The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures, Vol. 7: Our Own Time

“From the first day in September 1985 when Hughes Oliphant Old picked up his pen to compose the opening lines of this series until the final day nearly twenty-five years later when the time came for him to set it down, he has presented to the church a monumental study of the history of preaching as worship. . . Here is sound scholarship coupled with a profound pastoral sensitivity and love of preaching.”

“With this expansive volume, Hughes Oliphant Old brings his massive global history of Christian preaching to an inspiring close. Our Own Time is remarkable for its geographical and theological breadth, spanning five continents and showing generous personal appreciation for an amazing range of twentieth- and twenty-first-century preachers. The great strength of Old's approach is the direct exposure he gives to the original texts of actual sermons. Anyone who loves biblical exposition will be encouraged by the vitality of contemporary homiletics and will gain an expanded understanding of the preaching of the church worldwide.”

“A priceless gift to the church and its preachers. . . . Astonishing in its scope, mind-expanding in its perspective, and highly motivating.”

“Studying these volumes is like walking around a great cathedral. Every section, however distinctive, unites in a grand design whose aim is to restore preaching to its rightful place. This is easily the best history of preaching ever written, one that will serve generations of those whose faith comes by hearing. But far more, this work is the best defense of preaching available: it proves that in every era, though with astonishing variety, the ministry of the Word is central to the worship of God. ”

“Ecumenical in breadth, magisterial in authority, and pastoral in intentionality, Hughes Oliphant Old's multivolume history of preaching is a landmark in American intellectual history. Old views preaching as an act of worship, and his own prodigious scholarship likewise stands in service to God. Old has bequeathed to the church of the twenty-first century the definitive history of preaching, a spiritual feast for scholars and preachers alike for years and years to come.”