'25 SUMMER READING LIST, #3 - "CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD" BY J. GARY MILLAR

I've had the honor of reading several good books on prayer, including "Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church" by John Onwuchekwa. That book recommended "Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Prayer" by J. Gary Millar, which I'm recommending as summer reading.

"Calling on the Name of the Lord" is the first book I've read of the "New Studies in Biblical Theology" series. You may be familiar with the term "Systematic Theology," which is looking at what the Bible says about a certain topic. "Biblical Theology" looks at each book of the Bible in order, and then from there concludes what the whole teaching on the topic is.

Millar's premise is that prayer is first mentioned in Genesis 4:26, which tells us that when Enosh the son of Seth was born, men began to call on the name of the Lord. Thus, praying and calling on the name of prayer were synonymous, and develops that thesis through Scripture, ending with how we can apply this to our lives.
 

BOOK REVIEW - "EXPOSITIONAL PREACHING: HOW WE SPEAK GOD'S WORD TODAY (9MARKS BUILDING HEALTHY CHURCHES) BY DAVID HELM

 

What is Expositional Preaching? What are its advantages or disadvantages to other styles of sermons? How does one construct a good Expositional (or Expository) sermon? By the way, I heard Focus On The Family's former Vice President of Church and Clergy H. B. London state there were four types of sermons: Expository, Topical, Biographical, and Longhorn. What's a Longhorn sermon? Two points with a lot of bull in between.

If you're not familiar with Expositional Preaching, this short book by David Helm is an excellent introduction. A brief definition is a sermon based on the Biblical text. This type is designed to focus more on what God said in Scripture rather than our opinions. 

Helm starts off with some errant forms of contextualism. Then, he deals with three key parts of a expositional sermon: 1) Exegesis (getting into the original languages and determining what Scripture is saying to the original audience), 2) Theological Background (Biblical theology, Systematic theology) and 3) How it applies today. Helm holds that if you're skipping one (or more) of these, your sermon is not accomplishing what it should.

You may have seen me review other books of this series. The series is excellent, and that includes this book. I recommend this book and the rest of 9Marks' Building Healthy Churches.

BOOK REVIEW - BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: HOW THE CHURCH FAITHFULLY TEACHES THE GOSPEL BY NICK ROARK

 

What is Biblical Theology? Some may think it is the opposite of Unbiblical Theology. Actually, though, it is compared with Systematic Theology. Systematic Theology deals with how the Bible as a whole deals with doctrine X. And Biblical Theology? Well, it depends how you view Biblical Theology. 

After reading this book, I've concluded there are two different approaches to Biblical Theology. When I was in Bible College, I took the term to mean small picture, topical Biblical Theology. Instead of asking what the Bible says about the topic, it looks at one book at a time to determine what that book teaches about the subject (e.g. what Nehemiah teaches about prayer). 

In this helpful book, author Nick Roark looks at what I'd term as big picture, thematic Biblical Theology. His approach is not what the Bible teaches about a certain topic, but rather what is the overarching story/message of Scripture, and how each part of the Bible fits into that big picture. That story is of Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. 

Early in the book, Roark deals with some of the various theologies we have today (e.g. the Prosperity Gospel). Then, he takes several chapters going through the story of the Bible and how it is developed through Scripture. Then, he goes back to the theologies and answers them in light of the metanarrative of Scripture. 

I originally checked this out from the library. However, my wife thought it was important enough for us to own a copy of. I highly recommend it.