This has purpose to it beyond another poll. I'd be interested, fellow Pastors, in how you woud answer this question:
You are allowed to take any 5 books from your library and the rest are going away somewhere. Which books would you keep to help you in your preparation to preach and teach most effectively?
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It's all going to be reference work. I want to keep my Libronix/Logos collection, but that's cheating, so here's the list:
1) IVP Background & Knowledge Bible Commentary
2) Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible
3) Baker New Testament Commentary
4) Theological Dictionary of the OT/NT
5) Wiersbe's Bible Exposition Commentary
But some of the above are multi volumes, so I am still cheating.
Interesting you should, because my sermon prepration has already moved away from hardcopy books to electronic resources such as Bible.org, The Text This Week, Constable's notes, etc. Still, if I had to have only five hardcopy books, it would probably be these:
1. ESV Bible
2. Greek & Hebrew interlinear Bible
3. Revell Bible Dictionary
4. Guthrie's NT intro
5. Dillard & Longman's OT intro
BTW, I linked to this discussion on my blog. Peace.
Mar13 and Milton - I suspect that a lot of people use electronic stuff. I would have a hard time living without my Libronix/Logos stuff too!
For me- its the ESV Bible, The Word commentary series, Kittel, and the for the last couple, two books that to be honest are on my "I love having them on my shelf but I really must read those sometime" list- Moo on Romans (NICNT) and Fee "Gods Empowering Presense"
I would have to bring my PowerBook with Accordance for grammatical diagramming purposes let alone the Hebrew/Greek texts, the lexicons, multiple English translations and all other reference materials. But for five hardcopies my choice would be:
1. Greek & Hebrew Bible
2. BADG & BDB (please let me count them as one!)
3. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics
4. MacArthur Study Bible
5. The New American Commentary (complete set)
1. Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible
2. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - ok, this has four volumes so I'm done, but if you'll allow me to count it as one volume I'd go with the following three others.
3. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (betcha thought I was going to say Berkhof, didn't ya?)
4. According to Plan - Graeme Goldsworthy
5. Your Best Life Now - Joel Osteen - kidding - just checking to see if anybody's really reading this. How about Young's Analytical Concordance so I can have a language reference.
Ideally I like to translate the passage from the original languages and I use a variety of Greek and Hebrew resources.
1. The Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament By John R. Kohlenberger III
2. The RSV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament By The Reverend Alfred Marshall. (Gift from a friend).
3. I also use Bible software - right now I'm using the Sword project on my Linux box so I've been using BibleTime for KDE. I'm not really impressed with their interface so I'm in the process of experimenting with Bible Desktop.
4. I use a commentary. One of the series I'm buying one at a time is Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (IVF). Since when I'm preaching, I'm preaching through 1 Samuel I'm using Joyce G. Baldwin. (That's right a woman. Her commentary on Daniel is good too.)
5. English Standard Version
5 plus one - Addam Clark's Commentary An elderly preacher in Missouri gave me his copies before he passed away. Though they are old, their great.
5 plus two - Treasure in Scripture - The most extensive cross reference list I know of.
1. Bible, ESV
2. UBS Greek New Testament (which includes a nice little lexicon at the back).
3. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
4. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (to help me with all the words I don't know in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia).
5. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Of course, I use many commentaries, but since the best commentaries are written on only one book of the Bible, there is no single commentary that would be as useful for exposition of the whole Bible.
When they come to take my books away, if I fight really hard, can I keep Calvin's commentaries? They make my honorable mention list.
1) Since everyone else cheated on the multi-volume commentaries, I will abide by your moros, but I'll do a mixed bag. Calvin on OT, Spurgeon on the Psalms, Ryle on the Gospels, Hendriksen/Kistemaker on rest of NT, except Luther on Galatians. How's that for cheating?
2) Tyndale's New Bible Dictionary. I am continually amazed how much information is in this one volume.
3) Parallel Greek, NASB, ESV. (May Dr. Baugh forgive me.)
4) Shedd's Dogmatic Theology (I'll borrow David's Grudem if I need it.)
5) Baxter's Christian Directory. Though exceedingly helpful in applying God's Word, I would take it primarily because, like Adrian, I just want to get through the thing some day.
6) Nobody said this was a desert island, right? So there is power. I'll take my PowerBook with Accordance installed and Ages Master Christian Library in the drive (thereby sneaking Edwards and the Fathers into the bargain.)
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