Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully: The Power of Poetic Effort in the Work of George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C. S. Lewis (Volume 6)

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." So says King Solomon in Proverbs 25:11. These wise words are the biblical basis for John Piper's new book, Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully. Nearly fifteen years ago, Dr. Piper embarked on a series of books called, The Swans Are Not Silent. The beauty of these books is found in a combination of brevity, historical narrative, and theological depth. The books set out to introduce key figures in the history of the church - from Augustine, Calvin, and Luther to Bunyan, Wilberforce, and Cowper. The newest volume introduces readers to George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C.S. Lewis.The author's aim, as he says, is "to probe the interrelationship between seeing beauty and saying it beautifully." And he accomplishes his goal by pointing to Herbert, Whitefield, and Lewis by demonstrating how these men pointed others to see the beauty of Christ.Piper spends much of his time laboring over the poetic effort of these men: "Poetic effort is the effort to see and savor and speak the wonder - the divine glory - that is present everywhere in the world God made, in the history God guides, and in the Word God inspired."In the final analysis, Piper urges those who communicate Christian truth to do so in a beautiful and winsome way: "It means that as you try to find words that seem worthy of the worth of what you have seen, the worth of what you have seen becomes clearer and deeper." Do do any less what appear to cheapen and weaken the message.This is the sixth volume in the Swans Are Not Silent series. Each book stands alone and is brimming with joy and hope, which are centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The newest edition is no exception. John Piper continues to equip and encourage his readers. Over and over again, he proves, the swans are not silent.

This book looks at the sometimes perplexing question of if and how we should use eloquence to advance the Gospel.It’s a question that’s long exercised me because, as Piper points out, the Apostle Paul seems to put oratorical gifts in the “worldly” category (e.g. 1 Cor. 1:17; 2:1). Yet, as Piper also proves, all the Apostles, the Prophets, and even Jesus himself, used various verbal and literary techniques in their Gospel communication.Piper resolves this tension by demonstrating that the Bible does not warn against all eloquence or oratory, but only certain kinds, the kind that uses eloquence as an end rather than a means, and the kind that uses eloquence to promote the speaker rather than the Gospel. He then goes on to argue from the Bible and from three talented Christian wordsmiths – George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C.S. Lewis – that we should pour huge effort into developing our word skills for the sake of the Gospel.Indeed, part of Piper’s argument is that only by working hard to describe the beauty of the Gospel will we actually see it. It’s a kind of virtuous circle; the more we strive for beauty in proclaiming the beauty of Christ the more beauty we and others will see in Him. Saying beautifully will help us savor and see beauty.But don’t for a moment think that Piper is advocating mere acting, or depending upon human talent for sinners to be saved. No, throughout, he is at pains to underline the Calvinist doctrine of sovereign grace. God is the decisive cause in salvation, and yet He blesses our efforts “to find striking, penetrating, imaginative, and awakening ways of expressing the excellencies” of Christ.This fascinating book isn’t just for preachers, it’s for anyone who’s interested in improving their Christian witness through words – spoken or written. I believe it will help many see, savor, and speak of the beauty of Jesus Christ.

This entry in the Swans Are Not Silent series is a little different than the others, dealing with a more complex theme and telling the stories of men who were known more for eloquent words than great actions. The great poet, the great preacher and the great scholar are all in view as Piper aims to understand the efforts of George Herbert, George Whitfield and C.S. Lewis in communicating gospel truth with skill. Piper wrestles mightily with this issue of gospel communication in a lengthy and helpful introduction. He faces the fact that sometimes preachers and writers can aim at eloquence for the sake of being impressive but this does not cause Piper to deny a place to using words in a beautiful way. His central thesis in fact is that the effort to say beautifully increases the perception of beauty in the one speaking and in the hearers. Thus carefully crafted communication of truth need not overshadow or obscure truth but can serve to further illuminate truth. Piper then goes on to illustrate this principle through three diverse personalities who all had a common aim to communicate gospel truth with clarity and power. Their stories show how saying beautifully can open up vistas of spiritual beauty to eyes darkened by the pressures of life. This book is another worthy entry in the excellent series, The Swans are Not Silent.

Because of his personal experience of a close walk with Christ, John Piper is well qualified to describe the poetic beauty of a life dedicated to expressing the 'unsearchable riches of Christ.' Piper delves deeply beyond a superficial biography to explaining why Herbert, Whitefield, and Lewis gave their lives to draw men to experience the reality of a life lived in the presence of God.

It was a delightful, inspirational, and easy read. The only part that irritated me was the everyone he discussed, he was able to turn into a Calvinist.

Really enjoyed the section on Herbert . However, the introduction was dry and part of Whitefields section was dry. I didn’t really gain much I didn’t already know about Lewis.

Well written, inspiring look at three gifted men. Dr. Piper's amazing insight opens reader's eyes to God's blessings as he correctly titled his book. Will purchase more as Christmas gifts.

Great

I believe the digital age has done a major disservice to our verbal dexterity in expressing ourselves. The onslaught of multi media to capture our life and thought has meant that images are substituting words as a major form of communication. If we write at all these days, we write in phrases, incomplete sentences, digital language which is not conducive to developing understanding or probing in order to grasp the truth. Yet God has chosen to reveal Himself in His word. I fear that the degeneration of our language ability and lethargy towards reading will develop into a major hindrance for us to get close to God.I agree with the major thesis of this book which is saying beautifully is a means for us to see and savour beauty. We cannot see and savour beauty in a vacuum and word remains a major medium. When we are growing silent in our words in communication, by this thesis, we are losing our ability to see, savour and experience beauty. When our words become insipid, it is likely that our life is bland too.I have been struck by how quiet we can be when we are asked to praise God in a prayer meeting, for example. There is awkward silence as if we don't know or feel the wonders of our Lord and our salvation. I am not saying that we should flood those times with well-rehearsed, embellished, ostentatious praises, but the awkward silence may be a reflection of the absence of feeling and knowing what should be the object of our joy.. Silence does not witness or convey elation of our spiritual reality, the health of which is uncertain.To me this is a deeply moving book. I thank John Piper for his scholarship and diligence in bringing us examples of saints from the past - so that their life is made accessible to us - and more importantly, in teaching us how to appreciate them. Very rarely does Piper simply write a biography of someone; rather he always has a focus for his endeavour, which makes his biography purposeful to read (and to write, I suspect!). The way how he approaches biography does not stop at a collation of facts.of the subject but to piece together or postulate the purpose of the subject that might underpin the observations in subject's life.The three examples he has chosen to illustrate the thesis of the book are great choices. They are brief and of course fall short of a full biography on each of them. But from the angle Piper has chosen to focus on, there is an in-depth assessment. It is almost like he is leading us on the way to appreciate their poetic effort, their life work. Having finished the journey with Piper, you feel not only what these example had done in their life but that you know them as persons. This effect perhaps stems from the fact that what Piper is focusing on analysing each of them is their poetic effort which comes from their heart and soul - what lies in the core of their being and endeavour in life.Piper concludes the book with the benediction: may he [the Lord Jesus himself] grant us a humble, Christ-exalting poetic habit of speaking of his wonders - from the simplest in his world to the greatest in his Word - in words of seasonable joyousness, honey sweetness, golden fitness, and gracious saltiness. May he do it so that we ourselves might first taste, then tell. (p.147) Although I totally agree and buy in first as something core to our Christian walk and second as an effort to help others see and taste Christ as well, I wonder how many will heed and make an effort at it.

Love it

This arrived very quickly and was appreciated