More Best Books from 2023: Theology, Biblical Studies, and Leadership

My first list of my favorite books of the year was mostly fiction. I also read theology, biblical studies, leadership, etc. I thought I would list some of those. What is interesting is that most of them are books I read for the second or third time. I decided to reread some books from seminary this year. I got so much from them. With a few years of pastoring and almost forty years of life behind me, I understand better why my professors assigned these books.

Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell. This is a great book on all of the different aspects of preaching. This is the third time I read it. I think I got far more from it than ever before. 

Baptists in America, Thomas Kidd and Barry Hankins. This is readable history. Kidd and Hankins make each paragraph and chapter move quickly. The story is great. The subject is something I wanted to know. They make it a work of art by their amazing writing.

Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, Graeme Goldsworthy. This is the densest book on this list. I read it first when I was at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 16 years ago. The writing is not strong because you can get lost, but the points are really helpful. 

Learn to Read New Testament Greek, David Alan Black. This the third time I've read this. I had classes in college and seminary that used this. Because I read and translate Greek a lot, I was able to skip the basic details and pay attention to the nuances that Black explains. It helps me notice details as I read now. Nothing affects my ministry and helps my preaching like knowing and using biblical languages.

Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully, John Piper. This is a collection of three biographies of Christians and artists--George Herbet, George Whitfield, and C.S. Lewis. I think about this a lot.


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