BOOKS: RESOURCES FOR GOSPEL INTERPRETATION

The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament
Edmund Clowney
P & R Publishing (July 1991)

Beginning with Adam and Eve and continuing through to the last of the Prophets, Clowney takes a fascinating walk through the Old Testament, revealing Christ in places where He is usually overlooked.

The Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament
Charles D. Drew
P & R Publishing (July 2000)

Drew pursues Christ in the history, wisdom, law, prophecy, and poetry of the Old Testament. This work makes a persuasive case for the continuing relevance of the Old Testament to modern Christians' faith and life.

Tim Keller calls this book an "extremely helpful aid to the pastor who wants to avoid the moralizing of much older preaching and the psychologizing of much modern preaching. This shows how to preach the gospel of Christ from every part of the Bible. Drew’s book is warm, builds on solid biblical theology, and is vastly more practical than other books on preaching Christ. I love it."

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible
Graeme Goldsworthy
InterVarsity Press (October 2002)

This book helps push us off the well-worn trails of our Bible knowledge and into more obscure, less-traveled passages. Who of us does not find at least some parts of the Bible difficult to understand? It is easy to ignore the problems by keeping to the well-worn paths of familiar passages. But when we begin to take seriously the fact that the whole Bible is the Word of God, we find ourselves on a collision path with the difficulties. It is at this point that we need biblical theology to show us how to read and understand the Bible. Getting a grasp on the unity of the Bible, its central message from Genesis to Revelation, helps immensely in understanding the meaning of any one book or passage. That’s what this book will help you do.

The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story
Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Baker Academic (2004)

The Drama of Scripture surveys the grand story line and theology of the Bible, demonstrating how the biblical story forms the foundation of a Christian worldview.

An amazon.com reviewer says: This is a marvelous book that everyone in the church would benefit from reading! Written by two professors at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada, it tells the whole biblical story from Genesis to Revelation as a drama in six acts with an interlude in the middle. In the first three "acts," God establishes his kingdom (creation), there is rebellion in that kingdom (the Fall), and God through Israel initiates redemption. In the interlude (the "intertestamental period") God's kingdom story waits for an ending. Then the story is completed with the coming of the King (redemption accomplished), the spread of the news (the church's mission), and the return of the King (redemption completed). What is marvelous about this book is that it is written so creatively without clichés so the reader sees the biblical story as if for the first time. The authors are convinced that most people read the Bible as a mere jumble of history, poetry, lessons in morality and theology, comforting promises, guiding principles, and commands. They never realize that the Bible is fundamentally coherent and challenges the "idols" of modern culture. This book deserves a place in everyone's library.