Two other books I have read over this holiday period and that can be highly recommended are D Ralph Davis's Stump Kingdom and Sinclair Ferguson's Child in the manger.
I was given the latter as Christmas present last year. The one snag with such gifts is that as you do not get the gift until Christmas Day there is little enthusiasm for plunging into such topics then, although I did leaf through it, of course. Well, this year I have given the little hardback a thorough read and I have really enjoyed it. Someone of the experience of a Sincalr Ferguson should not find it difficult to put together such a book. This is not simply my best 10 sermons, however, but a 10 chapters with some sort of connectivity that provide a fairly thorough examination of the subject - Matthew 1, the shepherds, the wisemen, the Isaiah prophecies and even King Herod, etc. It is very useful for devotional use or to plunder for sermon material and deserves a wide readership.
Ralph Davis's book is not a Christmas book, strictly speaking, nor does it claim to be but as it covers Isaiah 6-12 it includes those crucial prophecies regarding the virgin birth and so on so it was good to be reading it when I was. Davis often spekas about vintage yahweh. This is certainly vintage Davis - thorough scholarship, clear structure, vivid illustrations from American and European history and other sources and genuine pastoral insights, all presented in a colloquial but reverend style that holds interest. If you have read any previous offerings from Dr Davis you will need no further encouragement to get this volume.
No comments:
Post a Comment