Book Reviews

Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Cowley Publications) is one of the more unusual preaching books of recent years. A collection of sermons inspired in some way by the lyrics of the musical group U2, it is really a reflection of the relationship between faith and popular culture in...

In Breakout Churches (Zondervan), Thom S. Rainer and his research team examined more than 50,000 churches in the U.S. to identify those characteristics that help a church "breakout" and make the leap from good to great. The project was inspired by the best-selling business book Good to...

Some of America's best-known preachers have spoken from the pulpit of Duke Chapel over the past seventy years. Now in Sermons From Duke Chapel (Duke Univ. Press), William H. Willimon - who recently left Duke to become a United Methodist bishop in Birmingham - has assembled a ...

One of the major issues in the business and political worlds today is the subject of ethics. In an age where Enron and WorldCom have become synonyms for dishonesty and greed, there is an increasing awareness that we must expect more from our leaders. And nowhere is that more...

The Seeds Of Heaven: Sermons On The Gospel Of Matthew (Westminster-John Knox Press) by Barbara Brown Taylor is a new edition of a collection originally published in 1990. The sermons were originally broadcast as the Episcopal Series of the Protestant Hour radio program. The...

Shaped By God's Heart: The Passion And Practices Of Missional Churches (Josey-Bass) by Milfred Minatrea offers a portrait of what it means to be a "missional church" in today's culture, and points to a wealth of models to be found in churches across America. Church leaders will find this...

In the words of the author, "This book is an effort to explain the best of homiletics from the perspective of the Black church."Harris, who teaches preaching at the School of Theology of Virginia Union University in Richmond, offers an interesting discussion of preaching in the African-American church, and ...

Finally, preachers are always on the lookout for good illustrations. Recently Baker Books has combined three previous titles (produced in conjunction with Leadership Journal) to produce 1001 Quotes, Illustrations & Humorous Stories. Edited by Ed Rowell, it's a nice collection with mostly ...

Films provide a lens through which we can often better perceive the attitudes and values which pervade our culture. In his book Catching Light: Looking For God In The Movies (Eerdmans), Roy M. Anker deals with 19 movies - from "Star Wars" to "The Godfather" - and shows how they reflect and express...

The Way Back Home (Broadman & Holman) by Jerry Sutton is a brief treatment of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Pointing out that we serve a God of second chances, the book is filled with helpful insights and...