Just as there are important hermeneutical issues to consider in preaching Old Testament narrative literature, the same many be said for preaching from Old Testament poetry. For approaching such passages preachers will find value in the new book Preaching the Psalms (Abingdon Press) by J. Clinton McCann, Jr., and James C. Howell. Quoting Walter Brueggemann's injunction that preachers need to be "poets that preach against a prose world," McCann and Howell proceed to discuss the "Why," "How," and "What" of preaching the Psalms. The book is lively and readable, and reflects the scholarship of a seminary professor (McCann) and the practical concerns of a pastor (Howell).

Part of the "Preaching Classic Texts" series from Chalice Press is Preaching Genesis 12-36 by A. Carter Shelley, a Presbyterian minister and homiletics instructor. Taking twelve key passages from Genesis, she provides biblical background, theological reflections, preaching strategies for each, then a model sermon. One interesting feature is the series of character sketches Shelley provides. Readers show be forewarned that the author writes from a perspective that does not accept the historical accuracy of the Genesis narratives.

Preaching to Every Pew (Fortress Press) by James R. Nieman and Thomas G. Rogers, deals with the growing cultural diversity that impacts the church as well as our society generally. Dealing with issues of ethnicity, class, displacement and religious beliefs, the authors discuss the place of cultural diversity in challenging communication, and they offer practical insights for preachers in dealing with those challenges. Nieman teaches homiletics at Warburg Theological Seminary in Iowa, while Rogers teaches at Pacific Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley, CA.

For those of us who learn best by watching others, there is much to learn from Theology Through Preaching (T&T Clark) by Colin E. Gunton. Gunton is Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College in London, and this book is a collection of thirty sermons -- all preached at the same church over a span of more than a decade -- which provide a broad overview of the essential truths of the Christian faith. Gunton's work demonstrates that theology is done best when it is seeking to engage a congregation in the meaning of the biblical text. For example, the sermon "The Triune God" is one of the finest I have seen in explaining the implications of the Trinity for our life and work as Christians. The sermons here are not fluff; they are meaty but also quite clear, and will provide worthwhile reading and encouragement for pastors and others. The book also contains a fine essay on the theology of preaching by Christoph Schwobel, Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Heidelberg.

In God Sense: Reading the Bible for Preaching, Paul Scott Wilson seeks to provide "preachers and students with responsible ways to recover theological reading of the Bible for homiletics." He does so by reclaiming the ancient approach of speaking about biblical texts in what was called the four senses or meanings of Scripture: literal (a description of a historical event); allegorical (implying a theological doctrine); moral (calling for some life change); and prophetic (implying some truth about the next life). As Wilson notes, "Early and medieval preachers picked up these four senses like four different pairs of eyeglasses, used them to read the Bible, and thereby discovered four different kinds of things to say about a lesson for their sermons." This new volume will offer intriguing insights for preachers who seek to faithfully read and interpret scripture.