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Hearing God's wordsBiblical spiritualityHEARING GOD'S WORDS I picked up this book with great anticipation and hope. For far too long there has been a dearth of writing on biblical spirituality. Evangelicals are either embarrassed about 'spirituality', because they assume they don't have one, or they are suspicious because they assume the whole idea must be heretical. In countering this, Peter Adam seeks to show both what kind of spirituality the Bible describes and how the Bible itself functions in such a spirituality. The heart of his answer is that we should be those who hear God's words in Scripture and respond in faith and obedience. That is, though, only the heart of it - there is far more, such as the role of the church and the sacraments. The main strength of this book is its breadth: it covers a brief history of biblical spirituality, the 'spirituality' of numerous Old and New Testament books, John Calvin's theology of revelation, issues of sacred times and images, and their relationship with the Word, plus examples of spirituality and debates from church history. It is stimulating and informing on all these topics. The downside however is that you jump topic so frequently you can loose focus on the argument. At times different chapters, and even sections within chapters, seem disconnected, as if a variety of separate essays had been thrown together. To worsen matters the writing style, while being clear, is not easy going, and at times the structure of chapters is confusing. Despite these drawbacks this book is still well worth reading. There are some real gems here on spirituality, presented with warmth and pastoral concern. These insights combined with the contemporary importance of the topic make this a significant book that deserves a wide audience. Graham Beynon, © Evangelicals Now - August 2004 |