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Unleashing the WordRediscovering the public reading of ScriptureUnaccustomed as I am…UNLEASHING THE WORD There is an illustration about a talented professional musician who played the piano in church so nobody noticed him but everyone was able to sing really well. Max Mclean’s book aims for something similar: to equip public readers of Scripture to read the Bible so they do not draw attention to themselves but highlight God’s word. It is a call to unleash the power of the text so that listeners fully engage with God’s word before it is preached. For those of us who ever have the responsibility to read the Bible aloud to others, this book is a healthy challenge to work out ways we can read the Bible better. I am sure many of us can relate to McLean’s experience of Bible reading being a low point in the service in which he would think, ‘Well, that’s done. Now we get to the good part’. He loved to hear the word preached far more than hearing it read. McLean’s book is structured into four sections which take the reader from reasons for reading the Bible better, to practical ideas for improving your own technique, to helping the readers in your church family improve. I particularly valued the inclusion of the chapter on helping children and youth also engage in the task of making Scripture come alive. I was nervous that McLean was advocating an overly dramatic approach to reading, but he is careful to avoid this, being particularly sensitive to honour the cultural environment in which the Bible is being read. This book is not just about reading the word in church services; it challenged me to take more care in the small group Bible studies I run and I am convinced it has helped us study the Bible better because we heard the word more clearly at the beginning. McLean suggests that if possible churches should use those who are gifted in public communicating as the Bible readers in church, but he is clear that the heart of the issue is about, ‘recruiting those who love the game’. The idea of having a group of people who serve through the ministry of Scripture reading in this way is radical for many of our churches, but I confess that it excites me that this book could enable more churches to hear the word of God ‘let out of its cage’ as it is unleashed through better reading. (The book comes with a DVD to be used in a classroom or small group setting, but it was not available at the time of review.) Karen Soole, © Evangelicals Now - March 2010 |