April 2007 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. Do you think poetry should have any place in the minister's reading? If you do not read poetry, you may think of it at worst as frivolous or at best as a luxury in which you cannot afford to indulge yourself. In this issue of OS I hope to convince you that the reading of good poetry is a great benefit to our ministries as ministers of the word, elders of the people, and ministers of mercy. Ah, you noticed that this introduction was the same as that for March only now I'm talking about poetry instead of fiction. We will cover a similar subject, but from a slightly different angle, tapping into our Presbyterian tradition of harnessing the best features of a literary interest in the service of the Lamb.

In this issue my editorial will focus on the place of poetry in the development of our oral skills as preachers. Pastor Roger Wagner reflects on the usefulness of poetry for the preacher in his piece: "The Preacher and the Poets: Some Thoughts."

We also have a surprise new feature—actually it is a very old feature revived—Eutychus II redivivus, a humorous reflection with a point. The pseudonym for the author of "From the Back Pew," Eutychus II, is chosen in memory of Eutychus I, Ed Clowney's pen name in the initial issues of Christianity Today (1956-1960). As Clowney explained in his later anthology, Eutychus (and His Pin): "Eutychus was summoned to his post as a symbol of Christians nodding, if not on the window-sill, at least in the back pew." Like his namesake, Eutychus II aims at "deflating ecclesiastical pretense, sham and present-day religiosity." This nom de plume will remain a cover for this ecclesiastical sleuth—to maintain his anonymity, and thus his freedom to poke fun. Anyone who outs him will face congressional scrutiny.

Among the expanded features of this year's Ordained Servant will be many more book reviews, so that officers can stay abreast of books important to their task of serving the Lord's church. Due to the number that I intend to publish, they will not always be coordinated with the theme of each issue. Please note the newly posted "Submissions, Style Guide, and Citations" on the bottom of the page. Please note that the English Standard Version (ESV) is now the default translation for OS. Also worth noting is the Subscription information for those wondering what happened to the printed edition.

Blessings in the service of the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high quality editorials, articles, and book reviews we will endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic Presbyterianism.