REVIEWS
49
So a comedian walks into a church: confessions of a kneel-down stand-up
Paul Kerensa, Darton, Longman & Todd( 2013)
Preaching: communicating faith in an age of scepticism
Timothy Keller, Hodder & Stoughton( 2015)
Paul Kerensa is both a stand-up comedian and a comedy writer( including Miranda), but I am afraid if you are wanting a‘ church joke book’, then this is not the book for you.
When Paul is away from home he takes to the stage on a Saturday night and takes communion on Sunday. It seems not to matter where he is – he finds a church where he can worship. It does not matter which denomination is to hand, he is comfortable in that setting. Unsurprisingly, he is clearly able to find comedy anywhere.
The opening words of chapter one are:
‘“ Excuse me? Where’ s the nearest Church of England church?”
“ England,” the Scottish woman inevitably replied.’
This sets the tone for the humour that he finds on his travels around various churches he happens across on his travels. It is not a travelogue, neither is it a joke book, but it is book full of humour, much of it selfdeprecating. The story of the choosing of the name of his firstborn son based on an absent organist is typical.
Some of the humour pokes fun at churches – the irony of attending a service in a Welsh-speaking church( with no translation) will not be lost on the reader, and quite possibility will end up as a storyline in one of his future comedies.
The book, although full of humour, does have a very serious theme – his view of the comparison between different forms of worship at a variety of mainstream churches, from URC to Quakers, Café Church to rural Anglican as well as Pentecostals, Methodists, and The Salvation Army. Overall, I loved this book.
ALAN RASHLEIGH
My faith has been greatly enriched by Tim Keller’ s writing and preaching over the past few years, especially his book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Scepticism. Consequently I was keen to read Preaching.
The main message of Preaching is that we are to preach Christ. Keller lays the foundation with an emphasis on expository preaching, then outlines how to preach to the contemporary culture and concludes with a section on the role of the Spirit and the importance of the character of the preacher.
Preaching doesn’ t address the‘ how to’ question but focuses on the‘ what’ and‘ why’ of preaching. It includes an appendix that demonstrates Keller’ s own approach to writing a sermon and includes two case studies, one expository and one topical.
The book is written for preachers who address congregations that include people who are either new to the faith or perhaps somewhat sceptical about faith. Keller’ s Church of the Redeemer in New York attracts many people who come to have intellectual questions about faith answered!
Keller introduces many helpful and thought-provoking ideas. I found myself agreeing with much of what Keller says but at times wondered if some of his reasoning was convoluted, especially the way in which he suggests that passages of Scripture aren’ t being used correctly unless they are used to point visibly to Christ.
Preaching has challenged me to rethink my own preaching. Can I preach Christ more? However, if I could only read one of Keller’ s books, I would choose The Reason for God over
Preaching with its broader reach which can be used to articulate and deepen faith in any setting!
ALAN IRVIN