PreachingToday.com Book of the Year That Speaks to the Soul of the Preacher

Doctrine That Dances:
Bringing Doctrinal Preaching
and Teaching to Life
By Robert Smith Jr.
B&H Academic

Robert Smith Jr.—one of the finest preachers in America—is not as widely known as he should be, but like his preaching, his book is a feast of words. That's good because others have been known to turn his important subject—the preaching of doctrine—into a plateful of hay. Not Smith: "Like yeast," he writes, "which loses itself in dough and yet causes the dough to graduate from flatness to a fully rounded dinner roll, doctrine causes preaching to rise in fullness of authority and accent."

Smith's book hinges on two metaphors. The first metaphor is of the preacher as escort. The preacher's job is to draw out of the biblical text its intended message, apply it relevantly, and thereby to escort the hearers into the presence of God where they can be transformed. The second metaphor is of the ...