InREVIEW: Book Look
By Michael J. Breznau | December 2021
Arthurs, Jeffrey D. Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2012)
Although churchgoers tout their strong belief in the sufficiency of the Bible, regularly carry Bibles to church, and even name their local congregations “Bible churches,” many consider the act of publicly reading Scripture a rather static, uninteresting placeholder in the worship service.
Well-rehearsed, thematically unified music? An absolutely exciting element. Preaching with relevance and vivid illustrations? Most important, indeed. Celebrating baptisms and the Lord’s Supper? Always a moment of renewed joy and reflection. But a few minutes of Scripture reading? Most tend to glaze over. Even if one attempts to glean meaning or application from the reading, most find doing so a surprising difficulty.
Long-time pastor and seminary professor, Jeffrey Arthurs, focuses his sights on one clear vision: “increase the quantity and the quality of Scripture reading in church services” (pg. 11). A simple, lucid idea? Yes. But easy to accomplish? Well, not so fast. He is convinced we need more Scripture reading in church services, not less. The issue is not over-frequency, but half-baked, poorly delivered readings that do not serve up the meal of the Word to God’s people (pg. 12-13).
For too many churches, reading the Bible in the corporate worship setting has resolved to be “little more than homiletical throat-clearing before the sermon” (pg. 14). With great concern, we must remember the timeless principle developed by the early church in their process of discipling new converts: lex orandi lex credendi – “the way we worship forms what we believe” (pg. 14)
Although the problem of diminishing or ignoring the public reading of Scripture is deeply serious, Arthurs winsomely presents the issue and accompanying solutions with good-natured humor (pg. 36-37). He weaves together bright, brief metaphors throughout the book, e.g. baseball (pg. 76), magnetic pull (pg. 40, 84), and he even frames the structure of the entire text around dining together, serving a meal (pg. 80), and adding some spice to the meal (pg. 105).
Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture is written with a focus toward pastors and senior church leaders, but every Christ-follower will discover rich insights and a renewed vigor for reading the Word to others.
Strong Points
Arthurs gives five clear, didactic arguments for devoting ourselves to the public reading of Scripture. You will find a thorough biblical and historical defense for reading Scripture as a key component of corporate worship (pg. 20-31). He contends, with solid support, that the Bible was written to be read aloud (pg. 28-29). The text of God’s Word was given not merely for silent, individual reflection but for oral proclamation and communal worship with God’s people.
He also provides a beautiful illustration derived from C.S. Lewis’ novel The Silver Chair, which is then woven throughout the following chapters, “The air here is thick and our minds are often befogged, therefore we must ‘remember the Signs and believe the Signs,’” namely the written Word of God. (pg. 16-17)
Large quotations of the Bible not only serve to validate his arguments but also provide examples of how to practice his instructions for effective reading (see pg. 18-23, 51, 78, 100, 102-104). Arthurs also offers solid work in original language word studies – in brief – to prick the minds and persuade the praxis of seminary-trained pastors (pg. 37).
Unlike many other books on Scripture reading, Arthurs provides some great insights and pointers on improving non-verbal communication, such as gestures and posture (pg. 71-77), the face and eyes (pg. 81-85), and emphatic pause (pg. 96-97). He also gives fun, simple exercises (pg. 100-102) and great ideas for mixing things up (pg. 106-112). The book even includes sample scripts and a DVD for study in group settings, which will certainly help with building a Scripture reading team (pg. 124-137). Remarkably, Arthurs satisfies his goal in just 137 pages.
Weak Points
The only point of critique that may be offered is merely a matter of editing. Arthurs should have located and cited the original sources for quotations by Ghandi (pg. 19), Luther (pg. 25), and Whately (pg. 48).
Reflection and Interaction
Over all, this is a book of vivid, inspiring ideation. That is the genius of what Arthurs has laid out for us. We are probed with the question: What should public reading do? Give “warm fuzzies” or a sense of pride because we’re revering the Bible? The author presses for much more: “it should encourage, enable, enlighten, or entreat; it should convict, condemn, console, or convince; it should absolve, abolish, overturn, or undergird” (pg. 40-41). He admits this sounds like a lofty goal (pg. 41), but he quickly pivots to provide all the specifics necessary for fulfilling this vision.
Effective reading does not come through underselling – the ho-hum monotone delivery that bores us to sleep or overselling via a false brogue of elocutionary tactics or fake British accents (pg. 41-42). First, a quality reading that impacts the hearts of God’s people requires dependence on Him in prayer. I personally appreciated Arthurs’ modified iteration of A.P.C.A.T. (pg. 43-45).[1] We must Admit we cannot do anything good or of eternal impact without God. We must Plead for the Lord to give us help in the task of proclaiming His Word. We then are strengthened by pausing to Claim the promise of the Word’s character, action, and power. From this position of reliance and humility, we Act in confidence by thoughtfully and passionately reading His Word before His people. Finally, we Thank our gracious God for equipping and guiding us through to completion.
Second, from this posture of prayer or “A.P.C.A.T”, anyone – of any age or ability – can follow six steps to prepare a reading in 30-40 minutes (pg. 45-46). Arthurs, thankfully, does not belabor points. His instructions can be relayed quickly by a pastor to a church member or used as a simple bullet-point list to a reading team preparing for an upcoming Sunday. He also provides simple ways to implement readings (pg. 63) within a worship service and how to interpret the current culture of your church so that members are not unnecessarily upset through the process.
Third, I agree with Arthurs’ position that holding the Bible up while reading is a strong visual reminder of God’s authority over our lives (pg. 57). We regularly find the use of smartphones and tablets a major distraction for the reader and the audience. Readers (and pastors!) awkwardly pause to tap on or light up their screens, batteries die, or people lose their place. While this form of technology is currently in vogue, I believe it is not as ideal as simply holding a Bible or a piece of paper within a Bible. I thoroughly agree!
Finally, we must “feel it!” (pg. 49-41). All pastors and scripture readers must prepare emotionally to “feel the feelings the text has captured.” (pg. 84). If it doesn’t move you, it won’t move anyone else. Like Arthurs, I’ve heard people argue for a placid approach to Scripture reading. But I agree with him, namely, “You cannot not communicate.” (pg. 68-69). Why so? He argues, “A subterranean stream of belief and emotion percolates into exterior behavior” (pg. 69). The Holy Word was given to transform us from the inside – out. So, let us not hamstring our reading with passivity, but dare to devote ourselves to proclaiming the Word with vivid alacrity.
FOOTNOTES
[1] The original acronym A.P.T.A.T was first given by John Piper in his book The Supremacy of God in Preaching (pg. 47-49): A-Admit, P-Pray, T-Trust, A-Act, and T-Thank.
