Reclaiming The Old Testament For Christian Preaching

2011 Preaching Today Magazine Book Award winner! The Old Testament is filled with intriguing characters, stories and themes. But preaching from its remote historical context wrapped in sometimes unfamiliar literary genres and narrative devices can be daunting. Based on the conviction that the Old Testament texts are a vital and dynamic part of the Christian canon and pertinent to Christian practice, this stimulating volume offers guidance for expository preaching and practical suggestions for understanding the message of its diverse literature. The chapters cover narrative, plot, characters, genre and preaching from difficult texts. The book concludes with a vital chapter on preaching Christ from the Old Testament, which offers a theological account of biblical interpretation without unnaturally forcing the texts. The contributors are internationally respected evangelical Old Testament scholars, from a wide range of church traditions and global regions, who are also active in preaching: Daniel I. Block, David G. Firth, Grenville J. R. Kent, Paul J. Kissling, Alison Lo, Tremper Longman III, Ernest C. Lucas, R. W. L. Moberly, Laurence A. Turner, Frederico G. Villanueva, Gordon Wenham, H. G. M. Williamson and Christopher J. H. Wright. Here is a book that will help you use all of the Bible's rich resources in preaching the good news of the global kindgom of God.

A fresh look at the earliest Christian movement reveals what made the new faith so compelling...and what we need to change today to make it so again. Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today? Author and pastor Andy Stanley is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future. He believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. In Irresistible, Andy chronicles what made the early Jesus Movement so compelling, resilient, and irresistible by answering these questions: What did first-century Christians know that we don't—about God's Word, about their lives, about love? What did they do that we're not doing? What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture? What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning? Many people who leave or disparage the faith cite reasons that have less to do with Jesus than with the conduct of his followers. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated—against all human odds—a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen. This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.

Many pastors find it easier to preach on the New Testament than the Old Testament, with its powerful and often shocking narrative, prophetic warnings and calls to holiness. For many preachers seeking to make the Bible relevant, it's far easier--and safer--to stay out of the woods and plow the well-worn fields of the newer canon. Preaching the Old Testament equips pastors to journey into the forest and find a passion and confidence for preaching on the Old Testament. This book helps them keep up on their Hebrew, understand the themes of the Old Testament, and unpack Jesus' foundational text to take their congregations to a deeper understanding of Christ himself.

“This festschrift honors one of the most important Old Testament scholars in the modern Mennonite tradition, and the essays produced by colleagues and former students reflect Janzen's influence and productivity as both a scholar and a teacher.” —Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Loyola Marymount University

Arguing for the need both to preach Christ in every sermon and to preach regularly from the Old Testament, Sidney Greidanus develops a christocentric method that will help preachers do both simultaneously. Greidanus challenges Old Testament scholars to broaden their focus and to understand the Old Testament not only in its own historical context but also in the context of the New Testament. Suggesting specific steps and providing concrete examples, this volume provides a practical guide for preaching Christ from the Old Testament.

Editors Ian Paul and David Wenham present this collection of scholarly reflections on preaching from the New Testament. With an impressive cast of senior and younger scholars, the book covers all the main texts and genres of the New Testament, adding key chapters on the infancy narratives, parables, miracles, archaeology, hermeneutics and more.