By R. Albert Mohler Jr.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., is President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
Leland Ryken and Todd Wilson have edited a worthy volume in honor of R. Kent Hughes, long-time pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, titled Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching (Crossway). As Kent Hughes often explained, “what you believe about the Bible determines everything.” The contributors to this volume point to the authentic preaching of the word of God as the very foundation of ministry. Contributors include J.I. Packer, John MacArthur, D.A. Carson and a host of others. Preachers may also want to note the release of Preaching the Cross (Crossway), bringing together addresses from the 2006 “Together for the Gospel” Conference with chapters by Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and myself.
Those looking for help in understanding the contemporary “Battle of the Mind” will find assistance in David S. Dockery’s Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society Through Christian Education (Broadman & Holman). Dockery defends his thesis that “Christian colleges and universities represent the academic division of the kingdom enterprise.” In other words, Dockery ties Christian scholarship to the Christian church and calls for a recovery of true Christian scholarship in the coming generation.
These are but a sample of the hundreds of titles released over the last year by evangelical publishers and authors. The sheer volume of scholarship now being produced on behalf of the church underlines the fact that the preacher is without excuse when it comes to the availability of resources for the preparation and delivery of sermons and growth in the comprehensive task of Christian ministry. Preachers should also be reminded of the fact that, in terms of a historical perspective, books never have been as inexpensive and accessible as they are now. The preacher’s commitment to personal growth and serious study is, at least in part, indicated by the amount of time, budget, and attention devoted to the reading of those books that will be of greatest assistance to the minister’s growth and faithfulness.