The Message of Mark (The Bible Speaks Today) [Paperback]

Donald English: The Message of Mark: The Mystery of Faith. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992 [with numerous reprints since then]. 254 pages (including Study Guide).

No book which guides the reader through Mark's wonderful Gospel can be bad, but my own study of Mark as preparation for a house Bible-study group has only profited marginally from Donald English's work, which, though certainly a labour of love, disappointed me in certain respects. After studying Michael Green's volume from the same series on Matthew (The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven (Bible Speaks Today)) and John Stott's volume on the Sermon on the Mount (The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (The Bible Speaks Today), both of which are absolutely brilliant, I felt that Donald English's introduction to Mark was less penetrating. Yes, English does go through the text of Mark pointing out a number of truths each time, but he tends to spend (in my opinion) too much time talking about "difficulties" and making allowance for the "modern" way of thinking. It is perhaps significant in this context that the literature he quotes is, as far as I can see, exclusively from the 20th century, with non-evangelical authors such as Cranfield, Nineham or Marxsen seeming to crop up very often. How I would have preferred the John Stott way of combining the opinions of the moderns with those of the Church Fathers and of the Reformers and Puritans! Perhaps it is not surprising that I sometimes had the feeling that English was wandering too far from his text - for example, when, in discussing Peter's denial of Christ, he suddenly throws in the statement: "Alongside any individual interpretation of evil, there must be the corporate perspective, too, and the question of corporate salvation also" (p. 226). What is he talking about here? I find this incomprehensible - and having been a Bible reader for more than 30 years, I still cannot fathom what "corporate salvation" is supposed to be - I have never read anything about that in the New Testament! Generally, English tends to play down the supernatural aspects of the Gospel (without denying them, of course) and directs oblique criticism at what he would presumably see as charismatic "enthusiasts". In his exposition of Mark 16,9-20 he admits the possibility of the text's being an early Christian one but seems determined to avoid actually mentioning any of the signs there promised. - After spending some time with English's book, I found that I really needed other material to help me along with Mark. For purposes of analyzing the Greek text, I referred to the extremely thorough German-language commentary by German Baptist theologian Adolf Pohl; for purposes of edification and comparison with the other Gospels, I referred to David Brown's "The Four Gospels", reprinted by The Banner of Truth Trust from Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's Bible Commentary (Four Gospels (Geneva Series of Commentaries)). This last is, of course, nigh-on 150 years old, but it provides all the older comment and the more conservative, reformed standpoint that I so sorely missed in English's volume. - Perhaps I should also add that the "Study Guide" at the end of English's book provides questions only on English's text, and the questions often seemed as vague as parts of the text itself.

This is the third from "The Bible Speaks Today" series I have read. I have yet to be disappointed with any of the series. The background commentary is excellent and the practical application outstanding. It reads well and gives the reader much to think about. Whether you are reading for pleasure or as preparation for lessons or sermons this book will give you more than you could ever expect to use.