Monday February 8, 2010
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. - Proverbs 3:5
Welcome to the web home of
Dr. Brian C. Stiller


Brian Stiller was raised in a minister’s home on the prairies. Educated at the University of Toronto (BA in History), Wycliffe College (Master of Religion), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry), he has received honorary doctorates from Briercrest College and Trinity Western University.

During the 1960s, Stiller served in leadership in a national youth agency, first in Montreal as director of Youth for Christ, then Toronto YFC, and finally as national president of Youth for Christ.

From 1983 to 1997 his leadership as president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada gave him national profile as a voice for people of biblical faith. By way of weekly television, publishing a national magazine, authoring a number of books and in his public speaking he expressed concerns and offered counsel on issues of moral and national concern.

Stiller served as President of Tyndale University College & Seminary beginning in 1995 and retired in 2009. He is currently President of the Tyndale Foundation. Its Uncommon Ground Campaign’s goal is $58 million, towards the purchase of the adjoining 56 acres of the campus of the Sisters of St, Joseph.

Stiller is founder and former editor-in-chief of Canada’s national magazine, Faith Today. He hosted a weekly television program Crosscurrents. He is author of ten books: Preaching Parables to Postmoderns (2005), Fortress Press; Jesus and Caesar: Christians in the Public Square (2003), Castle Quay Books Canada; What Happens When I Die? (2001); When Life Hurts: A Three-Fold Path to Healing (1999), and From the Tower of Babel to Parliament Hill (1997), HarperCollins.

His life mission comes from an account of King David as he rebuilt Israel. He recruited a group to assist him. They are described as those “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (I Chronicles 12:32).

Brian and his wife Lily have two children: a son Murray (married to Catherine) and a daughter Muriel (married to Jesse Pascal); and five grandchildren. :::

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Featured Book

Preaching Parables to Postmoderns


"Brian Stiller welcomes Jesus' parables not as mild moralisms, but risky, brilliant glimpses of God's love and mercy in a world starved for promise. This book is a workshop for preachers, breaking open one parable after another to the truth of God's great surprise in Jesus." David Tiede, President and Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary

"Here is a book on the New Testament parables that is both faithful to the biblical texture of these ancient stories and sensitive to the world in which they must be proclaimed today. A timely gift for preachers and evangelical storytellers everwhere. Thanks, Brian!" Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School. Samford University. Executive Editor, Christianity Today

"However we understand the 'postmodern' era, we are not 'post' the need to pay careful attention to the parables of Jesus. In this excellent work, Brian Stiller provides us with many profound insights about how to apply these stories to the complexities of our contemporary lives. Many congregations will be blessed by preachers and teachers who draw on the wisdom offered in this book!" Richard J. Mouw, Presdient and Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary.


Table of Contents

1. Postmodernity

The Nature of Change
The Premodern and Modern Ages
The Postmodern Experiment
Characteristics of Postmodernity

2. Parables: A Window of Truth for Postmoderns
Definition of Parable
Relationship of Jesus' Parables to the Hebrew Tradition
The Purpose of the Parable
Characteristics of the Parables of Jesus
Interpreting the Parables for Preaching
Steps in Developing the Homiletical Text
Preaching Parables to a Postmodern Age

3. A Study of Parables for Sermon Preparation
Parable One: The Sower (Matt. 13:1-23)
Parable Two: The Unforgiving Servant (Matt. 18:21-35)
Parable Three: Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16)
Parable Four: Talents (Matt. 25:14-30)
Parable Five: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Parable Six: The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:1-13)
Parable Seven: The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-34)
Parable Eight: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-32)
Parable Nine: The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
Parable Ten: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
Conclusion

Four Sermons
Sermon One: The Unforgiving Servant (Matt. 18:21-35)
Sermon Two: Talents (Matt. 25:14-30)
Sermon Three: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Sermon Four: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)



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