I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review from Crossway Books in participation with Crossway’s Blog Review Program.
If you preach or teach the Bible in any capacity, chances are that you have searched for books on preaching or teaching, right? And if your experience looks like mine, you found no shortage of books to read about it!
The Whole Counsel: Preaching Through the Bible
The trouble is that books on preaching are not always exciting, and worse, often miss the mark. While The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid may not actually be the most exciting book you’ll read this year, I can assure you it does not miss it’s mark!
When it comes to books on expository preaching through the entire Bible, The Whole Counsel of God should be one of the first read on your list. The authors pack a lot of insight and experience into about 250 pages, and that’s quite an accomplishment. They also include practical resources like a suggested preaching calendar, something I was excited to see.
The first part of The Whole Counsel of God provides you with a well-planned outline of why it’s important to preach through the Bible. There are times when the theoretical approach in the first part feels like a review of what you may have learned in seminary, yet it’s a very helpful section of this book to set the stage for the second part. I admit there were moments when I wanted to rush through to get to the practical application in the later chapters.
In the second part, you will find very helpful and practical application to what you learned in the first section. This includes planning as well as creating a preaching calendar that carries a fluid balance to Scripture.
Who is The Whole Counsel For?
Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid have brought to the table a very worthwhile book on why and how to preach the entire Bible. The book is very well written in a voice that is easily relatable. The Whole Counsel of God is informative, insightful and brings conviction to expository preaching.
Yes, there were moments when I wanted to jump ahead and at times as I read. A few times it felt as if I may be too late in my life and ministry to actually teach through the entire Bible. However, books that deal with preaching are usually not easy to digest and can go way over my head. I found the relatable writing of The Whole Counsel to be refreshing and applicable for the most part.
The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid is one book I can recommend for seminary students, pastors young and old, and Bible teachers in pretty much any capacity.
About the Authors
Tim Patrick (PhD, Macquarie University) is principal of the Bible College of South Australia, an affiliated college of the Australian College of Theology, where he lecturers in theology and practical ministry. Before moving into theological education and ministry formation, Tim served in local church ministry for ten years, where he worked with a number of congregations and led a number of revitalization projects.
Andrew Reid (ThD, Ridley College) is the inaugural principal of the Evangelical Theological College of Asia in Singapore. He previously served as the lead pastor of several churches in Australia and as lecturer in Old Testament, hermeneutics, and Hebrew at Ridley College Melbourne. He was one of the founding council members of the Gospel Coalition Australia and is editorial director of the ministry, training, and leadership channel of TGCA’s website.
