Leitourgia

Paul Scott Wilson's celebrated preaching text, The Four Pages of the Sermon  (Abingdon, 2018) is now available in a revised and updated edition, with additions that reflect advancements in homiletical scholarship and cultural dynamics. First published in 1999, Wilson challenged the New Homiletic movement to emphasize God's gracious activity within the text and to let it saturate the entirety of the sermon—not to use the Gospel as a tantalizing treat at the end of a well-crafted plot. Today, this text stands as one of the most respected and accessible works for preachers at all stages in their ministry. Wilson argues that there are four main moves, or "pages," in a sermon: the problem in the text, the problem in the world, the grace in the text, and the grace in the world. Like Eugene Lowry's "homiletical plot," Wilson's sermon upsets the listener by exposing a human need and then moves toward resolution through the power of the Gospel. These page...

The Bible was meant to be read, interpreted, and applied in community. This community of faith does not simply exist with the present church but with saints throughout the ages who have a shared experience with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the insights of believers past can become lost in the dusty books of academia, inaccessible to armchair readers. Thus, the NKJV Ancient-Modern Bible  (Thomas Nelson, 2018) was written to fill this gap. It is a unique study Bible—but its study notes are writings and sermons gleamed from the greatest theologians of the Church. The commentary covers theologians from all sides of the spectrum, from John Calvin to Billy Graham, from John Chrysostom to N.T. Wright. This is a spectacular resource, for readers are able to read the Bible alongside some of the Church's most profound thinkers. It would be especially helpful for preachers or students attempting to find insights on a tricky passage. The design of this Bible is flawless; it is simple and e...

What do the laws of Leviticus have to do with Jesus? The ESV Story of Redemption Bible  (Crossway, 2018) is the first of its kind—a narrative Bible. With a running commentary that is designed to imitate a conversation, this Bible attempts to tell the entire Story of God without cumbersome footnotes or sidebars. Instead, a brief note from Greg Gilbert occurs throughout the text to provide a "rest stop" to explain how the passage fits into the larger narrative of Scripture. Standing between devotional and critical commentaries, this Bible helps those who are meditating on Scripture to find its place in a greater, especially in parts of the Bible in which it may be difficult to identify where the Story is going. The notes are not distracting and carefully placed within the text. They are short yet insightful. Moreover, critical readers will be pleased with an assortment of illustrations, maps, and timelines. In particular, the Bible features a large fold-out timeline giving ...