Some Pastors and Teachers

Reflecting a biblical vision of what every minister is called to be

Weight 2.5 lbs
Dimensions 8.8 × 5.75 × 2 in
ISBN 9781848717893
Binding

Hardback, eBook (ePub & Kindle), Cloth-bound & eBook (ePub & Kindle)

topic

Christian Living, History and Biography, Pastoral Biography, Pastoral Theology/Pastoral Helps

Banner Pub Date

Dec 18, 2017

page-count

824

format

Book

Endorsements

Some Pastors and Teachers will bring Sinclair Ferguson into your life as an inspiring teacher and at times as a gentle goad, helping you fan into flame the gift of God which is in you, so that you fulfill your ministry (2 Tim. 1:6; 4:5).’ — RAY ORTLUND

‘Sinclair Ferguson’s Some Pastors and Teachers is a feast for the soul.’ — WILLIAM BARCLEY

‘A treasure trove of wisdom from a seasoned pastor-professor! A book I will be returning to in ministry year after year.’ — JONNY GIBSON

Book Description

Some Pastors and Teachers is a volume for every minister’s study and indeed for the bookshelves and bedside tables of everyone who has a concern for the ministry of the gospel and the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century. In many ways, it reflects the biblical vision of what every minister is called to be: pastor, teacher, counsellor, and example—but also a man who is growing spiritually, both in understanding and in character, before the eyes of his congregation.

In five sections and thirty-nine chapters, Sinclair B Ferguson writes on pastor-teachers whose life and work have left an indelible mark on his own life, and then leads us in a series of chapters on the teaching of John Calvin, John Owen and the seventeenth century Puritans. This is followed by studies of Scripture, the ministry of the Spirit, the nature of Biblical Theology, the work of Christ, adoption, the nature of the Christian life and other important doctrines. The final section discusses various aspects of preaching, including preaching Christ from the Old Testament, the importance of theology, reaching the heart, and concludes with a decalogue for preachers. All this, as the epilogue makes clear, is set within the context and goal of doxology.

Here is a book to return to again and again, for instruction, for challenge, and also for enjoyment. While written particularly with ministers in view its style makes it accessible to all. Dr Ferguson describes Some Pastors and Teachers as a series of small gifts for fellow-ministers and others, written as an expression of the love of Christ. It is calculated to help both ministers of the gospel and entire congregations to realize Paul’s vision of churches growing up into Christ as they are nourished and taught by their pastors and teachers.

Reviews

Table of Contents Expand ↓

INTRODUCTION xi
I PASTORS AND TEACHERS: THREE JOHNS
1 John Calvin: Pastor-Teacher 3
2 John Owen: Pastor and Teacher 21
3 John Murray: Teacher of Pastors 39
II JOHN CALVIN: PASTOR-TEACHER
4 A Heart for God 65
5 Manifested in the Flesh: John Calvin on the Reality of the Incarnation 77
6 John Calvin: Commentator for Preachers 93
7 Christology and Pneumatology: John Calvin, the Theologian of the Holy Spirit 107
8 Calvin and Christian Experience: the Holy Spirit in the Life of a Christian 135
9 Calvin on the Lord’s Supper and Communion with Christ 153
III PURITANS: PASTORS AND TEACHERS
10 Puritans: Ministers of the Word 167
11 John Owen and the Doctrine of the Person of Christ 193
12 John Owen on the Glory of Christ 217
13 John Owen on the Priesthood of Christ 229
14 John Owen and the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit 241
15 John Owen on Christian Piety 263
16 Some Thoughts on Reading the Works of John Owen 299
17 John Flavel and the Mystery of Providence 309
18 Preaching the Law of God: Reformers and Puritans 325
IV THE PASTOR AND TEACHING
19 How Does the Bible Look at Itself? 349
20 Scripture and Tradition 373
21 The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures: Inerrancy and Pneumatology 393
22 What Is Biblical Theology? 417
23 ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’: the Holiness of the Father 449
24 Christus Victor et Propitiator: the Death of Christ, Substitute and Conqueror 465
25 Sola Fide 487
26 Assurance Justified 505
27 Christian Spirituality: the Reformed View of Sanctification 521
28 Reformed Theology—Reformed Lifestyle 553
29 The Reformed Doctrine of Sonship 579
30 Some Reflections on the ‘First Title’ of the Holy Spirit 591
31 Repentance, Recovery, and Confession 603
V THE PASTOR AND PREACHING
32 The Bit, the Bridle, and the Blessing: An Exposition of James 3:1-12 627
33 Exegetical Preaching 651
34 Preaching Christ from the Old Testament Scriptures 669
35 The Preacher as Theologian 685
36 Preaching the Atonement 697
37 Preaching to the Heart 717
38 Preaching and the Reformed Theological Tradition 733
39 A Preacher’s Decalogue 753
EPILOGUE:
Doxology 767
SCRIPTURE INDEX 777
GENERAL INDEX 791
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 799

Testimonials

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  1. Dr. David Steele

    The day that Sinclair Ferguson’s new book, “Some Pastors and Teachers” arrived, I was like a kid in a candy store; a monkey in a banana factory; a shark in blood-infested waters. Gazing at the table of contents caused my heart to race, which is a testimony of my deep love for the church, theology, and pastoral ministry.

    It was immediately apparent that Dr. Ferguson was attaching a high degree of importance to the past by acknowledging some of the great pastor-teachers in church history – men like John Calvin, John Owen, John Murray, and the Puritans.

    “Some Pastors and Teachers” is a mixture of biography, systematic and biblical theology, and pastoral theology. Ferguson writes with theological precision and pastoral compassion and experience. He writes with a gravitas that is both weighty and inspirational.

    While each of the thirty-nine chapters are commendable in their own right, chapter thirty-seven, was especially meaningful to me. Ferguson argues with great force that “all truly biblical preaching is preaching to the heart.” This kind of preaching is marked by several characteristics:

    1. A right use of the Bible which must first be directed to the mind. Ferguson adds, “When we preach to the heart, the mind is not so much the terminus of our preaching, but the channel through which we appeal to the whole person, leading to the transformation of the whole life.

    2. Nourishment of the whole person. Ferguson makes it clear that spiritual nourishment must be carefully defined: “There is a difference between a well-instructed congregation and a well-nourished one.”
    An understanding of the condition of hearers.

    3. The use of the imagination.

    4. Grace in Christ.

    This behemoth of a book is filled with rich material that promises deep pastoral encouragement, comfort, and instruction. This “doxological Calvinism” is the best of all worlds. Such a theological framework strengthens minds, nourishes hearts, and ultimately equips pastors to feed, lead, lock, and protect the flock – all for God’s glory.

  2. Timothy Crockett

    Only a little over halfway through this book. Excellent writing style and much useful information, even for a non-Reformed guy like myself. I found the background info on Calvin, Owens and Murray particularly useful.

    The theological material was great and certainly a refresher to material I’ve read in the past.

    I would recommend to all -preachers and non preachers alike – who are passionate about growing and improving their ministry and spiritual lives

  3. Iain Mackenzie

    A large volume book and perhaps a bit daunting for many to pick up. Well let me encourage you to pick it up and devour it and your soul will be nourished. I guarantee it. I cannot imagine the amount of study and preparation that Dr Ferguson put into this book but he has produced the best book that I have read in many a long year and I can read for Scotland! The individual quotes will be enough to nourish any soul. I got to know John Calvin a lot better than I had and some of his quotes and to be memorised. I say to Dr Ferguson and to the Banner Trust – thankyou for a most uplifting and enlightening book.

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