The Year’s Best: Our Annual Survey of the Past Year’s Best Books for Preachers

Douglas A. Sweeney, professor of Church History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, offers a truly helpful introduction to Edwards in Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word (InterVarsity Press). Sweeney begins with the acknowledgement that it is impossible to duplicate the ministry of Jonathan Edwards. He does not attempt to make "Edwards clones" of his students. Nevertheless, he writes: "I must admit, however, that I am so compelled by Edwards' devotion to the reality of the divine, the divinity of the Bible and the Bible's importance for life, that I found myself attempting to make it contagious. So many of my students, moreover, have caught the Edwards bug that they feel guilty, all too often, for failing to minister as he did."

The ministry of John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis continues to influence scores of ministers around the world. The past year saw the release of at least four volumes from the ministry of John Piper and Desiring God. These include Finally Alive (Christian Focus Publications), Piper's exposition of the meaning of the new birth. In Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ (Crossway), Piper continues his now legendary series of biographical studies as he considers the lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson and John Paton. This volume represents the fifth book in Piper's series The Swans Are Not Silent, in which he considers the contemporary and lasting legacy of some of the most faithful Christian pastors, preachers, missionaries and leaders of past generations.

In This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence (Crossway), Piper offers an anecdote to the many books on marriage that center on nothing more than romance and the emotional dimension of the marital bond. This Momentary Marriage is richly biblical, deeply theological and moving. The Power of Words and the Wonder of God (Crossway), edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor, is another in the series of volumes produced by Piper's annual Desiring God conference. Preachers will find this volume of particular interest as it deals with the power and meaning of words, especially in the context of the church and Christian ministry. Contributors range from Sinclair B. Ferguson to Bob Kauflin.

Bruce Gordon of Yale Divinity School has produced an important biography, Calvin (Yale University Press). Given the importance of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, this volume will interest many preachers and is noteworthy for his attention to John Calvin the man, with all his human passions, as well as his theological convictions. Bryan Chappell's Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape our Practice (Baker Academic) an important book about worship that should be read by every preacher.

Other important books of the year include Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell D. Moore (Crossway), dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary. Moore offers the most theologically comprehensive understanding of adoption in terms of its place in the gospel and the glory of God demonstrated in the rescue of orphans. The book is compelling, deeply moving and genuinely important.