto-post-moderns. It is a compelling thesis, with strong bridges to a contemporay presentation of these truths to modern ears.
Moving toward a summary, the latter chapters seek to emphasise again the central urgency of preaching as central to the Gospel mission. Chapter 10 is a gracious tonic to every preacher, particularly to those who do not perceive a lot of evident fruit for their labours. Dr Mohler takes us to Ezekiel 37 and a valley of dry bones to refresh us all in our calling. He then concludes with a brief examination of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a prince of preachers.
If you only read one book this year on preaching, shame on you!, no, really, this is a very good one to read. It is only 170 pages long. If you’re a preacher, buy and read it. If you listen to a preacher, buy one, read it, and then give it to them. As long as you’re smiling when you give it to them, they’ll thank you for it.