I’m working on a project for one of my grad classes and it’s been taking up quite a bit of my time lately. It’s the project I’ve been the most excited about thus far in my graduate schooling. I suppose that’s because I got to choose the direction of the project. I’m researching the uniqueness of communicating the Gospel in our postmodern culture. Over the past few days, I’ve been immersing myself in some great material for my research. For this project I have read (or will read):
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren
Preaching Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt
The Millenium Matrix by Rex Miller
Preaching by Fred Craddock
Experiential StoryTelling by Mark Miller
Preaching to Postmoderns by Robert Kysar and Joseph Webb
Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones
Preaching to a Postmodern World by Graham Johnston
Simply Christian by N.T. Wright
Ancient Future Faith by Robert Webber
The Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch
The Witness of Preaching by Thomas C. Long
There are a few other books I’m leafing through for this project, but I’ll primarily be drawing from these texts. Any of you read any of these books? Needless to say, I still have quite a bit of reading to do. But I’m loving every second of it.
In addition, the week is shaping up to be a taxing one at church. Two of our members passed away yesterday and both funerals are scheduled for Wednesday. I’ve had the privilege of joining Gary as he’s stood beside these families in their pain. It’s truly a blessing to watch and learn as he ministers so naturally and powerfully. I pray for these families as they grieve. May Wednesday be a day of sweet remembrances.
In the midst of it all, I’m still a husband and father. Tonight as I was tucking Joshua in bed, he looked up at me and said, unsolicited, “I love you, Daddy.” If that weren’t enough, as I was rocking Abby Kate, she lifted her head off my shoulder and gave me the sweetest kiss. Sometimes I don’t understand why I’m so blessed. God is so good. Have a great week.
already & not yet 
I’ve read Orthodoxy and skimmed The Shaping.I’ve had Simply Christian for months but haven’t been able to get into it.Honestly, outside of my graduate study I don’t read a whole lot of the preaching books. I prefer for it to be a more intuitive, Spirit-driven thing. Maybe that hampers my preaching. I don’t know.
I really liked Frost & Hirsch; McLaren not so much. He’s OK. I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. A lot of the preaching books I’ve read have been helpful. But I haven’t read that many.
Bryan Chapel’s Christ Centered Preaching is good.So is Haddon Robinson’s Expository Preaching.John McArthur has a book on Expository Preaching as well. It’s value is his list of 750 books that every preacher needs in his library.I was incredibly disappointed with McLaren’s latest Jesus book.
The Secret Message of Jesus? I have a copy but I haven’t read it yet. Have you read Craddock? I haven’t read it all, but he put narrative preaching on the map in the 60’s and 70’s. His Preaching is supposedly a definitive work. I’ll let you know how it is.
Yup, that’s the one. It was ok but I read it back to back with NT Wright’s The Challenge of Jesus. My rec would be to skip McLaren and read the Wright book.I have read Craddock. Great stuff. Narrative preaching is not my strong suit. I can do it for a portion of a sermon but have a hard time pulling off the whole thing.
Yeah, me too. I’ve only seen / heard one true narrative lesson from start to finish. Pretty compelling, but I’ve never tried it.I have a copy of The Challenge of Jesus, too. Anything Wright puts out is quality.