2009 Preaching Survey of the Year's Best Books for Preachers

Theological Studies

At the very top of the list in terms of recent theological studies, we should note the release of New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ by Thomas R. Schreiner (Baker Academic). This massive theology of the New Testament is one of the most significant volumes in biblical theology to be released in many years. Schreiner's work belongs on every preacher's bookshelf and will serve to redefine and redirect New Testament theology for years to come. Schreiner's keen theological understanding and exegetical eye are combined in this volume. Schreiner will help the preacher to understand the central message of the New Testament which, as he explains, looks first to God's purpose to bring honor to Himself and, second, to God's purpose to redeem us in Christ. As Schreiner notes, the New Testament "is radically God-centered."

Similarly, preachers will celebrate the release of An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach by Bruce K. Waltke (Zondervan). Waltke, who has served for many years as a scholar of the Old Testament and a teacher of preachers, distills a lifetime of theological reflection and exegesis into this 1,000-page repository of learning. As Waltke explains, an Old Testament theology must represent "a critical reflection upon God's revelation of His character and purpose." Thus, any adequate Old Testament theology "reflects upon the content of the books of the Old Testament and upon the whole." Given the massive scope of the Old Testament, an Old Testament theology such as this volume contributed by Waltke is of tremendous assistance to the preacher who would help the congregation to understand the Old Testament, both as a whole and in its parts.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr., President Emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has written a theology of both testaments in The Promise-Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (Zondervan). Kaiser, who has taught a generation of preachers, laments the fact that in our contemporary maelstrom, "we have frequently suffered for the loss of a universal framework of meaning for many of the great literary works, including the Bible." Preachers will find Kaiser's volume both stimulating and helpful.

Other worthy works in the field of theological studies include David F. Wells' The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World (Eerdmans). Wells, one of the most insightful analysts of contemporary Christianity, sees doctrine shrinking and the church disappearing. He suggests that it is time that evangelicals remember what it means to be Protestant. As Wells explains, "Traditional Christian faith holds to the outside God who stands over against us. He is known not because we have discovered Him, but because He has made Himself known in Scripture and in Christ. We are not left to piece together our understanding of Him. He has unveiled and defined Himself for us. He has broken His concealment. He has come into view and has told us who He is and how we are to live."