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