Book Review: Preaching & Preachers by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Lloyd-Jones, Martyn. Preaching and Preachers, ed. Kevin DeYoung, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. $22.75.
An Introduction…
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, medical doctor and minister, became one of the world’s most renowned preachers in the 20th Century. Born in Cardiff in 1899, Dr. Lloyd-Jones served for over 30 years at Westminster Chapel in London, UK. Dr. Lloyd-Jones initially gave the well-celebrated book Preaching and Preachers as a series of lectures to students who studied at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1969. The series of lectures covers a wide range of topics, all concerning the pastor and his preaching.
A Brief Synopsis…
The book Preaching and Preachers originated as a series of lectures given to his students by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in 1969. His concern, throughout the entirety of his lectures, is the development of both the preacher and the sermon that he preaches. This is of great concern today, as a more significant number of pastors and preachers are using A.I. (artificial intelligence) to generate their sermons, lessons, and devotionals. Not only do their sermons become cheap and hollow, but so does the preacher.
The opening of the series of lectures begins with an immense case for the cause of preaching entitled “The Primacy of Preaching.” Here, Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes the argument that “the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” (17) This is still the case for the modern day. Throughout the initial lecture, Lloyd-Jones reveals his concern for the lack of good biblical preaching and the lack of taste for it as well. He lays out his first position on the decline of preaching as the result of “the loss of belief in the authority of the Scriptures, and a diminution in the belief of the Truth.” (20) Lloyd-Jones, as any good doctor can do, rightly diagnoses both the illness and the proper treatment: we need better preachers and sermons. It is as if he speaks directly to the modern preacher through time, though these lectures were delivered over fifty years ago. Throughout the rest of the initial lecture, Lloyd-Jones masterfully sets up the rest of the series of lectures quickly following.
Along with Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ original lectures, there are essays intermingled between the lectures of Lloyd-Jones from modern pastors. These essays provide helpful insights and lessons from notable preachers from modernity, such as Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, and John Piper; however, the break they provide seems to be too substantial in both tone and direction of the series of lectures as each lecture, effectively, builds upon one another.
Turning to Chapter 3 entitled, “The Sermon and the Preaching,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones rebuts common retorts to the act of preaching such as conversational worship services. Instead of refuting the idea outright, he instead applies an intriguing practical and personal event by which he refutes the idea that conversation or debate could replace the act of preaching itself. In the rest of the lecture, Lloyd-Jones gives ample time espousing why preaching must be the primary means of the preacher’s communication to the people of God. He assures the reader who asks the question, “Will they [the people] come?” and he says, “The answer is that they will come and that they do come when it is true preaching.” (62)
In Chapter 4, Dr. Lloyd-Jones turns to the “Form of the Sermon” to discuss what a sermon must be, what it is not, and what a sermon is. Leading off, he says that a sermon must be theological, “There is no type of preaching that should be non-theological.” (76). He later adds, “At the same time, it is vital that we should realize that preaching is not lecturing on theology, or on any aspect of theology.” (77) He adds that the pastor must preach the Gospel and not about the Gospel as one who “beats around the bush.” Later in the same lecture, he provides efficient and applicable steps for the young minister in his sermon preparation and writing from application down to transitional phrasing.
Lastly, before a critique of the book, the rest of the lectures are decisively pointed toward the individual taking up the task of preaching – as it should be. Dr. Lloyd-Jones covers topics such as how much the congregation should “control” the pulpit, the preacher's call, and the preacher's preparation – not only to include discipline and Bible reading but a good diet of reading. Lloyd-Jones also covers the application of stories and illustrations, how eloquent a preacher should be, and so on.
A Personal Opinion…
It is most difficult to be critical of a preacher who died over 30 years ago and critique such a widely praised series of lectures that, even while reading, began to shape this reader. My personal critique, then, would be this: every preacher must read these lectures. This series given to preachers by Dr. Lloyd-Jones is a treasure for even the modern preacher. It is motivational, inspiring, and incredibly humbling to read. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ lectures seemed not only applicable for today but were as if he were giving the lectures today. The need for biblical preachers, the need for biblical preaching, the retorts that even this reader has heard to preaching, and the need for right preaching are covered within these pages. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ lectures provide a solid basis and case for the continued, bold, and divinely empowered preaching that must come from our church’s pulpits.
If there were to be a single change in the book, it would be in its organizational structure. As previously mentioned, the additional essays by the notable modern preachers do add substance to the overall work. However, they interrupt the lectures' flow, urging the reader to skip them entirely and return to Dr. Lloyd-Jones. It would have been best to keep these essays, but to add them to the end of the book to bolster what the lectures already provide.
To Conclude…
The book Preaching and Preachers prove to be a series of lectures that nearly every modern preacher must read. I recommend that this book be in the hands of every pastor at the start of their preaching ministry. There is nothing that the good doctor addresses in his lectures that the modern preacher does not need in some measure. Lastly, Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ application of his own personal stories emboldens the preacher and helps develop and direct the preacher’s sermon. All prove that this book will continue as a helpful and needed guide for both the well-seasoned preacher and the new-to-the-pulpit preacher. Not only do I wholly recommend this book, but I will frequently return to it when I need an assist in my ministry.
