What would it have been like to sit in Spurgeon's classes?

I hope this book gives a sense of what a student would hear Spurgeon say about preaching if Spurgeon were to speak with them in the hall, from the pulpit, or on a walk down the streets of London.

Thus, the purpose of this book is to enable preachers to "apprentice" with Spurgeon for a season in order to learn from him about preaching. It is hoped that such an internship will prove valuable for contributing to preachers as they mine resources for gospel relevance and power in the twenty-first century.

But how could Spurgeon help the twenty-first century preacher?

The preacher today in the West will recognize some profound similarities with Spurgeon and his times. It is true that postmodernism and Enlightenment Rationalism are very different philosophies. But their results are similar in that they promote wide spread scepticism and doubt regarding the authority of the Bible. The debates about the use of art and sermon length at the turn of the twenty-first century are no different in substance than those found in England at the turn of the twentieth. The effect of attention span and the need for story to accompany logic are not new topics of discussion for preachers. In addition, pressures that reduce time for sermon preparation and engender the temptation for shallow or borrowed sermons are nothing essentially new.

A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two--Enlightenment to the Present Day explores the history and development of preaching through a biographical and theological examination of its most important preachers. Instead of teaching the history of preaching from the perspective of movements and eras, each contributor tells the story of a particular preacher in history, allowing these preachers from the past to come alive and instruct us through their lives, theologies, and methods of preaching.

Each chapter introduces readers to a key figure in the history of preaching, followed by an analysis of the theological views that shaped their preaching, their methodology of sermon preparation and delivery, and an appraisal of the significant contributions they have made to the history of preaching. This diverse collection of familiar and lesser-known individuals provides a detailed and fascinating look at what it has meant to communicate the gospel over the past two thousand years. By looking at how the gospel has been communicated over time and across different cultures, pastors, scholars, and homiletics students can enrich their own understanding and practice of preaching for application today.

Volume Two covers the period from the Enlightenment to the present day and profiles thirty-one preachers including:

Charles Simeon by Darrell Young

Robert Murray M'Cheyne by Jordan Mark Stone

Alexander Maclaren by R. Scott Pace

Catherine Booth by Roger J. Green

Charles Haddon Spurgeon by Thomas J. Nettles

Rodney "Gipsy" Smith by Bill Curtis

George Liele by Terriel Byrd

Charles Finney by Robert W. Caldwell III

John Jasper by Alfonza W. Fulwood and Robert Smith Jr.

Henry Ward Beecher by Michael Duduit

John Albert Broadus by Hershael W. York

Phillips Brooks by Charles W. Fuller

D. L. Moody by Gregg L. Quiggle

B. H. Carroll by Robert Matz and Jerry Sutton

Billy Sunday by Kristopher K. Barnett

Karl Barth by William H. Willimon

Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Keith W. Clements

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Carl Trueman

John Stott by Greg R. Scharf

Harry Emerson Fosdick by Dwayne Milioni

R. G. Lee by Charles A. Fowler

Aimee Semple McPherson by Aaron Friesen

W. A. Criswell by David L. Allen

Gardner C. Taylor by Alfonza W. Fulwood and Robert Smith Jr.

Billy Graham by John N. Akers

Martin Luther King Jr. by Alfonza W. Fulwood, Dennis R. McDonald, and Anil Sook Deo

Adrian Rogers by Daniel L. Akin and Bill Curtis

E. V. Hill by Dante D. Wright I

Jerry Falwell by Edward E. Hindson

J. I. Packer by Leland Ryken and Benjamin Hernández

Volume One, available separately, covers the period from the apostles to the Puritans and profiles thirty preachers including Paul, Origen of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo, Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and more.

Bookwi.se's Favorite Books of the Year, Non-Fiction

What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example:

When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty--that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair and gold jewelry.

Some readers might assume that Moses married "below himself" because his wife was a dark-skinned Cushite. Actually, Hebrews were the slave race, not the Cushites, who were highly respected. Aaron and Miriam probably thought Moses was being presumptuous by marrying "above himself."

Western individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family.

Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Getting beyond our own cultural assumptions is increasingly important for being Christians in our interconnected and globalized world. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ.

Hundreds of heartfelt, perceptive comments by men and women from all walks of life fill the pages of this inspirational book. Included are memorable quotes from historic and contemporary writers, philosophers, entertainers, business people, politicians, and spiritual leaders. Words from Abraham Lincoln, Ray Charles, Sal Bando, many others. Brief contributor biographies provided.

Reflections from a pastor and teacher on preaching as a dynamic event

Christian preaching obviously entails the sermon, but in reality it involves much more. Preaching happens when the entire assembly, the worshiping congregation, gathers to speak and sing, pray and listen, eat and drink, bless and baptize. Preaching at root is a dynamic event that is best captured not in adjectives but in adverbs.

In Preaching Adverbially Russell Mitman shows how eleven select adverbs--biblically, contextually, invitationally, doxologically, and others--serve to identify what essentially happens in Christian preaching. Each chapter draws on scriptural paradigms, liturgical and musical forms, the insights of scholars and teachers, and the author's own rich experience. Mitman's purpose is for these adverbs to become practical, revitalizing guides for all who are called to proclaim the Word of God within the framework of Christian worship.