Synopses & Reviews
Book Summary: Bartlett explores how to reconcile the gospel's message, the times, and a congregation's character or need in this book on preaching the Gospels and Epistles. While there are important continuities in the way good news is understood throughout the NT, what that good news looks like and how we respond to it is different for Matthew than for Paul, e.g., and for John, Mark and Luke, as well. This means preachers have options as they try to discern what news a particular congregation needs to hear on a particular Sunday, and he shows them how to wisely choose so as to fit the good news to those needs. Bartlett looks at each gospel and Gal. and shows how each is still a redemptive word for today and today's people. Includes sermons.
Synopsis
In this study of the Gospels and the book of Galatians, David Bartlett explores how to reconcile the biblical text's message to our contemporary context and a particular congregation's character and need. While, as he shows, important continuities exist in the way the good news is understood throughout the New Testament, precisely what it looks like and how Christians respond to it differs between Mark, Paul, John, and the rest of the writers. Consequently, he demonstrates, preachers have options as they try to discern what news a congregation needs to hear on a particular Sunday. Including sample sermons, What's Good about This News? shows how each of these biblical texts remains a redemptive word for today's people.
About the Author
David L. Bartlett is Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. He is the author of What's Good about This News: Preaching the Gospel from Galatians and coeditor of the Westminster Bible Companion series.