Preach Magazine Issue 4 - Preaching in the digital age

32 REVIEWS Wisdom in the Hebrew Bible: Preaching with accuracy Exploring God’s twilight zone Randal E Pelton, Kregel Publications (2014) TA Perry, Hendrickson Publications (2014) The problem with the book is the assumption that its readers accept wholeheartedly the ‘accuracy’ of the Bible. Accuracy is defined as precise, exact or correct. This book does not wholly address how different passages may give an alternative focus on what was said or done, and how those differences may be incorporated into sermons using the methodology espoused. I am undecided quite what to make of this book. The preface states that it offers a series of close literary studies on key moments in the Hebrew Bible that deal with wisdom themes and methods, and that all these studies have been previously unpublished. One wonders why this should be? Perry is a very scholarly academic who has attempted to pack a lot into this relatively short work. His chapters require close study but the rewards can be exciting and illuminating. I particularly liked the chapter headed ‘Solomon the Wise and the Split-Baby Story’. This gives you a flavour of Perry’s approach: presenting what is in essence a detailed and learned study pulled together by populist phrases and tags. After all, the subtitle of the whole work is ‘Exploring God’s twilight zone’! Apart from Solomon, other Old Testament figures explored inc

Preach Magazine Issue 4 - Preaching in the digital age | Page 32