Hitmen and Midwives: Talking Preaching with Preachers

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Back in the fall, I gave a series of talks on grace and proclamation to a clergy conference for the Anglican Church of Canada. I titled the talks, “Hitmen and Midwives,” taking the idea from the Word’s self-description in the Book of Deuteronomy:

“I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.”

Or, to put it in terms of Holy Week, new life only comes by way of the grave. Just so, preachers are like Hitmen and Midwives, killing the Old Eve and Adam in hearers in order for God to create faith and, through faith, a new creation.

You can find the audio of those talks here on the site.

As an extension of those talks, I am beginning a series of conversations on preaching with preachers and those who listen to them.

First up, my friend Ken Jones, in true Lutheran fashion, has sketched out 9.5 Theses on Preaching. Also, in true Lutheran fashion, Ken has neither a shortage of opinions nor a fear of polemic.

In this conversation, my best friend, Johanna Hartelius, and I talk with Ken about Thesis #2:

Preaching is an extension of what Christ does and who he is and of what scripture declares God has been making of us from the foundation of the world.

Here’s our conversation about Thesis #1.

To access the remaining 7.5 Theses and all other future installments, be sure to subscribe.

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