Sound of His Name

by Bernard J. Honeysett

An upbringing centred on a country chapel in Sussex, England, a struggle with 'Hyper-Calvinism', a mid-life call to the Christian ministry, and, in retirement, a garden visited annually by hundreds of strangers - Bernard Honeysett's life has the makings of a story well beyond the ordinary.

Genres: Biography

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Paul]

Fascinating, if sad, reflection on the Gospel Standard Strict Baptist Churches, and Bernard Honeysett's journey from their hyper-calvinism, in the truest meaning of hyper-calvinism, which disagrees with the free offer of the Gospel, and considers assurance of salvation to be presumption, thereby almost making doubt about one's spiritual state to be a mark of spirituality. Hallelujah for the full and free offer of Christ to all men and women everywhere! Hallelujah that we can say "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded etc"
But an interesting autobiography by Bernard Honeysett, whom I remember from Banner of Truth Ministers Conferences. He was a kindly, gracious man. Worth reading, especially by church leaders.

[Steve]

A short biography of a typical strict Baptist pastor who moved away from High Calvinist Gospel Standard principles. A bit pedestrian at times but gives a good insight into small church pastorship.

[Peter Mackenzie]

A lovely journal of one man's Christian life. From bondage in hyper-Calvinism, to true freedom in Jesus Christ.

[Heather]

This book was unusual for being rather mundane. But before that sounds like a criticism, let me say something in favor of the mundane. We are accustomed to reading biographies of Christians who did great things, thought great thoughts, changed the course of history. Of course, this is hardly where we normally find ourselves and that can give us a false impression of what it means to be a Christian. This is a man who was simply a faithful pastor of a small church. He is not a great writer and so it is not a well written book, he was not a great thinker and so it is not a book of profound thoughts, he didn't effect any great changes and so it's not a very exciting book. But such mundane books can teach us something that the exciting books never can. They can teach us about how to live well the normal Christian life.

Having defended the mundane, I confess I didn't feel that this book was particularly helpful even with mundane life. It's largely a personal theological history tied to church history of the times, coming out of a hyper-Calvinism and into the more balanced Calvinism of Martin Lloyd Jones and Charles Spurgeon, two of the greatest influences on his life. To those of us especially who are in those circles there is something to learn from this account of our recent history through the eyes of one who lived through it. But I would have preferred if it had included more on his personal life and walk with God. He also has a strange way of including details which seem to serve no purpose.