1.  McLaren echoes another author’s call for a “new kind of preaching” (pp. 162ff). 

  • How would you describe the kind of preaching they want to hear?
  • Would you like it?
  • What do you see as its strengths/weaknesses?

2.  In some circles, the ‘gift of prophecy’ has been considered the gift that a preacher needs in order to speak the heart of God to His people.  A quote from Hans Urs von Balthasar (p. 163) states, “What a prophet has to say can never be said in prose.”

  • Why would someone make a statement like this?
  • Do you agree or disagree?

3.  Do you personally gravitate more toward reason and direct statement or poetry and metaphor?  Why do you think that is so?

4.  McLaren says, ” . . . the Bible itself contains precious little expository prose” (p. 172)  Instead, he believes that it is predominantly composed of ” . . . parable, poem, . . . vision, dream and opera, personal letter and public song . . .”. 

  • Does this fit with how you generally think of the Bible? 
  • Does it change the way that you would read or respond to Scripture?
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