I've done quite a bit of summer reading this year. A few of the books of interest are:
1.
Preaching with Variety by Jeffrey D. Arthurs. Arthurs is associate professor of preaching at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. Arthurs rightly insists that preaching must be genre sensitive. In other words, the preacher tailors the structure of the sermon according to genre. You don't preach narrative the same way you preach Psalms, etc. This is a needed corrective to attempting to place the same structure on every sermon no matter from which genre it comes. The book has quite a number of practical helps, although he is weakest in his helps on the Psalms. The preacher must allow the text to speak for itself instead of placing it into his own predetermined package. This book will help the preacher do that.
2.
Doctrine that Dances by Robert Smith. Smith is professor of preaching at Beeson Seminary in Birmingham. This is an excellent book, although it doesn't so much teach you how to preach doctrinal sermons as it does inspire you to do so. Smith's two metaphors of the preacher as exegetical escort and doxological dancer are his primary contributions. As exegetical escort, the preacher is to embrace the text in order to usher the hearer into the presence of God for the purpose of transformation. As doxological dancer, the preacher communicates doctrinal messages with accuracy and ardor so that the exuberant hearer exalts in the exalting of God. In other words, the preacher leads people to worship. Amen! Every preacher will read this book with profit.
3.
The One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven by Mark Cahill. This book has been out for a while and several of my church members have read it. I finally got around to it this summer and was motivated to be even bolder in sharing my faith as a result (which by the way should be the purpose of any book written on evangelism). Of course, the one thing you can't do in heaven is tell people about Jesus. There are many practical helps in this book which will better equip any believer. You probably won't witness like Mark, but that's not the purpose of the book anyway. He just wants you to witness with your own personality--but this book will help you do it. He gives many personal accounts of his own witnessing experiences. As I read them, I often remembered similar ones. Chapter 9 was the most helpful to me: "Four Deadly Questions." They are: What do mean by that? How do you know this to be true? Where did you get that information? What if you are wrong?
4.
Essential Church by Thom and Sam Rainer. The Rainers have written another book based on their extensive research. This time the issue is what to do with 18-22 year olds who leave the church or never have anything to do with the church. For young people to stay they must believe their church is essential to them. Some of the best points I read are: We must find places for young people to serve; the church must become the "Third Place," for them; and young people are drawn to churches that have a clear purpose and are fullfilling it. There is alot of information in this book and much to digest. By the way, if you haven't read
Simple Church, don't bother. Read this one and you'll get it in
Reader's Digest form plus all the other good stuff that have in
Essential Church. 5.
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg. This is the second edition of his earlier work. It has thoroughly updated notes and bibliography. There are contemporary insights and information found in this book. It is a must read for pastors, students, and teachers. If you have read the first one, go ahead and go through this one. The update is worth the time. Blomberg's arguments are well worth the effort.
