Theology is For Preaching
Should preaching have priority in our Sunday gatherings? In Theology is for Preaching, Chase R. Kuhn & Paul Grimmond present a selection of essays on the biblical foundations, method, & practice of theological preaching.
The book is split into five parts: (1) Foundations, (2) Methodology, (3) Theology for Preaching, (4) Preaching for Theology, and (5) Theology Preached. 21 chapters are fit tightly into less than 350 pages. They read quickly and combine to be a robust work of academic study.
Calling and Ministry
In Chapter 5, Christopher Ash answers the question: How can we determine who ought to be a preacher? He shares four foundations: (1) Preaching is supremely the work of the pastor, (2) The triune God appoints pastors, (3) Scripture teaches the qualifications of pastors, and (4) The Church recognizes the appointment of God by the ordination or commissioning of pastors. Surprisingly, he concludes that pastors must remember the grace of God in their calling and ministry.
Most enjoyable to me was Daniel Y. Wu’s essay on Old Testament Challenges: Christocentric or Christotelic Sermons? Not only did I learn about the terms Christocentric and Christotelic, but I was convinced that both are simultaneously and mutually necessary. I hope to learn more and further think through these issues better.
Hear God’s Word
Graham Beynon takes Chapter 12 to speak on The Preacher as Person: Personality and Relationships in the Pulpit. It is a humbling thought to think that God uses clay vessels to hold and proclaim his Gospel. And I saw how important it was for the Word to sink deep into the heart of the preacher.
Towards the end of the book, Jane Tooher writes an excellent chapter on The People Who Listen: The Corporate Task of Hearing God’s Word. I was reminded that I am called to be a listener before I am called to be a preacher, and she gives practical tips on how we can help one another hear God’s Word with a soft heart.
Primacy and Importance
This book is an excellent entry in Lexham Press’ Studies in Historical Systematic Theology. I found each article interesting and compelling. While preachers and preaching itself might go in and out of fashion in modern Evangelicalism, this book brings it back to a place of primacy and importance.
Three overarching, major truths stood out to me throughout the book. First, preaching is of utmost importance. Next, preaching is to show the glory of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Finally, the power is not in the preacher -- but in God himself.
I received a media copy of Theology is For Preaching (Amazon) and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.