Book Reviews

Pastoral Book Reviews – Light and Heat
Reviewed by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon

Light and Heat
by Dr. Bruce Bickel
Soli Deo Gloria Publications
Morgan, PA

What did the Puritans believe about the pulpit and about preaching? Dr. Bruce Bickel attempts to answer this question for the common reader. This is not a deep theological work to arouse those who love the puritans to find large nuggets of gold, but is a work designed to bring an introduction to the Christian concerning the Puritan’s view of preaching, and the reverence held by them concerning the pulpit. Bickel uses some very good resources, but they are as extensive as the purpose of the book allows. They will not be difficult to handle for the beginning reader, but not very extensive for the aged scholar.

Not all books are designed to be thorough treatments of a subject, but Dr. Bickel’s book also treats a second section concerning the teachings of the puritan’s pulpit and not just the view of the pulpit itself. He covers in section one “The View of the Pulpit,” “The Direction of Preaching,” “The Demands of Preaching,” and “The Duties of the Pastor.” In section two he covers “The View of God,” “The View of Man,” “The View of the Person and Work of Christ,” “The View of Repentance and Faith,” and “The View of Assurance.” It is a good book, easy reading, and helpful for the beginner who desires to know more about the Puritans.

Some Quotes:

“Perhaps another way of structuring the Puritan sermon would be the Declaration, the Explanation, and the Application.”

“Their high view of God made it infinitely more important that God should cross the separation-gap and speak to them through the sermon than that they should travel across it in prayer or praise.”

“The Puritan view of man and his sin and God and His holiness would prohibit any of those great heralds of the gospel from making such a statement as, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

“Puritan preaching was distinctly evangelical, but evangelical in much a different sense from what is offered today in main line evangelicalism.”