Preach Magazine Issue 5 - Preaching to the unconverted | Page 42

42 REVIEWS A Wilderness of Mirrors Mark Meynell, Zondervan (2015) The Mission of Preaching: equipping the community for faithful witness Patrick WT Johnston, IVP (2015) The subtitle of this book is ‘Trusting Again in a Cynical World’, which really sets out its point. The world has become distrusting, often with good reason, even of the supposedly ‘good’ agencies, and Meynell seeks to show a foundation and model of trust. This book is set out in three sections. The first deals with how we have seemingly become unable to trust the decision-makers, how spin doctors and manipulation of facts have left us not knowing what ‘truth’ we can trust. The second section focuses on life after trust is lost. It deals also with the unreliability of the past, even as we remember it – we all have selective memories! We need to find a way to escape the wilderness of mirrors. The third and longer section urges us to move from trusting no one to trusting The One, as he explores a Christian model for trust and reliable community. By definition, the church is made up of all comers; sometimes this is a struggle, but it can be its biggest strength. Jesus is helpfully put forward as a model for power. I found the first two second fascinating and thought provoking; the third less so, perhaps because it was less fresh as a concept to me. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t useful. Meynell reminds us of the true power in the brokenness of us all and the forgivingness of God that should make community and trust possible. This meticulously researched book is inspired by the need to critically review the theology, purpose and practice of preaching in relation to mission in the present day. Johnson’s starting point is Newbigin’s work exploring what would be involved in ‘a genuinely missionary encounter between the gospel and Western culture’. Drawing widely upon other theological texts he explores the roles of both preacher and the Christian community in the work of mission. This is a wide-ranging academic approach to missional homiletics. The author’s debate and discussion based on Barth, Newbiggin and other theologians is inspiring. However for those not familiar theological terms or concepts that section is quite difficult to follow and needs ready access to a dictionary. This is not the case in later sections and I have found that his wide ranging view of the work of the whole church to be both inspiring and refreshing. This book will be a great asset primarily to those in full-time ministry and in teaching theology and the art of preaching. But it also has much to inspire and give new vision to all engaged in preaching or mission within the church. It might also form the basis of group study and discussion focussing upon the practical issues discussed in the chapters rather than the academic discussion This book would be useful for those wanting to explore where faith meets sociology, and answers to the cries of cynicism and who can we trust. PAM WEBSTER JEAN A BALL