Incandescence: Light Shed Through the Word

By Ben Witherington III

Book Overview

'Incandescence' draws together illuminating sermons from 25 years of Ben Witherington's preaching life. A tireless scholar, Witherington is passionate about using his scholarship to deliver... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802832083
• ISBN13: 9780802832085
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Witherington in the Pulpit

Having read some of Witherington's scholarly works, I am pleased to get to see how his scholarship works out in practice. These 26 sermons reveal a man passionate about the message he proclaims, a man articulate and affable (if the text captures the essence of the original presentations). A helpful feature of the book is the suggestions for study and meditation that follow each section of sermons.

Bridging the Horizons

Ben Witherington III is a gifted writer and speaker. I had the privilege of meeting him and his wife a couple of years ago in Australia during a lecture tour. As readers will know, he is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He has written numerous books on the New Testament and related subjects. One of the aspects that I have found helpful in his New Testament commentaries is his practice of examining the text in a section entitled `The Historical Horizon' and then applying the text in a section called `Bridging the Horizons'. In this sense, the present book is really a case of `Bridging the Horizons'. Dr Witherington has collected 26 sermons from 25 years of preaching . The collection is introduced by the Dean of the Asbury Chapel who says, among other things, `They (these sermons) extend our memory of the Story of God by giving us a live encounter with the God of the Story.' There is also a critique of preaching, including these sermons, by an Asbury colleague, J Ellsworth Kalas. This critique is well worth reading. Dr Kalas reminds us, `In addition to the anointing of the Spirit and in addition to that product-hunger we seek to meet, we have the Book.' The 26 sermons are spread over the main seasons of the Church Year. They engage biblical passages. They have catchy titles. They utilise effective illustrations, some of which I have encountered in Witherington's commentaries. Indeed, some of the illustrations are what Australians would call `homely' and what Americans would call `homey'. I enjoyed the sermons. I recommend this book to preachers of the Word. Some of us may like to prepare sermons on the same passages for the various seasons of the Christian Church and then compare the insights and applications of a fine scholar and preacher.