Theology is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method, & Practice is published by Lexham Press as a part of their Studies in Historical & Systematic Theology series. This volume is edited by Chase Kuhn and Paul Grimmond.
This post may contain affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, we may receive a small commission if you purchase through our links. Thank you for supporting this ministry!
Theology is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method, & Practice
You know a book is going to be excellent when the endorsements are from folks like Bryan Chapell, Carl Trueman, R. Kent Hughes, Christopher Morgan, Nancy Guthrie, Gary Millar, and more. And there’s a reason that those individuals have endorsed this book: because it’s excellent!
This book is all about the relationship between preaching and theology (biblical & systematic, to be exact). As the back cover helpfully summarizes, this book “helps preachers with theology and theologians with preaching”.
The book consists of five parts:
- Part 1: Foundations
- Part 2: Methodology
- Part 3: Theology for Preaching
- Part 4: Preaching for Theology
- Part 5: Theology Preached
I’d like to highlight a chapter or two from each part to give an idea of the substance of this book.
Part 1 of the book contained one of my favorite chapters, which is chapter 4 by Timothy Ward. This chapter deals with the topic of preaching and revelation. I’ve been intrigued with the first chapter of the Second Helvetic Confession that states “the preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.” I think Ward did a fantastic job of explaining what Bullinger meant by that, and what he didn’t mean by that.
In Part 2, Paul House’s chapter on the Bible’s continuing relevance was excellent! I also appreciated Daniel Wu’s chapter on Old Testament challenges and his discussion on Christocentric and Christotelic sermons.
Andrew Leslie’s chapter in Part 3 was about a theology of application, and this was very well thought out and written.
In Part 4, there’s a chapter by Jane Tooher on the corporate task of hearing God’s Word.
Lastly, Part 5 consisted of two chapters. One was by Simon Manchester on listening before speaking, and the other by Philip Jensen on meeting Jesus. The purpose of these chapters is to provide actual sermons that are modeling what the book just discussed.
Conclusion
I found this book to be immensely helpful as a preacher. I hope that many pastors will take time to learn from this excellent work. I also believe that Christians who are not preachers will likewise benefit from this book, as it will help one to be a better student of God’s Word, and a better listener of sermons. I highly recommend it! Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Lexham Press 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.
Leave a Reply