The Company of the Preachers: A History of Biblical Preaching from the Old Testament to the Modern Era

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book About Preachers that I've ever read
Review: I think that this a wonderful, engaging book. The author does a great job at drawing the reader into the lives of history's greatest preachers. And although the previous reviewer is right to say that Billy Graham was omitted, it was because the author made the conscious choice to focus only on those ministers who are no longer with us. He made a conscious choice not to evaluate ongoing ministries. This may be a source of frustration for some, but the main idea of the book is to learn from the ministries of the past. I do hope that the book is updated for each generation and that in the future, we will see preachers such as Billy Graham, E.V Hill, the Bishop TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and others.

Rating:
Summary: A good research tool for the theological student/ pastor.
Review: With good bibliographies for each entry, this book is a gateway to other histories, biographies, and autobiographies on the selected subjects of the book. The author has omitted at least one notable preacher of the twentieth century, Billy Graham, who is mentioned only in passing in articles about other preachers and their ministries. Missing the work of a major evangelist like Graham leaves a hole in the book, but one easily filled by the serious student or pastor. Articles on individuals are kept pertinent and fairly short. The work reads almost devotionally, with some commentary about the nature of the individuals and the impact of their life's work. Not a book for reading from cover-to-cover, but a valuable research tool which points to items usable for further investigation!