Ronald Allen

Ronald J. Allen is Professor Emeritus of Preaching and Gospels and Letters at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has written or edited more than forty books, including A Faith of Your Own: Naming What You Really Believe.

Second Thoughts about Hell

Understanding What We Believe

As Christians, what should we believe about hell? Instead of offering a prescriptive, one-size-fits-all answer, Ronald Allen and Robert Cornwall guide the reader through the historical interpretation of hell. They begin with the voices of the Hebrew Bible, extrabiblical, and New Testament texts and the voices of the early, medieval, Reformation, and modern church, pointing out the three main Christian views today—literalism (hell exists, and those there will suffer for eternity), annihilationis...

Preaching is Believing

The Sermon as Theological Reflection

In this practical handbook, Ron Allen helps preachers to embody the tenets of the Christian faith in their sermons, thereby enabling their congregations to believe, live, and witness more intentionally and with more integrity. Rather than advocating a particular kind of preaching, Allen recommends that pastors pay more conscientious and critical attention to systematic theology in the preparation of their sermons. He includes sample sermons and provides a wealth of valuable informati...

Preaching Verse by Verse

Ronald Allen and Gilbert Bartholomew introduce preachers to verse-by-verse preaching, in which the preacher interprets the passage unit by unit and the sermon unfolds much like a commentary on the Bible. They note its applicability in a variety of settings and occasions, and offer practical suggestions for preparing a sermon in this style, including sample sermons from different genres and tips for keeping verse-by-verse sermons fresh, vital, and engaging.

Preaching the Topical Sermon

This book offers a practical model for developing sermons for occasions when the Bible offers little specific guidance for interpreting an issue, need, or situation. Ronald Allen describes why and how topical sermons should be used, discusses special occasions when they are appropriate, and outlines strategies for developing topical sermons, giving particular attention to controversial issues. The last chapter includes sample sermons by other preachers.

The Teaching Minister

With concise and practical guidelines for recovering the identity of the church, Clark Williamson and Ronald Allen demonstrate that the central task of ministry is teaching the Christian faith. The authors believe that how well ministers understand what is required of them and how well they do what is required of them is part of the problem of churches today, as well as part of the solution.

Second Thoughts about the Second Coming

Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope

Various ideas float around about the subject of last things, leading many Christians to conclude that they don’t know what to think about the subject. Yet at the core of the Christian doctrine of last things lies two simple and complementary hopes: that God ever and always offers hope for our individual futures and for the future of the whole world.In this helpful book, Allen and Cornwall explain how we don’t have to subscribe to sensationalist theories or sketchy interpretations to believe in C...

Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the Law

A Lectionary Commentary

This unique commentary helps preachers see how knowledge of first-century Judaism can help them avoid incorporating misunderstandings and stereotypes into their sermons on the letters. Ronald Allen and Clark Williamson explore insights from recent Christian-Jewish dialogue, continuities between Judaism and the theology of Paul, and the Roman occupation to help preachers understand the Jewish context of the letters. As in their previous book, Preaching the Gospels without Blaming...

Preaching the Old Testament

A Lectionary Commentary

In this third and concluding volume of their lectionary commentary collection (Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews and Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the Law), Ronald Allen and Clark Williamson encourage the church and its preachers to rediscover the Old Testament as a vibrant wellspring of Christian faith and life. Preachers often neglect the Old Testament, misrepresent it, or regard its theological content as superseded by Jesus and the New Testament, Allen ...

Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews

A Lectionary Commentary

Ronald Allen and Clark Williamson provide a commentary on the Revised Common Lectionary Gospel readings, demonstrating how the lections are continuous with the theology, values, and practices of Judaism and also identifying and reflecting on points at which the lections caricature Jewish people, practices, and institutions.

Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year A

A Lectionary Commentary, Year A

This is the final volume in a unique new commentary series that helps the preacher identify and reflect on the social implications of the biblical readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. The essays concentrate on the themes of social justice in the weekly texts and how those themes can be teachable moments for preaching social justice in the church.In addition to the lectionary days, there are essays for twenty-two "Holy Days of Justice," including Martin Luther King Day, Earth Day, World AID...

Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year B

A Lectionary Commentary, Year B

This unique commentary helps the preacher identify and reflect on the social implications of the Revised Common Lectionary readings. In addition to providing commentary for each day in the lectionary calendar, this series introduces twenty-two Holy Days for Justice. These days are intended to enlarge the church's awareness of God's call for justice and the many ways that call comes to the church and world today. The days include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Earth Day, World AIDS Day, Inter...

Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year C

A Lectionary Commentary, Year C

This unique commentary series helps preachers identify and reflect on the social implications of the biblical readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. The essays concentrate on the themes of social justice in the weekly texts and how those themes can be teachable moments for preaching social justice in the church.In addition to the lectionary days, there are essays for twenty-two "Holy Days for Justice," including Martin Luther King Day, Earth Day, World AIDS Day, and Chil...

Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year B

A Lectionary Commentary, Year B

This unique commentary, the first of three in a new series, helps the preacher identify and reflect on the social implications of the Revised Common Lectionary readings. In addition to providing commentary for each day in the lectionary calendar, this series introduces twenty-two Holy Days for Justice. These days are intended to enlarge the church's awareness of God's call for justice and the many ways that call comes to the church and world today. The days include Martin Luther...

A Faith of Your Own

Naming What You Really Believe

A faith should be a living thing. What we believe necessarily evolves in response to insights into the Bible, to questions or doubts we face, to changes in life circumstances, or to things that happen in the larger world. Nevertheless, Christians often find it helpful to identify what they can most fully believe at a given moment. Such clarity empowers the present and leads us toward the future. Such moments can also be mile markers by which we measure our faith journey. In each...

The Life of Jesus for Today

In this new volume in the popular For Today series, Ron Allen provides an exciting introduction to the life of Jesus and an engaging discussion of what Jesus' life means for modern-day believers. Setting Jesus in his ancient context, Allen examines many stories about Jesus' life and shows how these different stories relate to one another to express the core of Jesus' message--a message that, as Allen helpfully shows, is of central importance for believers today.The For Today serie...

Ronald Allen

Second Thoughts about Hell

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Preaching is Believing

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Preaching Verse by Verse

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Preaching the Topical Sermon

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The Teaching Minister

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Second Thoughts about the Second Coming

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Preaching the Letters without Dismissing the Law

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Preaching the Old Testament

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Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews

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Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year A

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Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year B

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Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year C

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Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year B

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A Faith of Your Own

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The Life of Jesus for Today

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