It seems to be proven true by experience: if you try to do everything well then you won’t do anything well. I was reminded of this point when I picked up Michael Lawrence’s book Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide to Ministry. A friend referred me to a section of the book after I asked him a question about the most helpful thing he read on a topic. I read the section and then read the rest of it. I couldn’t put it down. One of the reasons I couldn’t put it down is because it appears that Lawrence has accomplished the writer’s equivalent of the “Triple-Lindy” for ministry. He has tackled a swath of topics and handled each of them in a helpful way.
The three main areas that this book helps us is in our Bible reading and interpretation (hermeneutics), the disciplines of theology (biblical and systematic), and applied theology (preaching, missions, and counseling). In the first section Lawrence helps readers to see the importance of how we study and interpret the Scripture. He then provides a lengthy treatment of the often-neglected practice of biblical theology. Not only does he provide explanation for what biblical theology is, he also shows how to do it well. Walking through key themes, he shows how to see the development of doctrine along the axis of redemptive history. He also shows the importance of systematic study. In systematics we attempt to summarize what the Bible says about a topic. Lawrence helpfully contrasts, “Biblical theology is an attempt to tell the whole story of the Bible as Christian Scripture.” And “systematic theology isn’t concerned so much with the storyline as it is the bottom line.” (89)
Then pushing off these foundational treatments Lawrence goes on to show how to do both. Using five themes (creation, fall, love, sacrifice, promise) he tells the whole story of the Bible from a different angle. Then he models how to, using systematic theology, apply it to our lives. This is a helpful section both in terms of the instruction and the modeling. I would also add that it is quite devotional and personally refreshing.
In the final two chapters Lawrence demonstrates how to put it all together in preaching and other ministry position. The preaching section was particularly helpful because it emphasizes the priority of thoughtful application. Using an application grid he models how to carefully and lovingly put forward application that will be both rooted in the text and felt in the pews.
This is not a new book (2009); however, it is a timeless book. I am grateful to my friend for bringing it to my attention again as it proved to be helpful to my original question. More than this, it served to sharpen up some other areas and stir my heart to love the Word of God even more.
This book that has sat on my shelf for a few years will most certainly find its way into friends’ and interns’ hands in the days ahead.
Pick up a copy of Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide to Ministry at Amazon (kindle).
