The Listener's Bible. Max McLean, narrator. Morristown, N.J.: The Listener's Bible Company, 2002). [Note: this may also be found as The Listener's Bible, Max McLean, narrator (Morristown, N.J.: The Fellowship for the Performing Arts, 2001).]

God instructs the church in 1 Timothy 4:13, "Give attention to the public reading of scripture." Sadly, however, many evangelical churches—including those renowned for defending the inerrancy of Scripture—ignore this command about publicly reading the Scripture. Contrast this with most mainline denominational churches, including many who deny the inerrancy of God's Word. In following the Lectionary as a guide in public worship, not only do they "Give attention to the public reading of scripture," they read it four times. Every Sunday morning they will read from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles. Shame on those churches who claim a high view of Scripture, and then make room for almost anything in a worship service except the reading of the Bible in obedience to 1 Timothy 4:13.

One of the possible factors contributing to the decline of public Scripture reading is the fact that when the Bible is read in worship, it is read with the same enthusiasm as reading the phone book aloud. In other words, the way in which the Bible is read often conveys the impression that neither reading the Scripture publicly nor listening to it is very important. One of the benefits of hearing Max McLean read the Bible is the recovery of the vision of how meaningful and worshipful public Scripture reading can be. McLean reads the Bible like it is the Word of God. When he reads it, you want to listen to it.

Max McLean's path to his life work started at the University of Texas where he enrolled in an oral interpretation course in order to overcome his fear of public speaking. Not long after college he attended a Bible study and through that influence became a follower of Jesus. He pursued an acting career, and although he performed for several years at such noteworthy venues as the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh, the Riverside Shakespeare Festival in New York, and Olympia Dukakis' Whole Theater Company, Max found acting to be unfulfilling. According to his website, "He realized that an actor is nothing more than a hired hand whose job is to communicate other people's ideas regardless of his own feelings about them. Aware of the fact that 'you can not serve two masters,' he made the decision to leave the theater."¹ He enrolled in seminary, and while there a faculty member encouraged him to use his dramatic skills in ministry. "At that time," says McLean, "drama in the church was starting to get quite a bit of attention. But it was mostly sketches to illustrate sermons. I wasn't motivated to go in that direction."² Instead, he began to think, "Why not use the skills and techniques developed from acting and the theater, integrate it into what I had learned from preachers and teachers, and apply all of that into word for word dramatic presentations of the Bible?"³

Since then, McLean has been presenting dramatic readings (often in costume) of the Scriptures. In a typical performance, McLean quotes an entire book of the Bible—such as the Gospel of Mark or the Acts—from memory. At this writing his radio program of Scripture reading is heard on more than 600 stations.

McLean has a deep and pleasant voice, but not as arresting as the narrators in some other recordings of the Bible. For sheer vocal power, who can excel James Earl Jones' timbrous bass? But what sets McLean's efforts above all others I have heard is his interpretive skill. McLean doesn't sound as though he is reading anything. Rather he sounds as you might expect the writers of the text to sound if they were speaking instead of writing. For instance, hearing McLean read Acts 2 almost has you believing that you're listening to a recording of Peter preaching (in English, of course) at Pentecost. His ability to pause and add inflection to the words spoken by different characters in a dialogue makes you more aware of the give-and-take of conversation in a passage. His enunciation is crisp without sounding contrived. His manner of precisely articulating with lips and teeth, such as the way he bites off words in the imprecatory psalms, adds to the realism and believability of McLean's work.

After all, McLean has been "practicing" for this presentation of the Bible for more than two decades. Unlike some who are paid to read the Bible in a recording studio simply because they have a remarkable voice and years of wide theatrical experience, Max McLean has been traveling the country since 1983 giving dramatic readings of this same Book. Moreover, unlike some professional readers whose Christian credentials and previous private experience with the Bible are dubious, McLean is an active member of an evangelical church, has been ministering in local churches for most of his adult life, and comes recommended by trusted Christian leaders like Ravi Zacharias and R. C. Sproul who have a long-standing personal knowledge of him as a follower of Christ. As opposed to some who might rehearse for a one-time reading of the Bible, McLean says: "I try to devote quality time in the Bible daily . . . in personal study to understand the Bible better and allow the Holy Spirit to evaluate my life." His theology of Scripture is summarized in the statement, "If you want to know the mind of God you must go to the Bible." And his ministry purpose is this: "Our mission is to serve the church by presenting compelling and culturally engaging presentations of the Bible that evoke a deeper desire to know and serve God. We want to present the Bible in a way that is engaging and enjoyable so that people will be encouraged to devote more time in the Word of God and, therefore, give the Holy Spirit more opportunity to speak through His Word." My only criticism of The Listener's Bible is a personal preference. The aimless, ethereal sound of a synthesizer serves as a background for McLean's reading. At least one person has commented to me that it enhances the experience. I found it both unnecessary and distracting.

The Listener's Bible comes on sixty-six compact discs and in a vinyl case about the size of the NIV Study Bible. In addition to the entire Bible, the producers of this product also make it available in the following divisions: the Old Testament, the Psalms and Proverbs, and the New Testament. McLean's reading of the NIV is also available on cassette. Listeners who prefer a translation other than the NIV, or who have adopted the English Standard Version, will want to know that Crossway released McLean's reading of the ESV New Testament in November 2003. A sample of McLean's skillful reading of Scripture can be heard on www.listenersbible.com.

I devote one of the days in my Worship Leadership class to the subject of reading the Scripture well in public. At the end of the class, I let the students hear McLean read a psalm, a chapter of a narrative passage, and a chapter from an epistle. Once they hear classroom theory become reality, their view of the power of the public reading of Scripture is never the same. Whether it's just for your own edification or for what McLean can do to transform the public reading of Scripture for yourself and your church, I recommend The Listener's Bible.

Donald S. Whitney
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary