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Famine in the Land
Steven Lawson understands how important it is to feed God's people from His Word. He is concerned that what started as a genuine attempt to attract a broader hearing by moving away from Scripture, has grown into a crisis in the church. He is convinced that we must return to expository preaching, "the man of God opening the Word of God and expounding its truths so that the voice of God may be heard, the glory of God seen, and the will of God obeyed." Lawson calls the church back to Scripture, to restore its commitment to let God's own words speak.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2003
23 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Steven J. Lawson
78 books315 followersDr. Steven J. Lawson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, having served as a pastor in Arkansas and Alabama for the past twenty-nine years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University (B.B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Reformed Theological Seminary (D. Min.)
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 12, 2021
This was an overall good read. I wouldn’t say that there was any ground breaking information. However, it was a fervent reminder of the things that should be obvious about Bible preaching. I really liked the many quotes and stories about great preachers of the past. My favorite part was at the end when Lawson described the death of George Whitefield.
September 20, 2016
Excellent! This book will make you want to find the nearest pulpit and preach the Word for the glory of God. Much emphasis is given to the preparation in the man and the preparation of the sermon.
May 24, 2020
For a book about expository preaching, there are a surprising number of exegetical mistakes / missteps. Not terrible, but if you are looking for a book on preaching there are better ones out there.
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July 23, 2011A short book with a serious reminder that there is a famine in the land for the need of expository preaching in the pulpit of churches today. The four chapters are expansion of the author Steve Lawson's four articles in a theological journal. Each chapter is based on a text from scripture and is an expository message about expository preaching. Readers will enjoy this consistency.This book serves as a good introduction to a believer who is new and yet interested with preaching the Bible Biblically. Too often even among Conservative Christian circles, Christians and preachers can end up teaching about the Bible instead of from the Bible. While it does not necessarily is a thorough "how to" book, the implications made from the text of Scripture that the book goes over still has its effect in regards to application.
It is an edifying read and makes an ideal gift one can give to someone in seminary or a pastor.
It is an edifying read and makes an ideal gift one can give to someone in seminary or a pastor.
June 18, 2015
Lawson does a masterful job at arguing for Expository Preaching. He exegetes passages of scripture in order to call pastors all over the world to take up expositional preaching. He also use many credible sources that will serve in leading pastors in the right direction in order to learn more about Scripture, preaching, church history, and many other valuable topics!
October 16, 2016
This was a short but powerful little book. It refreshed my understanding of the importance and the need that we have in our day-The need for sound and biblical preaching over the pulpit. Worth the read. Enjoy.
March 4, 2019
This is a hard book to rate/review. I think the book is certainly worth a read. I also agree with the cry of the book for a return to biblical preaching. I would rate the last two chapters as "five stars." However, the first two chapters missed the mark in my estimation in the handling of the biblical text.
In chapter 1, to make the point concerning the role of biblical preaching, Lawson points to Jesus calling his followers "disciples" as primarily distinguishing them as "learners" and thus in need of continual teaching (i.e., biblical preaching).
Additionally, Lawson stretches the text beyond what it intends to communicate in his handling of Acts 2:42-47. Here Lawson stresses the primacy of the apostles teaching because of it being mentioned first. Lawson then concludes the chapter by pointing to the role of the apostles teaching in the fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer and other components of the early church as mentioned in Acts 2. The way this section is handled seems to communicate that Acts 2:42-47 is describing how the devotion to the apostles teaching enhanced the fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer in the early church. While I do not doubt that the devotion did benefit all these areas of personal and communal life in the early church, thus agreeing with the conclusion, I think the method of arriving at that conclusion is not correctly handling of the passage from Acts 2.
In chapter 2, Lawson points to Jonah as an example for preachers to follow in standing under the power of preaching. While Jonah certainly tells of the immense power of the preached word of God, Lawson points to Jonah himself as one who modeled and appreciated the compassion of God. Lawson goes so far as to point to Jonah's comment in Jonah 4:2 where he says, "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster." However, he neglects verse 1 and the remainder of verse 2 where we see, "Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: 'Please, Lord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster'" (Jonah 4:1-2). Rather than embodying and embracing the compassion of God, Jonah resents it. Like chapter one, I appreciate Lawson's key points in chapter 2. I think he makes a biblically solid point. However, I think he uses the wrong text to make the point.
I do not possess the same skill or talent as Lawson as an expositor of Scripture. I fully embrace this fact. I also value this point and the message of the book. However, I think the book would greatly benefit by better handling of these passages in the first two chapters.
In chapter 1, to make the point concerning the role of biblical preaching, Lawson points to Jesus calling his followers "disciples" as primarily distinguishing them as "learners" and thus in need of continual teaching (i.e., biblical preaching).
Additionally, Lawson stretches the text beyond what it intends to communicate in his handling of Acts 2:42-47. Here Lawson stresses the primacy of the apostles teaching because of it being mentioned first. Lawson then concludes the chapter by pointing to the role of the apostles teaching in the fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer and other components of the early church as mentioned in Acts 2. The way this section is handled seems to communicate that Acts 2:42-47 is describing how the devotion to the apostles teaching enhanced the fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer in the early church. While I do not doubt that the devotion did benefit all these areas of personal and communal life in the early church, thus agreeing with the conclusion, I think the method of arriving at that conclusion is not correctly handling of the passage from Acts 2.
In chapter 2, Lawson points to Jonah as an example for preachers to follow in standing under the power of preaching. While Jonah certainly tells of the immense power of the preached word of God, Lawson points to Jonah himself as one who modeled and appreciated the compassion of God. Lawson goes so far as to point to Jonah's comment in Jonah 4:2 where he says, "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster." However, he neglects verse 1 and the remainder of verse 2 where we see, "Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: 'Please, Lord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster'" (Jonah 4:1-2). Rather than embodying and embracing the compassion of God, Jonah resents it. Like chapter one, I appreciate Lawson's key points in chapter 2. I think he makes a biblically solid point. However, I think he uses the wrong text to make the point.
I do not possess the same skill or talent as Lawson as an expositor of Scripture. I fully embrace this fact. I also value this point and the message of the book. However, I think the book would greatly benefit by better handling of these passages in the first two chapters.
January 18, 2018
This is a short introduction to the importance of expository preaching. I think Lawson did a good job emphasizing the need for this type of preaching in our churches today. As a missionary, I have traveled to over 200 churches and can say without a doubt, he is correct!
My only problem with the book is that he didn’t mention how expository preaching relates to redemptive history or the importance of tying the sermon to Christ. My guess is he assumed this and just wanted to warn people the dangers of trading the importance of preaching with a shallow pep talk that seems to me more popular in America.
My only problem with the book is that he didn’t mention how expository preaching relates to redemptive history or the importance of tying the sermon to Christ. My guess is he assumed this and just wanted to warn people the dangers of trading the importance of preaching with a shallow pep talk that seems to me more popular in America.
April 23, 2023
Gehört in jedes Bücherregal eines Predigers. Ein feuriges Plädoyer für Auslegungspredigt. Anhand von 4 biblischen Texten macht Lawson den Wert der Auslegungspredigt außerordentlich klar. Es ist die Predigt, die das zentrale Element jeder Gemeinde sein sollte. Entfernt sich eine Gemeinde davon, wird sich eine geistliche Hungersnot breit machen. Das Buch enthält viele Zitate und wichtige Erklärungen biblischer Begriffe. Am Ende wird man sich bewusst, wie groß die Verantwortung des Predigers ist. Ein wichtiges Buch, was dafür plädiert, zur Auslegungspredigt zurückzukehren. Eine Empfehlung für jeden Prediger.
April 21, 2018
Without question, there is a famine in many pulpits in the world today of simply reading and explaining the text of Scripture. I don't mean to imply that this is a "simple" task - it is not. However, the instruction is easy to understand. Preachers are to read a portion of God's Word and explain it in context to the hearers. That simply is not a common practice in Christendom these days.
This is not a hard read. It's a rather short, pointed challenge to every church leader. There is much good in this little book. I'd recommend it to anybody that claims to be a teacher of God's Word.
This is not a hard read. It's a rather short, pointed challenge to every church leader. There is much good in this little book. I'd recommend it to anybody that claims to be a teacher of God's Word.
March 6, 2021
A book on preaching by Steven J Lawson? Of course I’m game. Of course I’m going to give it 5 stars. Lawson on preaching is like Brees on throwing a football or Griffey on swinging a bat. Maybe like Stephen king on horror or Kubrick on filmmaking. But aside from my personal bias it is even more well deserved because of his extrapolation of Amos 8:11. The famine in the land is a result of the lack of expository preaching. It is a call to action for pastors to preach and for layman to require preaching of their pastors. My only complaint is that it is not longer.
September 1, 2018
I give it three stars because of the truthfulness of the content and the effective way in which it was presented. However, there's nothing new here. It is an extended exposition of certain Bible passages in order to assert the importance of expositional preaching. But this book will convince no one who is not already convinced. And everyone already convinced of the need for expository preaching will not disagree with a single idea stated.
February 3, 2022
I love Steve Lawson, and I love his passion for preaching. This book considers four Biblical texts and relates them to the importance, necessity, centrality, and urgency of expository preaching. There are lots of quotations in the text, and there are lots of definitions in the text (mostly defining Hebrew and Greek terms). Not the smoothest read, but a good appeal for the primacy of expository preaching.
June 9, 2020
This book is a great biblical defense for both expositions and passionate preaching. And as great as this book is the greatest treasure are the wealthy of quotations that Lawson has gathered from innumerable theologians and preachers of the last few hundreds years. Those quotations are worth the price of admission all their own...
June 25, 2017
Very powerful book and compels believers (esp Preachers) to stay faithful to the Word. Dr. Lawson writes the book with so much fervor and exhortation.
As I'm new with the Bible, some texts are hard to digest. Nevertheless, a delight to read and reflect on from start to finish.
As I'm new with the Bible, some texts are hard to digest. Nevertheless, a delight to read and reflect on from start to finish.
August 16, 2018
This book is best for people who have a gift of teaching the Word of God and those who are called to preach the word. For others who are hearers of the word, it will still be beneficial because it will help you discover and assess what to look for a preaching in a bible-believing church.
August 11, 2021
A passionate cry for more expository preaching. This book created a call for preachers to get back to the fundamental foundation of our lives which is the life and work of Jesus Christ then preach that truth over ourselves.
September 24, 2018
Wonderful, convicting, and encouraging expositions to those who would give themselves to shepherding God’s people. Read it and be edified!
March 10, 2020
Excellent! A must-read for ministers, especially pastors.
November 3, 2021
I needed this. Lately I've been questioning if I need to "tone it down". But when it comes to teaching God's word, may we do so with clarity, precision, devotion, love and zeal.
March 23, 2012
"The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." So said Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famous expositor of Westminster Chapel. And so begins this book, a passionate call for a fresh generation of preachers from Steve Lawson, who is himself a gifted expositor of the Word.
With the conviction that a preacher is meant to become a mouthpiece for the text of Scripture, this book wonderfully models expository preaching, even as it teaches it. Chapter One, "Feast or Famine? The Priority of Biblical Preaching," is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47, which unfolds the primacy, pattern, purity, passion, and potency of the apostolic teaching in the early church. Chapter Two, "The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching," expounds Jonah 3. It is a rousing study of "of one man (Jonah), equipped with one message (God's), committed to one method (preaching), who effected great spiritual change" (p. 58). The author examines the call to preach, along with the character and consequences of true preaching, highlighting its courageous, compelling, confrontational, and compassionate dimensions, as seen in the life of Jonah.
Chapter Three, "Bring the Book! The Pattern of Biblical Preaching," is a study based on Ezra 7:1-10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. This chapter unfolds the preacher's preparation of the word in study, his personalization of the word in obedience, and his proclamation of the word in preaching. Finally, in Chapter Four, "No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching," an exposition of 1 Timothy 4:13-16 is given. This chapter includes a brief look at Calvin and his "Reformation of Exposition" (p. 110-112), in the course of Lawson's unfolding of the pursuit, pattern, perseverance, pains, and preoccupation of biblical preaching.
The author's contagious love for the Word, extensive study of preaching itself (dozens of excellent quotations on preaching are sprinkled throughout the book), and obvious zest for homiletics and the artistry of preaching make this an exciting and encouraging book for preachers which will serve to stoke the fire in many a discouraged preacher's heart. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to other pastors and preachers.
With the conviction that a preacher is meant to become a mouthpiece for the text of Scripture, this book wonderfully models expository preaching, even as it teaches it. Chapter One, "Feast or Famine? The Priority of Biblical Preaching," is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47, which unfolds the primacy, pattern, purity, passion, and potency of the apostolic teaching in the early church. Chapter Two, "The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching," expounds Jonah 3. It is a rousing study of "of one man (Jonah), equipped with one message (God's), committed to one method (preaching), who effected great spiritual change" (p. 58). The author examines the call to preach, along with the character and consequences of true preaching, highlighting its courageous, compelling, confrontational, and compassionate dimensions, as seen in the life of Jonah.
Chapter Three, "Bring the Book! The Pattern of Biblical Preaching," is a study based on Ezra 7:1-10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. This chapter unfolds the preacher's preparation of the word in study, his personalization of the word in obedience, and his proclamation of the word in preaching. Finally, in Chapter Four, "No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching," an exposition of 1 Timothy 4:13-16 is given. This chapter includes a brief look at Calvin and his "Reformation of Exposition" (p. 110-112), in the course of Lawson's unfolding of the pursuit, pattern, perseverance, pains, and preoccupation of biblical preaching.
The author's contagious love for the Word, extensive study of preaching itself (dozens of excellent quotations on preaching are sprinkled throughout the book), and obvious zest for homiletics and the artistry of preaching make this an exciting and encouraging book for preachers which will serve to stoke the fire in many a discouraged preacher's heart. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to other pastors and preachers.
February 22, 2011
Famine In The Land by Steven Lawson sets forth the virtues of expository preaching. As the title suggests, the author sees a shortage of this food from the Word. Lawson makes a good case for the mode of preaching as being expository.
Exposition should make up a majority of the ministry in the church. Even when preaching topically, exposition should be used. Though the expository method should be used extensively, it is not the only method. The skilled preacher will be versed in various methods, using them carefully and skillfully to best communicate the truth of God’s Word to his hearers.
Lawson’s book is worth reading and hopefully it will stir up some fire for this most excellent method of preaching.
Exposition should make up a majority of the ministry in the church. Even when preaching topically, exposition should be used. Though the expository method should be used extensively, it is not the only method. The skilled preacher will be versed in various methods, using them carefully and skillfully to best communicate the truth of God’s Word to his hearers.
Lawson’s book is worth reading and hopefully it will stir up some fire for this most excellent method of preaching.
February 27, 2013
It is a good book. It is oriented towards a preacher or someone who will be preaching. It gets to the heart of what a preacher needs to strive for.
In reading it as a Pulpit Committee member, it does not give a lot of specifics on how to pick out an expository preacher.
In reading it as a Pulpit Committee member, it does not give a lot of specifics on how to pick out an expository preacher.
May 19, 2009
This is a very good description of true Biblical preaching and why it is hard to find. I recommend for any preacher or listener.
January 13, 2012
A strong call for biblical preaching. At times, the author is repetitive.
May 27, 2013
Every pastor in the pulpit needs to read this book!
July 23, 2013
Biblical, eloquent and persuasive case for expository preaching.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews