E. M. Bounds (1835–1913)

“The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.”(pg. 1) From page one this book is a powerful punch in the spiritual gut. It’s 89 pages of powerful reflection on the Christians most basic and most neglected power, the power of prayer.

Bounds was a civil war era Methodist preacher, from an age when the claim of being ‘Methodist’ wouldn’t make you blush. His writing is less than elegant, unsophisticated to the core, and straight to the point. This is not a show more feel good book. If you curled up with a cup of coffee, wrapped in a blanket on a cold winter day with this tiny tome you’d end up crying your heart out in the snow…yes, its that good.

This fiery work enflames the soul and humbles the intellect. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m more head than heart. This book has often served to break me and remind me that “Preachers who are great thinkers, great students must be the greatest of prayers, or else they will be the greatest of backsliders, heartless professionals, rationalistic, less than the least of preachers in God’s estimate.” (pg. 25)

The book is mainly directed to pastors, but every believer has much to gain from this book. Bound’s tends to repeat himself near the end, but his repeats only serve as strong reminders.

Favorite quotes: “The man makes the preacher. God must make the man.”

“Preaching is to give life; it may kill.”

“Life-giving preaching costs the preacher much – death to self, crucifixion to the world, the travail of his own soul. Only crucified preaching can give life. Crucified preaching can only come from a crucified man.” show less

"There are preachers innumerable who can deliver masterful sermons..., but the effects are short-lived and do not enter as a factor at all into the regions of the spirit where the fearful war between God and Satan, heaven and hell, is being waged because they are not made powerfully militant and spiritually victorious by prayer." So says E.M. Bounds in this classic book on prayer. Bounds says over and over from every angle, that a pastor may be highly educated, earnest and gifted in show more rhetoric, but if his life and sermons are not saturated in prayer, his preaching will be ineffectual. "Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. The sermon grows because the man grows. The sermon is holy because the man is holy." A sobering, instructive book. show less

This book wasn't what I expected. It would be more aptly titled "why a Christian ought to pray" instead of "how". Bounds shows how prayer is intertwined with many other aspects of life (trials, tribulation, thanksgiving, humility, works of God, missions, sanctification, etc) and how important our prayer life is in all these areas (how they build each other up). However, there is very little practical application or advise. It is still a decent read; interesting and still quite relevant for show more today, even if I don't agree with 100% of his theology. show less

This book stresses the importance of prayer, particularly for preachers. And, basically, that's it. The point is well taken - for all of us, not just those who preach - but in twenty short chapters (the book is only 128 pages long) I could not find any other message. And some of the requirements he suggests for preachers seem not just radical, but pretty much impossible.

A pity, because the other book I read by EM Bounds was encouraging and helpful.