Book Reviews

This week I presented a lecture on the legacy and influence of the King James Bible (in conjunction with this year's 400th anniversary of its publication). One of the books that provided a wealth of information and insight is Bible: The Story of the King James Version (Oxford University Press) by Gordon Campbell.

It's not a new book, but I recently came across a copy of Incandescence: Light Shed Through the Word (Eerdmans) by Ben Witherington III and wanted to share it with you. Most of us know Witherington as a gifted New Testament scholar and theological writer; but before the academic life...

As pastors, speaking with integrity can put you in awkward and challenging situations. In his new book The Truth Shall Make You Odd (Brazos Press), Frank Honeycutt draws on 25 years of pastoral experience to offer counsel on speaking truth in the difficult times.

J. Sidlow Baxter: A Heart Awake (Baker Books) by E.A. Johnston is the story of one of the past century's most gifted expositors and authors.

Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching (Broadman & Holman) combines a brief biography of Adrian Rogers with a section discussing his approach to preaching. The book is written by Joyce Rogers, his wife, and provides a survey of his life and ministry.

This is the fourth in Westminster John Knox's excellent series of homiletical commentaries focused on the preaching of the gospels. Written by a New Testament professor at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, the commentary offers exegetical insights to each major section of the book, followed by ideas and counsel for preaching of that text.

One thing preachers always should welcome is published collections of sermons, and this collection is a particularly distinguished homiletical treasury. Most of the sermons were preached in July 2009 at St. Pierre's Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, in honor of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth. St. Pierre's is where Calvin preached more than 2,000 of his own sermons between 1536 and his death in 1564.

Joe Thorn's new book Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself (Crossway) is not about preaching but about applying the truths of Scripture to your own life. As he explains, "Preaching to ourselves is the personal act of applying the law and the gospel to our own lives with the aim of experiencing the transforming grace of God leading to ongoing faith, repentance and greater godliness."

Helping Johnny Listen (Wipf & Stock, 2010) by Thadeus L. Bergmeier is subtitled Taking Full Advantage of the Sermons We Hear. Bergmeier, a pastor, wants to provide a tool to help the average church member better hear, understand and apply the biblical insights he or she receives during church's preaching.

In Finding God's Will (Regal), Gregg Matte uses the life of Moses to argue that doing God's will is the key to finding God's will for our lives.