Scott Hoezee

Babel Church

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“Li Ma keenly understands the fault lines and pitfalls of American-style Christianity and the besetting sins of too many American churches and media empires. But what makes this book compelling is her deep insight into how this unhappy state of affairs has been exported abroad and where it has shown up as corruptions of churches around the world. Much of what Ma conveys here is sorrowful to consider. But all of it is vital to understand.”

Caring Worship

Preaching & Worship

“‘Wise is the worship leader who . . .’ is the refrain throughout this book and it is most apt. Howard Vanderwell has written a wise book, chock-full of pastoral tenderness. Yes, when we worship, our focus is on God not ourselves. Yet, the God we worship became flesh so he could care for us at eye level. Vanderwell ably moves us toward this caring presence of Christ in worship.”

Losing My Religion

History & Biography

“Mills’ honest journey from disorientation back to hope will inspire all who read this wonderfully rendered memoir.”

Performance in Preaching

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Mention the words ‘preaching’ and ‘performance’ in the same sentence and some in the church get nervous. This helpful volume proves that such nervousness is unwarranted. Yes, preaching must be sincere, free of forced theatrics or any whiff of the pastor’s merely ‘putting on a show.’ But these essays remind us that pastors must bring the Word to life by paying attention to their delivery of that Word as the Holy Spirit uses vocal chords, cadences, rhythms, and the preacher’s entire body to help the Word of God become flesh and blood Sunday after Sunday. Preachers take note: God has called the entirety of your being into the service of proclaiming the Word, and this fine book will challenge you to remember that each and every Sunday!”

Postils for Preaching

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“John Rollefson is one of those (too rare) preachers who never lost his ability to be surprised by God's Word. For John, every text is always fresh and always contains startling ideas you never noticed even on a hundred prior readings. In these reflections, John helps other preachers encounter familiar texts as though for the first time in an effort to make the Sunday sermon a living encounter with a bracingly living Word.”

Preaching God's Grand Drama

Church Leadership & Ministry

“In an effort to be serious about the Bible as the source of doctrinal truths, have we missed the forest for the trees? Have we atomized Scripture into so many disparate ideas that we have missed its central unifying drama? Ahmi Lee thinks so and wants to encourage pastors to preach the Bible as narrating a single dramatic story in which we are all characters as we dwell in Christ. The Bible narrates a cracking good story. And it is our story! Lee helps preachers perform this grand narrative in ways that will transform everyday lives in the light of God’s ongoing dramatic actions in the world.”

Setting Words On Fire

Preaching & Worship

“Many people outside the church take a dim view of preaching precisely because they regard it as an overly directive, overly confident . . . even chastising form of speech. Ironically, some of us inside the church know what Paul Scott Wilson knows . . . in recent years, preaching has often stopped well short of such bold speech. In this inspiring volume, Wilson invites preachers back to the sermon's first, best purpose: to proclaim the glorious reality of God's new world in Christ. Wilson mines the riches of the past to inspire preachers in this present time to engage proclamation in its many forms so that all preachers may become eager and exuberant proclaimers of the best news the world has ever heard.”

Testament of Virtue

Christian Living

“John Timmerman has written a book that is by turns lyric narrative description and incisive insight into the virtues that are every believer’s aspiration by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Grace, mercy, meekness, and various spiritual fruit receive fresh treatment while also being rooted deep in Christian tradition and the profound insights of other thinkers and writers along the ages. This is a wonderful treatment of some of the most vital aspects of discipleship.”

The Gospel of John

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Pastors know there are certain 'must-have' commentaries that help to make preaching vibrant, practical, and above all deeply biblical. Dale Bruner's Matthew commentaries have long been at the top of that 'must-have' list, and now, by God's grace, the list expands to include his masterful work on the Gospel of John. Bruner's lifetime of prayer, teaching, meditation, and study, distilled in these pages, will feed many lifetimes' worth of preaching in the church. What a gift!”