Mervyn A. Warren, King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Hardcover, 223 pages. ISBN 0-8308-2658-0

Few preachers have made the kind of impact on their society as did Martin Luther King, Jr. Known to most Americans primarily as a social activist and civil rights leader, it is important to recall that King's own primary identity was as a preacher and pastor.

Warren provides a "homiletical biography" of King in this excellent new book, which features a foreward by Gardner C. Taylor. Though at times it is clear the book grew out of a dissertation and still carries some of that academic style, it is nevertheless well-written and insightful in providing a significant treatment of King's preaching: his themes and content, his use of language, his preparation and delivery of sermons. The book also contains several of King's sermons.

Warren is professor of preaching at Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL.

Bonnie Bowman Thurston, Preaching Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. Paper, 218 pages. ISBN 0-8006-3428-4

The newest contribution to the "Fortress Resources for Preaching" series seeks to examine Mark's gospel from the perspective of the preacher engaged in sermon preparation. The text divisions are drawn from the lectionary passages, and frequent references are made to ideas or approaches for preaching particular textual insights.

Unlike a typical commentary, Thurston deals with material in larger units of thought rather than verse-by verse. She provides helpful bibliographical references scattered through the book, in order to assist the preacher who wants to dig deeper on a particular point. This will be a useful volume for preachers who are preparing to preach from Mark.

Thurston is William F. Orr Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

John H. Armstrong, editor. Reforming Pastoral Ministry. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001. Paper, 286 pages. ISBN 1-58134-179-2

Much of what has been published on preaching in recent years has emphasized ways to adapt the proclamation of the gospel to the changing attitudes and styles of a postmodern generation. In the face of that trend, Armstrong and a series of pastor/authors argue that preaching will only achieve ultimate effectiveness when it is once again centered on Christ.

This is an excellent book filled with insightful essays by a host of pastors who write out of their own Reformed perspective including Kent Hughes (his chapter is included in this issue of Preaching), Mark Dever, and others. In addition to the Hughes chapter, among several fine essays are "From Faith to Faith: What makes preaching so vital for Reformation?" and "The Pastor and Church Growth: How to deal with the modern problem of pragmatism."

Robert C. Dykstra, Discovering a Sermon: Personal Pastoral Preaching. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001. Paper, 154 pages. ISBN 0-8272-0627-5

In his introduction to this brief volume, the author asks, "how does one discern that an image, text or event might 'preach,' and not only might preach but that, like the message of a powerful dream, insists on being preached, must be preached?"

Dykstra seeks to answer that question in the context of pastoral preaching by introducing "a model of sermon preparation that concentrates especially on connecting biblical texts with contemporary life and, foremost, with the preacher's own experiences in life." The model he proposes makes heavy use of developing parables which connect the textual insight to life experience.

The author is associate professor of pastoral theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

A Bright Tomorrow. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001. Hardcover, 175 pages. $12.99. ISBN 1-58134-233-0

Although packaged primarily as a gift book (with its tell-tale padded front cover), this book will also be well-used by preachers looking for appropriate quotes from contemporary Christian leaders. It will prove valuable not only for sermon preparation but for those frequent times when pastors must provide a few comments for some group, or even offer some thoughts for a published newsletter or web site.

Topics run from Christian living to spiritual disciplines to success and service. Quotes are drawn from the Bible and from an array of books (all published by Crossway), representing authors like Tony Evans, Os Guinness, Kent Hughes, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John F. MacArthur, Stephen F. Olford, John Piper, Adrian Rogers, Edith Schaeffer, and many more. Longer illustrations are scattered through the book amidst many shorter quotes and biblical passages.

One of my favorite quotes (and one whose lesson I am still trying to learn) is from F.B. Meyer: "Wait for God! We are too feverish, too hasty, too impatient. It is a great mistake. Everything comes only to those who can wait."