Duane Litfin, president emeritus of Wheaton College, believes that a key truth has been obscured in our day: “The church's mission in the world is bothverbal and nonverbal. The two dimensions play complementary roles, and neither can substitute for the other” (p. 138). In Word Versus Deed, Litfin offers a three-part corrective.

In part 1 of the book, Litfin refutes the claim that the gospel can be preached with deeds instead of words. To make such a claim, he argues, we must either apply the word “gospel” to something devoid of cognitive content or use the verb “preach” in a way that is foreign to Scripture. Litfin recognizes that the church's mission-like all good communication-involves nonverbal elements. What he denies is that the gospel can be adequately communicated apart from verbal witness to Christ.

Part 2 presents a biblical understanding of “gospel-worthy” deeds. Litfin laments the tendency of many contemporary Christians to (1) neglect duties of personal obedience, love for family, and love for fellow believers and (2) emphasize duties to care for “society at large” and for “the natural world” (p. 83), even though Scripture offers more numerous and more specific directives in the first three spheres. He then seeks to carefully outline the social obligations Christians have “beyond the believing community” (p. 101). He devotes a chapter each to living wisely, loving our neighbors, serving as agents of God's cosmos-renewing kingdom, “adorning” the verbal witness of the gospel with our nonverbal witness, and stewarding faithfully God's creation.

Finally, in part 3 Litfin contends against the careless handling of biblical texts in an effort to stress the church's ministry of deeds. After addressing broader interpretive mistakes (e.g., failing to reflect Scripture's nuanced teaching about poverty), Litfin narrows his focus to three specific texts: Jer 29:4-7; Luke 4:16-21; and Matt 25:31-46. In the first two cases, he argues, proponents of social justice ignore key aspects of redemptive-historical context. In the third, they assume that the call to minister to “the least of these my brothers” extends to all who are poor, even though Jesus' phrase refers only to “his disciples, his little ones who believe” (p. 192).

A concluding chapter offers the reader practical advice for discerning how to prioritize “word versus deed” responsibilities. Litfin recommends that we do this concretely rather than abstractly, asking three questions about any person to whom God might call us to minister: (1) What are this person's needs? (2) What are this person's most important needs? (3) What are this person's most urgent needs? He closes the book with an exhortation that is both wise and strong: “while none of us can do everything, all of us can do and are called to do something” (p. 203; emphasis original).

For many reasons, Word Versus Deed deserves a wide readership. While Litfin seems at times to stress ministry of word over that of deed, the book's overall effect is a clear, biblical insistence that both are essential. He is right to insist that God's Word be handled with care, lest we begin to accept uncritically any interpretation that supports our preferred ministry emphasis. Representative of his careful thought is the multifaceted understanding of faithfulness that pervades the book: every believer has a personal part to play in the church's corporate mission to advance God's cosmic work of redemption. Yet Litfin consistently combines careful thought with wise, practical instruction, as his treatment of the five spheres of application and his concluding chapter attest. In short, Word Versus Deed is characterized by the kind of balance that so easily eludes us when dealing with these topics.

Despite these strengths, three features of Litfin's work will leave sympathetic readers wanting further explanation and may leave those who strongly disagree with his main arguments unpersuaded. First, at some points, Litfin overstates his case, as when he remarks that the book of Proverbs “is devoid of references to Israel's unique identity, history, and privileges” (pp. 101-2). Given that the Davidic covenant stands back of the book as a whole (see Prov 1:1; 10:1; 25:1), such a conclusion needs qualification. Litfin's main points could stand even without such occasional overstatements, which do not model the kind of careful interpretation for which he calls. Second, at times Litfin draws conclusions for which he has not provided sufficient evidence. For instance, he concludes that justification is “the central emphasis” (p. 96) of God's promise to bless all nations through Abraham, without discussing the eschatological aspects of this promise presented in Gal 3:14 and Rom 4:17, 24-25. Perhaps his point has merit, but it is asserted rather than argued. Third, Litfin typically interacts with nameless opponents: “some,” “many,” “they.” As a result, readers must charitably assume that Litfin adequately represents the views he critiques. While the book never takes on the feel of a straw-man argument, interaction with specific arguments as formulated by actual proponents would give it more persuasive power.

On the whole, Litfin's book is characterized by balance and clarity of thought, and its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Word Versus Deed will stimulate many readers to more biblical thinking-and more balanced living.

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