The Bible teaches that the church is called to a balanced ministry of both preaching the gospel in words and showing it in deeds, and yet the church has often found that balance difficult to find and keep. Some today emphasize deeds at the expense of words; others hold fast to talking and forsake the doing. Duane Litfin argues that this is an imbalance needing to be righted in both directions.

His central distinction is that words and deeds do different things: deeds can commend the gospel and adorn it, but only words can convey its content, because the gospel is news. Litfin was president of Wheaton College and writes with the whole debate in view, including the slogans on each side. A clarifying short book for anyone weighing mercy ministry against proclamation.