A Book Review - Famine in the Land by Steven J. Lawson

     I have a friend who is a voracious reader, capable of dissecting a book in minutes, digging out all of the salient truths (or lack thereof) with laser precision.  The wonderful part is the fact that he often does book reviews, so that those of us of slower wit can decide whether a book is worth reading, and where whatever pitfalls there might be may lie.  I read quite a bit, but don't so often remember to recommend a great read or to warn people off of junk.


     I recently read, "Famine in the Land" by Steven J. Lawson (subtitled: A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching,) and I don't want to be remiss by enjoying as I have such a passionate and scholarly work; a challenging book which has renewed my own passion for being faithful to the Word of God in my own teaching and preaching, without sharing it with others.  

     
     Steven J. Lawson is the founding pastor of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He is author of numerous books and commentaries, and serves as a guests lecturer in expository preaching at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, The Master's Seminary, and the Expositor's Institute at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. 


     In this small book, Lawson has packed a powerful outline of teaching into a very streamlined and well documented (structurally) format.  He begins in his introduction with a quote from Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones: "The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching, and as it is the greatest need in the Church, it is the greatest need in the world also."


      Lawson states his case in the first chapter with these words: "Influenced by corporate mergers, towering skyscrapers, and expanding economies, bigger is perceived as better, and nowhere is this "Wall Street" mentality more evident that in the church. Sad to say, pressure to produce bottom-line results has led many ministries to sacrifice the centrality of biblical preaching on the altar of man-centered pragmatism."  


     From this platform, Lawson launches into what truly lives up to his sub-title; a passionate call for expository preaching.  He first defines it by way of J.I. Packer in "God Has Spoken:" The true idea of preaching is that the preacher should become a mouthpiece for his text, opening it up and applying it as a word from God to his hearers, talking only in order that the text itself may speak and be heard."


      The outline of the book is powerful in its simplicity. After defining what expository preaching is he instructs us from the patterns provided by four different sources.


1.  Feast or Famine?: The Priority of Biblical Preaching - in this section he shows that the early church established a paradigm for biblical preaching early on (modeling what they had seen in Jesus). The first inkling of church life is found in Acts 2:42 where the people steadfastly attended to the apostle's doctrine. 


2.  The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching - in this section Lawson does a careful analysis of the preaching of Jonah. It is a masterful analysis of the work of Jonah in that Assyrian City and the response of God to His own Word.  


3.  Bring the Book!: The Pattern of Biblical Preaching - Ezra is the focus of the third bit of analysis (and its also my favorite.)  As Lawson, dramatic fashion, brings to life the ministry of the Word through Ezra from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.  This is powerful stuff, presented in a very clear format. 


4.  No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching - perhaps one of the most enthralling portions of Lawson's work is in this segment; for in it he examines the preaching ministry through the very clear instructions of Paul to young Timothy.


     Throughout Famine in the Land, Steven J. Lawson also refers numerous times to the opinions of some of the great minds of church history; Luther, Moody, Spurgeon, Calvin, and many others.  


I would recommend this book to anyone because it is interesting and valuable reading. 
I highly recommend this book to any preacher or teacher because it will challenge you again to be faithful to the high calling of "preaching the Word."
I urgently recommend this book to young preachers who have not yet honed their skills, nor have discovered the "method" of preaching they consider to be their own. This book will be of immense help. 


Michael K. Gantt
Brattlebor, VT
June 28, 2011