Biographical note

Rodney D. Stortz (1950–2003) was senior pastor of Twin Oaks Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, which he planted in 1990. He also ministered in churches in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Missouri. Educated at Covenant College and Covenant Theological Seminary, Stortz was involved in a regional radio ministry, Oaks of Righteousness, and served as a board member for Trans World Radio and Covenant College.

R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and former professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hughes is also a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide. He serves as the series editor for the Preaching the Word commentary series and is the author or coauthor of many books. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Spokane, Washington, and have four children and an ever-increasing number of grandchildren.