The Beauty & Power of Biblical Exposition: Preaching the Literary Artistry & Genres of the Bible is co-written by Douglas Sean O’Donnell and Leland Ryken. This book was published by Crossway (2022).
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The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition: Preaching the Literary Artistry and Genres of the Bible
The concept of this book is really fascinating to me! Dr. Leland Ryken essentially wrote on the topic of each chapter in this book, and then he gave complete freedom to Dr. O’Donnell to be the “voice” of the book. In other words, he would restate Ryken’s words in his own words and also give it a preacher’s perspective.
The book consists of six chapters, all of which are dealing with preaching the following different genres of God’s Word: narrative, parables, epistles, poetry, proverbs, and visionary writings. (Sidenote: this book would be beneficial for any student of the Bible, not only preachers. The authors begin most chapters by explaining how to read each genre prior to discussing how to preach that genre. All students of God’s Word will therefore benefit from this material.) I learned a lot about each particular genre, and I firmly believe that it will help me to better read, study, and preach God’s Word! The occasional diagram is helpful as it helps to illustrate the truths being taught. The practical tips that are offered are sure to be helpful to most, if not all, preachers. The content is likely to help the reader love and appreciate the Word of God even more than they already do! I believe that these were some of the goals of the authors, and I believe that they succeeded in reaching that goal.
I would surely recommend this book to anybody wanting to better understand the various genres of Scripture, and especially those who are blessed to be able to preach the Bible. Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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