Text Message: The Centrality of Scripture in Preaching

by Ian Stackhouse (Editor), Oliver D. Crisp (Editor)

Preaching has fallen on hard times with many questioning its relevance and even its validity as a New Testament practice. This symposium of specially commissioned essays draws together an international team of thirteen scholars and pastors to address the importance of textual preaching in the history and life of the early church, the historic church, and the contemporary church. Contributions include essays on Old Testament preaching, preaching in Hebrews, gender-sensitive preaching, preaching in the theology of Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and in Eastern Orthodoxy. It also includes essays on a range of homiletical challenges that textual preaching raises for the contemporary preacher, including genre, preaching without notes, inhabiting the text, and preaching without platitudes. A final reflection by Dave Hansen on the state of textual preaching rounds out the collection. The preaching of the gospel stands at the heart of Christian praxis. These essays make a vital contribution to the recovery of the importance of preaching, focused on the text of Scripture. Written with an eye to the pastor and practitioner as well as those in the pews and in the classroom, this is a book that should appeal to a wide range of readers.

264 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is true of any edited work, the chapters are a bit uneven in quality and interest. Yet they are all worthy of investment. Three distinct sections: Biblical and Theological; Historical; Textual. Each has informative chapters. Some are more academic, some a bit more testimonial, a few very practically oriented.

Personally, my favorite was Defamiliarization: Purging our Preaching of Platitudes by Karen Case-Green. But it was certainly not the only chapter to strike a chord and contribute to further thinking.

One on-going frustration. Book companies or authors really need to step up their editing expectations. Far too many typos.