354 - Preaching from the Old Testament

Preaching from the Old Testament
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Louisville, Westminister/John Knox, 1989. 187 pp. $13.95.

I looked forward to reading this book, for I had used Achtemeier's earlier book on preaching the Old Testament (1973) as a text before publishing my own work on the subject in 1980. It is gratifying to see that

356 - Preaching from the Old Testament

this new work uses an approach similar to the one I recommended, taking seriously the different types of literature in the Old Testament as guides to what and how we should preach. After introductory chapters on the significance of the Old Testament as the story of God's dealings with humanity and on the use of rhetorical analysis and form criticism in sermon preparation, the author deals with narrative (Genesis through Kings), law, prophecy, psalms, and wisdom. Brief examples drawn from several texts of each type are included. Unfortunately, in spite of books like this, she must still begin her second chapter, "It is fair to say that the Old Testament is largely a lost book in many parts of the U.S. church." If our books are to be of any significant help, the change must begin in the ways the Old Testament and preaching are taught in the seminaries.

Donald E. Gowan
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Pittsburgh, Pa.