Best of the British! #1
September 25, 2010
As the UK based bit of this blog Liam and I will try and do is give you some of the best things coming out in the UK and the many things you lot over there are inflicting on us. Iain D Campbell lives so far in the north of Scotland it's still 1953, up there they think the Puritan Paperbacks are new authors! He'll be able to tell you soon of the death of Buddy Holly and Billy Graham's forthcoming visit.
Christopher Ash is the director of the Cornhill Training Course, before that he was an Anglican minister. Christopher has written a number of terrific books which are worth reading. Over the next few weeks I'll try and write up a brief note on each and plug them. I promise he's not paying me.
First up - The priority of preaching, published in 09 by CFP and Proclamation Trust
'We live in a culture where everyone has their say, where I can press the interactive buttons and register my view on television, where I can set up a blog and proclaim my views on anything and everything to the world, where the most friendly thing we can say in welcoming newcomers is 'We want to know what you think', but dare I say it - God does not want to know what we think. He wants us to know what he thinks.' p.35
Originally given as talks at the EMA 2008, this book is one of the very best written in the last few years. It's rigorous on the text (three expositions from Deuteronomy, chapters 18,30 and 4) theologically erudite and gives confidence and encouragement to preachers. Particularly helpful is how he draws a distinction between the preached word and other word ministries. The man of God proclaiming the word of God to the people of God is distinct from small groups and personal ministry, valuable though those things are.
It can be read in a couple of hours (it's only 122 pages), it's ideal to give to young men considering ministry, it's a great encouragement to keep plodding away at our preaching. Might be good to read as a staff team and as an eldership.
