I am still working on my list of "must read" books for every Christian. The list is way too long and I am trying to find a good way to categorize and edit it.
In the meantime, in my way too time-consuming hobby of surfing the blogosphere, I have recently discovered Adrian Warnock, a blogger from the UK. He has some helpful insights. In a recent post he asks for your most favorite, well known preachers. The responses are very interesting, and fun. In this spirit, I suggest as similar discussion here.
Let me ask you to do the impossible. List your five (only five - that's the hard part) favorite, modern-day (whatever that means to you) preachers. Give their name and place of ministy if your can.
Here is mine (for now anyway):
1. John MacArthur from Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, also of Grace to You Ministries.
2. Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary.
3. Alistair Begg from Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, also of Truth for Life Ministries.
4. John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, also of Desiring God Ministries.
5. Iain Murray of Banner of Truth Trust, a reformed publishing ministry. Dr. Murray focuses more on historical theology than exposition. Find his sermons/lectures at SermonAudio.com.
Now it is your turn. Give honor to whom you believe honor is due!
Grace to You, my blogging friends!
23 comments:
"Preacher". How strictly is THAT word to be construed?! If broadly enough to include, generally, teachers of God's Word, I'd include R.C. Sproul, despite his amillenialism, paedobaptism, and covenant theology. No, it's not a case of "other than that, Mrs. Linclon, how'd you like the play! To use R.C.'s own words from the title of one of his books, he Get[s] The Gospel Right! R.C.'s Ligonier Ministries is a ministry to which you ought to post a link!
Another teacher of the Bible who gets the Gospel right is Les Feldick (and he's dispensational, premillenial, and a credobaptist!} Les' lessons are broadcast via videotape; his program uses the same title as the late, legendary, J. Vernon McGee --Through the Bible [Toledo air-time: 8 a.m. M - F (WLMB).
I, too, enjoy and appreciate Alistair Begg. If, however, for some reason, I were limited to the teaching and preaching of Pastor Begg or Pastor DeCourcy, I would, without hesitation, choose Philip DeCourcy!
I'm spoiled! Not only do I have the privilege of being taught by Pastor Decourcy most weeks, I also have the privilege of being taught by Bobby Cooper most weeks and, with regularity (but not enough!), Dr. David Rockwell and the potentially legendary Dave Mullins!
Finally, I thank our Lord that I am able to hear John MacArthur daily and that he has written books I have read and others which, Deo volente, I will read. Prolific seems inadequate to describe his teaching ministry!
Five influential preachers?
John MacArthur
John Piper
R.C. Sproul
Al Mohler
Jerry Vines (even though he's not a calvinist)
BTW, thanks for linking to me. I'll try not to disappoint!
Jim and Jeremy both had Sproul, who, if I could list six, would be my next.
You list, Jeremy is the line up for the Together for the Gospel Conference next April in Louisville. My self and the rest of our pastoral staff will be there (already registered). You and your brother should try to come! It looks like it will be a veritable Who's Who in reformed evangelicalism.
I know McDermott is jealous - isn't that a sin?
Grace to you all...
Hey Guys we are all very similar
Five influential preachers (not in particular order)
John Swanson (My Pastor : www.riverhillsonline.org)
John Piper
John MacArthur
R. C. Sproul
Tozer
My list:
John Macarthur
Johnny Hunt
Mark Dever
After that I don't know who to elevate above who else.
John Piper, Herb Reavis, Adrian Rogers, and Jerry Vines mix in somehow.
1. John MacArthur, for his clear, no-nonsense exposition of the word.
2. R.C. Sproul (despite the Presbyterian theological distinctives), for his thorough, very scholarly teaching
3. Philip DeCourcy, for all the above reasons, plus he's OUR pastor!
4. John Piper, although I'm only beginning to become familiar with him, he seems to be the modern equivalent of Jonathan Edwards, which puts him on the list! Thought provoking- big time!
5. Adrian Rodgers, for plain 'ol tell-it-like-it-is preaching.
Dave, tough question! But we have very similar answers:
1. John MacArthur I love the verse by verse exposition.
2. Al Mohler He is very deep and insightful I actually got to meet him a couple times! I even have two pictures with him.
3. John Piper. I love his passion for God’s glory.
4. Alister Begg- I have the good fortune of living relatively close to Parkside. I also got to meet Alister Begg and he personally invited me to come to his good Friday service at chance meeting at Parkside’s book store.
My fifth spot is extremely hard. Erwin Lutzer, Dr. Joseph Stowell, Dr. Tony Evans, Dr. David Jeremiah as well as Russel Moore all come to mind. Yet they all in my mind don’t seem to be fit in the same list as well as the other 4. So I guess I only have a top 4. I am very partial to Dave Mullins. I love listening to his sermons on the internet when he gets a chance to preach. I always enjoy listening to him talk about God anytime. Although the title is ‘Preachers That Influenced You.’ That’s different than naming your top 5. Dave I think you actually are the Pastor that’s have had the greatest influence and impact on my life through our years at Skyview together and our continuing friendship even though I never was part of one of your congregations. PC if you are reading this you also had big foundationally and important impact in my spiritual life when I was new born Christian not too long ago.
-John
"... I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, ...." 2 Cor. 11:2
(HCSB) (context, schmontext!)
1. John MacArthur
2. John Piper
3. R.C. Sproul
4. Mark Dever
5. Garry Weaver (my dad)
"But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."
1Corinthians 3:1-7
Can I replace Mohler and Vines with,
Garry Weaver, and
Steve Weaver.
My dad and my brother.
Hey, that was me as "the apostle Paul". I was just kidding!
Steve, it is a good thing I read ALL the comments before I started my reply to "the apostle Paul." Since I know it was in jest... it was pretty funny.
Sorry for any confusion! I just get in a wierd mood sometimes. BTW, I'm already registered for the "Together for the Gospel" Conference. I look forward to meetin you there!
It's a good thing that my jealousy is a "godly jealousy"!
Jeff Wright -- your list was a bit off - you had some serious top-of-the-line semi-pelagian preahers (Vines, Hunt, Rogers) and some serious Calvinists (MacArthue, Dever). That is quite a combo...
Diversity is agood thing huh? We can a learn different things from different men...
Steve, Glad that you will be at the Louisville conference. I will look forward to meeting you.
As to your last comment to Jeff Wright - How can someone be "off" when they are asked to list the preacher's that influence them? That's like saying that I'm wrong because my favorite color is blue.
Thanks Paul, for pointing that out. You will notive that the "f" and "d" keys are side by side on the average keyboard. My intent was to say "odd," not "off." Odd becuase of the trmndous diversity. Odd is not equivalent to bad, just ... well, odd.
Thanks for catching this year's mistake, at least that is out of the way now - haha!
Preachers, five, I must include not in any particular order:
-Dr. Ernest Pickering, for his practical straightforward homiletics.
-Dr. Paul Tassel, for not being dogmatic in his approach, but being bulldogmatic.
-Pastor Edward Fuller, for his personal, fatherly, loving kindness that he demonstrates as he unfolds the Word.
-Brother Bob Humphreys, for his firey passion for Jewish people, and exortation to believing Gentile to get involved in reaching them.
-Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a Jewish man of God who upholds the dispensational approach to Scripture and exposes the weaknesses of covenant theology.
-Pastor Philip De Courcy, for his Spurgeon-like illustrations and oratory skill.
(notice I included six, because I don't like limits!)
1.Dr Erwin Lutzer
2.Dr Erwin Lutzer
3.Dr Erwin Lutzer
4.Dr Erwin Lutaer
5.and last bu not least lest I forget...Dr Erwin Lutzer
The top six:
1) Joseph Stowell
2) Colin Smith
3) John Hagee
4) Dr. Bob Legan
5) Alister Begg
6) Brett Deffenbaugh
1) Joseph Stowell
2) Joseph Stowell
3) Alistair Begg
4) Chuck Swindoll(The Marine)
5) David Jeremiah
Matt -- You didn't mention PO?! And I didn't get an honorable mention?? Just messin with you... glad to see you (and the wifey - Hello Melissa!) have checked in!
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