Reader Recommendation: Preaching God’s Grand Drama: A Biblical-Theological Approach, by Ahmi Lee.

Recommended by: Proclamation Project’s Preacher Book Club

Preaching God’s Grand Drama was a Preacher Book Club selection in September 2025.

From the publisher:

How can preachers preach biblically faithful sermons that move listeners to positive action? An author on the cutting edge of contemporary homiletics and theology offers a fresh approach to preaching that helps listeners see themselves as actors in God’s grand drama. Ahmi Lee presents a unifying “third way” in homiletical approaches (i.e., theodramatic) that reimagines the preacher’s role in relation to the Bible, the congregation, and the world. The book not only helps students understand various preaching models but also is relevant to working preachers who want to critique and improve their approach.

For Disciples preachers, Lee’s theodramatic framework offers something particular: a way of understanding scripture not as a static text to be explained, but as an unfolding drama in which the congregation is invited to find its role. This has practical implications for sermon structure, illustration, and application — helping preachers move listeners toward participation rather than passive reception. The Preacher Book Club selected this book because it bridges the gap between academic homiletics and the working needs of parish preachers, offering theory that genuinely translates to the pulpit.

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You might also find helpful:

• Legacy Preaching Series — Video interviews on compelling preaching with renowned preachers, hosted by Dr. Frank Thomas at Christian Theological Seminary.
• The Sound of the Genuine — Dr. Frank Thomas’s 2024 retreat keynote on honesty and vulnerability as the foundation of preaching.
• International Journal of Practical Theology — A peer-reviewed journal bridging theological scholarship and the practice of ministry, useful for preachers engaging homiletical literature.