The Unashamed Workman: Tools for Biblical Preaching

THE UNASHAMED WORKMAN:
Tools for biblical preaching
Four interactive video workshops
By Dick Lucas

£60 for four lectures plus a couple of workbooks - I thought to myself: 'What a rip off', then I caught sight of my shelves bulging with books telling me the secret of preaching. 'Power Preaching' 'Spirit-Empowered Preaching' 'Super Dooper Preaching', and the like, all trying to tell me if I read this book I've found the key, just to be disappointed that all these books are saying pretty much the same thing. So I approached these videos happy that I had a free review copy and excited at what I might learn.

Here are four lectures by Dick Lucas (Chairman of the Proclamation Trust and Rector Emeritus of St. Helens, Bishopsgate) giving basic preaching instruction. To go with the videos are a leader's manual and preacher's workbook (helpful and well-written by Willy Philip). So the aim is to go through the videos in groups - in a fraternal, a preaching group within a church. They would be ideal for anyone giving talks, but are meant primarily for preachers. Of course, the cost could be split between group members, thus making it a bargain! The lectures last an hour each and then there are passages to work through as a group, which will take about an hour as well.

The first lecture is 'God's Word speaks to the modern church'. Dick Lucas gives us his classic exposition of 1 Corinthians 13 and the famed 'travelling to Corinth'.

In the second session, 'God's Word speaks to the world', we have an exposition of 1 Corinthians 2.2, and also 'Asking questions in the study and in the pulpit'.

The third lecture tells us that the Bible is an interpretation and instructs us on the relationship between our theological framework and the text of Scripture. In the final lecture we see that the Bible is God preaching, it proclaims the message we are to preach.

These four lectures are Dick Lucas distilling decades of experience to help us in the task of preaching. It is practical, helpful and realistic, and encourages, rebukes and inspires us. Apart from the set looking like a 1970s newsroom (I kept expecting Frank Bough to appear), the videos are excellently produced.

All preachers (young and old) will find these helpful. New things will be learned and old things relearned. Ministers' fraternals and church preaching groups will benefit enormously from this material. So twist the church treasurer's arm. Tell him it's an investment for the church's preaching and then buy these video preaching workshops.

Paul Levy, Camberwell

The preaching workshops, plus another set on 'Meeting Jesus: preaching from the gospels' by David Jackman, are available from The Proclamation Trust, Willcox House, 140-148 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB (020 7407 0561, www.proctrust.org.uk)