Clifford Warne was arguably the best communicator the diocese of Sydney ever produced. Prior to his death in 2003 he was an acknowledged master in the black arts of effective illustration, story-telling and reading the Bible aloud " skills which often elude even the most experienced ministry workers. But most of his books on the topic became unavailable in recent years. Until now"
Audio Advice has digitally remastered and released the CD versions of Clifford's best work, and is now making them freely available to the public in MP3 format. These audio versions are probably even better than the books because you can now hear the techniques Clifford previously only wrote about.
The first title to be released, "The Art of Reading Aloud', should be required listening for anyone who has to make that nervous walk up the church aisle to the lectern. Forget "required' though, there should be little problem convincing people to listen once they've heard the first chapter. Clifford's explanation of the role good Bible readings play, and tips on how to improve personal performance are not only compelling, they are also highly entertaining and easy to remember. To be honest, it hardly feels like learning at all.
Clifford Warne believes the Bible readings in a service can be as significant to the pew sitter as the sermon. His position is informed by a theology that sees scripture as something given by God to the common believer, and accessible to him or her because of the work of the Holy Spirit. The goal for the Bible reader, then, is to introduce and read the passage in a clear and intelligent way, so that the listener can easily understand its meaning. It is then the speaker's job to apply that timeless meaning to the listener's present context. Sadly, though, the sloppy and unprepared nature of many public readings these days leaves the poor preacher with having to accomplish both tasks in increasingly limited time.
Those who heard Clifford Warne speak during his lifetime will be happy to know that "The Art of Reading Aloud' and other titles soon to be released contain the best material from his international lecture series. The new format ensures his wisdom can now be enjoyed by a wider audience in a variety of new contexts " I've already learnt a lot about effective illustrations while going for a jog.
Hopefully a resource like "The Art of Reading Aloud' will not only raise the standard of public reading, it will breath new life into services as well. What might once have been the point you shuffled through your handbag or stared at the back of the seat in front of you, could now become moments where well read words help you breath the very air of heaven.
Clifford Warne's "The Art of Reading Aloud' is available for free download from the resource section of your.sydneyanlgicans.net. Two more titles, "A Storyteller's Secrets' and "Hold That Audience' will be released in the coming weeks.
