Book Review on "Robert H. Mounce: Essential Nature of New Testament Preaching"

Book Review 10 pages (3132 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

However, his condemnation and admonition was not arbitrary. The words of John the Baptist were fierce and were said to those who were not willing to come to repentance. This is because with regards to John the Baptist, repentance was the main subject matter of his preaching. In view of God's forthcoming intercession, and in the perception of his own divine commission, John the Baptist made imperative ethical demands upon the public. He proclaimed a baptism of atonement for the forgiveness of sins that they had committed. At the time, 'proselytes' also referred to strangers who came into Judaism and were mandated to submit themselves to baptism, both as a symbol of changing their life and also as a commitment towards being accepted into God's chosen people. Therefore, the significance of the message preached by John the Baptist to the people of Israel was that even the Jews themselves, and not just the Gentile people, have to submit themselves to repentance. This repentance was required to include a changed or new way of living, so as to enter into the kingdom of God and also to be in God's favor. The act of repenting concerned forgiveness as well as deliverance; in turn this was to make the people start being righteous in their way of living.

This message can be largely applied in the present day ministry in the sense that it is not only those who are coming to know Christ that ought to repent their sins, but it is for every individual, even the Christians who have already come accept Christ as their Lord and savior. The impact from the message of John the Baptist is that even Christians are sinners, and therefore need to submit themselves into repentance so that they as well can experience deliverance and in turn continue to live a righteous life. Ministry in the present day ought to encourage individuals to repent their sins through and through in order to have a new way of living. Those who repent their sins and live righteously shall be accepted into the kingdom of heaven.

The book does have an impact on the reader for ministry. The final chapter of the book forcibly shows the reader that right from the start, true Christian preaching has been and always ought to be the channel or avenue through which God synchronizes His extraordinary self-disclosure in Christ, and gives human beings the chance to answer in faith. As an investigation of the focal point of the jubilant message that the original heralds of Christianity proclaimed, The Essential Nature of New Testament Preaching breaks fresh ground and gives the reader a new understanding and comprehension of the essential significance of preaching. He goes on to explain to the reader that the kerygma ought to be perceived in an experiential or subjective frame of reference, rather than from one that is static. This is an aspect that would not be in agreement with Dodd's perspectives.

Mounce expresses clearly that it is through preaching that God reveals Himself, and thus it is seen that preaching is an expression of God's message, His revelation. However, it is important to note that, it is not only the 'reader in his ministry' to whom Mounce is speaking. He is also pointing out that, too often today, the congregation listening to a preacher likely to consider a sermon as merely being an expository address, rather than being the revealed Word of God. If the listener is analyzing and evaluating the sermon, as one might critique a news program, this is obviously not the appropriate framework from which to be open and inspired by the very 'pneuma' of God's words spoken through his Minister. Mounce points out that preaching is the means chosen by Christ for instruction of the people. It is clear that there is no inherent holiness or infallibility in the presence or words or the minister; yet this individual has been chosen, indeed honored, to be the messenger presenting the Joyful News of Christ. Thus, the congregation is also expected to remember that Christ chooses servants through whom his Word is presented.

In essence, as the book comes to a finalization, Mounce talks about the nature of the preaching of the New Testament as the revelation from one subject to another. In application, these aspects indicate the manner in which God as creator of all things reveals Himself with the actions that He does. In particular, it can be seen that the Bible is the holy book that is a record of all the acts of God and not just plain truths which will last forever.

In ministry, the aspect of redemption lies in the core of the kerygma. On reflection, it appears that in the book, Mounce does not adequately or satisfactorily place emphasis on the uniqueness and distinctiveness of the record in addition to its own revelatory disposition, and that this exclusion causes him to come to some unclear conclusions with regards to the nature of preaching. As a result, this causes the present day preaching to be placed on a similar or equivalent pedestal with the written apostolic view, Holy Scripture and the Word of God; yet these cannot be too narrowly classified together. Therefore, preaching can be perceived as the explanation and clarification of the Biblical message and text where the nature of the Gospel events and occurrences are displayed in a clear and faithful manner as the way through which the Holy Spirit manifests itself into human beings and leads them to repenting and having faith in the word of God.

In the present world, the common declarations that are made by the author, as well as others, concerning preaching as being redemptive in their nature would appear to carry away from the power of the Gospel and the word of God itself and place more attention to the specific individual that is proclaiming it. Whereas it is factual and correct that the New Testament places emphasis on the activity of preaching, on the other hand, it does not offer any identification of the words of the proclaimer with the word of God. It also does not offer any identification of the actions being undertaken by the proclaimer with the ones that God is doing though the proclamation itself. However, it is also true that the 'reader for ministry' must consider the truly 'aweful', in it's original meaning - 'full of awe', responsibility of one presenting the Word of God, and the joyful heralding of Christ, as a deep and significant purpose.

On reflection, an important aspect that is noted in the book is Mounce's observation that the relevance in the activity of preaching is not just a responsive relationship with the spirit of the age. Rather, any sermon that is preached or proclaimed is relevant only to the extent in which it shows or brings forth what the Lord has done for the age long needs and wants made by man.

Finally, it is in Mounce's last chapter that he presents a critical argument, which addresses the nature of 'true Christian preaching'. Essentially, Mounce's point is that preaching is the means and/or medium permitting God to express, through man, the importance of the Eternal Living Christ. Thus, it is through listening to preaching that man is given the opportunity in the present to accept Christ and respond to God via the faithful and listening heart. Remembering that the message of Christ was a joyful message presented by heralds, thus the heraldic role is re-emphasized as the role of the preacher in today's realm, helping the faithful, as well as the newly minted Christian to realize the words of God.

In his Preface, Mounce himself discusses his aim in writing the book, which was to show that the pulpit is the means by which God's Revelations and Teachings are made available to humanity. He also shows how a new scholarly understanding of the New Testament period, including the fact that Greek was actually the language of the common man, has an impact on our understanding of the period.

In conclusion, while the book does not necessarily provide the reader with anything new concerning aspects of theological measures addressing preaching, it is a serious depiction of current investigations with regards to the character of New Testament proclamations. Particularly in a period when the centrality of the activity of preaching in the commercial life of the church has become largely and immensely criticized and questioned, it is imperative that the reader in his/her ministry undertake a reevaluation with regards to the significance of preaching, both in the present and as it obtained in the New Testament periods and era. For this kind of purpose, The Essential Nature of New Testament Preaching offers a proper incentive and motivation and can also act as an important and beneficial guide.[footnoteRef:3] Mounce's book makes it clear that… READ MORE

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