Book Reviews

Why? Making Sense of God's Will (Abingdon Press) reflects the way that pastor Adam Hamilton has wrestled with questions of suffering in his own preaching and teaching. He seeks to help readers make sense of God in the face of tragic events, and helps us to better understand God's plan for the world and for our own lives.

Fred Craddock is one of the most influential homileticians of recent years, and is also an exceptional preacher in his own right. The Collected Sermons of Fred B. Craddock (Westminster John Knox) gathers more than 50 of his sermons in one volume, including titles such as "Only One God, but Just in Case," "Does Money Carry Germs?," "Looking Around During the Prayer" and "Throwing Away the Good Stuff."

While 15 percenet of American churches are growing, most of that is transfer growth between churches -- swapping sheep. In fact, only 2 percent of churches in the United States are growing through evangelism. In The Sacrament of Evangelism (Moody), Jerry Root and Stan Guthrie offer insights for abiding more deeply in the presence of Christ in a way that will draw others to Him.

In past generations, one of the things pastors often enjoyed reading were biographies of other pastors and missionaries. The lives of other Christian servants offered a model and inspiration for succeeding generations. Unfortunately, few biographies of pastors are published these days. Fortunately, one that is available draws us into the life of a gentle, brilliant minister named Eugene Peterson.

Christian preachers are naturally drawn to New Testament texts-the life and teachings of Jesus, the Pauline letters and so on. Yet if we are to preach the whole counsel of God, it is vital that we also proclaim God's truth as revealed in the Old Testament.

The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide (IVP Academic) by Gerald McDermott is a useful and readable guide to the key thinkers who helped shape the way the church thinks about Christian theology.

Biblical stories and their application are at the heart of Discovering God in Stories From the Bible (P&R Publishing) by Philip Graham Ryken.

Much of the greatest preaching in America takes place Sunday by Sunday in African-American churches. In his new book I Believe I'll Testify: The Art of African-American Preaching (Westminster John Knox), Cleophus J. LaRue explores those distinctive characteristics that make black preaching such a powerful rhetorical tool into the 21st century.

Gordon Smith believes that the language of conversion often used in churches today -- inherited from the revivalist tradition -- is inadequate for dealing with many of the questions the church faces today. In his book Transforming Conversion (Baker Academic),

In The Invitation: The Not-So-Simple Truth About Following Jesus (Revell), Greg Sidders emphasizes the next step after receiving Christ: following Him in obedience.