InREVIEW: Book Look by Michael J. Breznau
McLean, Max, and Bird, Warren. Unleashing the Word: Rediscovering the Public Reading of Scripture
Have you ever dozed off or glazed over during a moment of Scripture reading in a church service? Flushed with guilt, you immediately shook yourself back on track. But moments later – could you even remember the reference to the passage that was read? Did you attempt to carefully listen, but still not glean any significant meaning from the reading?
Perhaps the moment of recitation gives us a sentimental feeling of comfort or nearness to God. Maybe the appearance of everyone rising to their feet in honor of God’s Word seems right and good. But all-too-often, the public reading of Scripture is accompanied by haphazard preparation, a lack of enthusiasm, and an even greater absence of oral interpretation. We have allowed this vital part of our worship to be boring (pg. 44). As a result, most churchgoers like the idea of the Bible being read publicly, but don’t glean much from the practice (pg. 39-40).
McLean and Bird aim to correct this misconception and equip local churches with the vision and tools for communicating “the power and passion of the Word” when reading it aloud at church (pg. 12-13, 15). They are convinced that many people have never heard the Bible carefully read in a way that makes it “come alive” in the moment of oral proclamation (pg. 12).
Unleashing the Word convincingly proves that homes and hearts are needy for the life-transforming scriptures (pg. 39, 137). One primary way of meeting this need is by learning to read the Word aloud and alive with a preparation that involves prayer, study, rehearsal, and personal reflection. This carefully, winsomely written text provides a guide not only for pastors and church leaders, but also for moms, dads, or small group volunteers seeking to effectively read the Bible in homes and other intimate settings. The goal: no matter the context – whether at home or in church – you can learn to “let the text speak to you so that it will speak through you to others” in order for Spirit-empowered life-change to occur through the Word (pg. 142).
Strong Points
This book is intensely practical. McLean and Bird offer great, basic tools for building and training a reading team (pg. 52-32). Each chapter outlines various guides and steps for people of all ages and stages of life to grow in their ability to communicate Scripture (pg. 100-105). This short, but pithy volume gets down to the nitty gritty of vocal inflection, the appropriate distance to be from different types of microphones, and even a list of suggestions for Bible reading during hospital visitation (pg. 133-34).
You will find brief yet articulate, to-the-point chapters that are accessible to any layperson. The authors are careful to avoid burdensome vernacular only common among pastors or seminary academics. Beyond corporate worship, the book also gives play-by-play advice for how a thoughtful, creative reading of God’s Word can be done in a family setting (pg. 130-132).
McLean and Bird also provide clear, convincing biblical and historical arguments for the public reading of Scripture. You won’t be able to weasel your way out of their proofs for reading Scripture as a part of your church’s worship service (pg. 69-71, 138-39).
Weak Points
Very little is worthy of criticism in Unleashing the Word. I will offer just a couple minor suggestions. First, I was hoping for more pointers on first-person dramatic monologues, such as McLean regularly performs. Instead, the book focused almost entirely on public reading. Admittedly, some of the same principles apply. Yet I would be delighted to see future versions of this book include direct advice for aspiring first-person presenters or narrators.
Second, McLean’s personal testimony section (Chapter One – pg. 18-28) comes off, at times, sounding more like a résumé than a biographical sketch. I don’t perceive pride as the issue, but more a rather of writing style. On a positive note, he is quick to repeatedly affirm that any good accomplished through publicly reading or reciting Scripture is through God’s power and grace. “It’s not about me,” he reminds us (pg. 27).
Reflection and Interaction
No one wants to sound plastic or overly rehearsed when reading aloud. So how can we communicate authentically with that certain characteristic of disarming sincerity? This theme is woven throughout the book, since it is so essential to public reading that moves hearts. McLean drives home this idea: one must connect personally with the passage to communicate it effectively into the lives of God’s people (pg. 81). Meaning, the text must impact my heart and life before I bring it to the hearts of God’s people (pg. 60, 71). Yes, that has to be the starting point.
Careful, thoughtful readers “enter into a dialogue with the text” (pg. 72). They saturate the process in prayer, read through the passage eight times, asking interpretative questions, mark off verbs and transition words, and allow the Spirit to internalize the message into their lives. As a person emerges from this process, a passion and authenticity will accompany the reading. Herein is good advice for preaching pastors, as well. We dare not only study for public production, but for personal conviction and transformation in the very process of our preparation.
Two portions of the book present a strong argument for reading Scripture as a separate, isolated component in the worship service. Implicit in his discussion is the assumption that the passage read will be the passage preached. A passionate, thoughtful reading will prepare the audience for the preaching of that same text, so McLean would posit (pg. 55-57, 109-110). While this may be true in many instances, there are at least two cases where this may not materialize as intended: (1) when the preaching pastor has arranged his sermon inductively and (2) when the message is to be given as a first-person narrative or another narratival form of communication. In both cases, the “cat is let out of the bag,” which causes the audience to enter into presuppositions about the text before the pastor can offer explanation and application. All tension is lost, which could result in the audience “checking-out” before the pastor even finishes his introduction. Good discussion in this paragraph.
Perhaps a better way would be: (1) place the Scripture reading earlier in the service, instead of immediately before the sermon, (2) arrange a reading schedule through the Bible that is different than what is being preached, or (3) embed the reading within the message but with a clear adherence to the principles of thoughtful, passionate presentation as prescribed. A schedule of readers (other than the pastor) could be arranged for any of these three alternative options.
One must have a healthy self-forgetfulness. McLean recounts a time when he struggled to recite a particular phrase in rehearsal. When it came out remarkably well in his performance, he found himself subconsciously congratulating himself. Immediately, he was thrown off-gear and lost his train of thought. So he reminds us, “Focusing too much on your own words and how well or poorly you are reading can be a distraction in itself” (pg. 86).
The authors continually reiterate the central need for all Scripture readers to exude a dependence on the Holy Spirit (pg. 22, 72-73, 100, 102). This is a helpful reminder, especially for those who have extensive education and significant experience under their belts. With a measure of success can come an equal measure of pride and self-reliance. This book warns all of us that the moment we lean on our skills and expertise to accomplish God’s work is the moment ineffectiveness begins.
Bottomline? May we all “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). Following this task with thoughtfulness and passion can unleash the Word into people’s lives in a surprising, transformative way.
Soli deo Gloria.
