The End of Words; Richard Lischer. Wm.B.Eerdman's Publishing Co., GRand Rapids, Michigan. A brief book review.
I rarely read a book twice, I could probably count on both hands and still have a finger or two untouched with the number of times I've re-read a book. But the book 'The End of Words' is a fantastic read. Matter of fact the first time I read it I was into it that I failed to take notes and mark significant thoughts that applied to me. So I am re-reading it, this time with marker and pen at hand. This book proposes that we return to the basic principals of simply delivering God's word to the people; that all these modern, technical helps [video clips, power points, etc.] have influenced us to delute the message. That in trying to be relevant we have strayed from allowing God's Word to be fully explained to his people. We have erred, and Dr. Lischer in his book seeks to draw us back to the 'Source,' and to be more attentive to the 'Voice' of God's Word.
Maybe, well probably, its just me, but I believe it should be required reading for everyone who preaches, teaches, and shares about God's Word. Perhaps an unintended blessing of postmodernism is that we are required to return, to again began to fully lean on the Word, and quite trying to relevant in whatever form its tempts us.
Richard Lischer is the Cleland Professor of Praching at Duke Divinity School.
I rarely read a book twice, I could probably count on both hands and still have a finger or two untouched with the number of times I've re-read a book. But the book 'The End of Words' is a fantastic read. Matter of fact the first time I read it I was into it that I failed to take notes and mark significant thoughts that applied to me. So I am re-reading it, this time with marker and pen at hand. This book proposes that we return to the basic principals of simply delivering God's word to the people; that all these modern, technical helps [video clips, power points, etc.] have influenced us to delute the message. That in trying to be relevant we have strayed from allowing God's Word to be fully explained to his people. We have erred, and Dr. Lischer in his book seeks to draw us back to the 'Source,' and to be more attentive to the 'Voice' of God's Word.
Maybe, well probably, its just me, but I believe it should be required reading for everyone who preaches, teaches, and shares about God's Word. Perhaps an unintended blessing of postmodernism is that we are required to return, to again began to fully lean on the Word, and quite trying to relevant in whatever form its tempts us.
Richard Lischer is the Cleland Professor of Praching at Duke Divinity School.
That in trying to be relevant we have strayed from allowing God's Word to be fully explained to his people.
ReplyDeleteToo true.
While I like my church and my pastor, sometimes the distractions from the Word are exceedingly annoying. My current pet peeve is the pianist, who insists upon having a soundtrack to anything, including pastoral prayers. Drives me nuts.
Unfortunately, I think this is only a symptom of a greater illness. Stated differently, do we conform/dilute the message in order to avail ourselves of the available media or are we becoming, as a society, a group which has the inability to understand the nuances and intricacies of language?
Cheers.
Sherm
ReplyDeleteSome good thoughts there. Perhaps in worship we're afraid of 'silence?' ... or we've become so acclaimated, in our culture, to noise and/or music we have forgotten the great sound of human voices singing together w/o music?
Good hunting.
As one who has read the book (only once, but with pen in hand), I agree that it's a valuable book! However, I would not be so quick to discard some of the modern tools of communication--as the way we are communicating is changing (Postman and others have made the argument that we're going from an word to an image society). I did notice that he suggests that one of the reason the church is strongest in the South is storytelling!
ReplyDeleteSage
ReplyDeleteI agree with your caution, and am afraid I didn't articulate myself well enough. I'm not insinuating there is anything wrong with the mordern tools, for I use them, but that in using them perhaps we have neglected the word in some ways, I'm sure I have. Storytelling is definitely a modern tool that I could grow a lot better in using. Sorry for the misleading.