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Preaching Christ
The New Testament leaves us in no doubt that the heart of the preaching of the Apostles and the early church was Christ. Every example of preaching from the apostolic era centers on this same grand theme. Yet so often, in the centuries since, the church has weakened her own witness and effectiveness by veering away from the apostolic example. How did the Apostles preach Christ? What mistakes must preachers today avoid? What is involved in preaching Christ? And what are the essential qualifications of heart and mind for this great work? These are the questions Bishop Charles P. McIlvaine set out to answer in this address to those entering the ministry.
86 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1863
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 25, 2023
A useful concise book on preaching and the call to ministry. The banner of truth edition includes an appendix (pages 66-86) which contains a short tract from Charles Surgeon, The Subject of Apostolic Preaching.
Charles P. Mcllvaine was an episcopalian bishop. He demonstrates a robust Christology and law/Gospel distinction in this concise book.
"Christ is not fully preached when any truth which teaches the sinner's need of such a Saviour, illustrating his preciousness by showing our ruin and beggary through sin dwelling in us, and bringing condemnation upon us, is kept in obscurity" (pg. 44).
"Christ is our 'righteousness' unto justification to every one that believeth so that in him there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). But we shall preach him in vain, in that light, unless we show the sinner's absolute need of such righteousness. We must seek, under the power of the Holy Ghost, so to convince him of sin that he shall see himself to be under the condemnation of God's law, without excuse and without hope, till he flies to that refuge" (pg. 44).
Bishop Mclkvaine has a strong Christocentric approach to preaching:
"Be it remembered that while the cross, with its immediate neighborhood, is the metropolis of Christianity, all the region round about is Holy Land, more or less holy according to the nearness to that 'city of our God': 'a land of milk and honey', 'of brooks and fountains of water', intersected in all directions with highways by which pilgrims to Zion approach the desire of their hearts. It is the office of the gospel preacher to map out that land; to trace those converging roads; to set up the way-marks to the City of Refuge" (pg. 43-44).
"But it is manifest from the Scriptures that the Apostles identified the gospel with Christ; so that, in their view and practice, to preach the gospel was neither more nor less than to preach Christ" (pg. 4).
"Our ministry is all darkness, emptiness, and powerlessness; all condemnation to us, all delusion to those who hear us, all dishnonour to the grace of God, whatever the breath of man may say of it, except as it is pervaded, illumined, filled with the testimony of Christ as once the sacrifice for sin, crucified and slain, now the glorified and ever-living Intercessor for all that come unto God by him" (pg. 9).
Charles P. Mcllvaine was an episcopalian bishop. He demonstrates a robust Christology and law/Gospel distinction in this concise book.
"Christ is not fully preached when any truth which teaches the sinner's need of such a Saviour, illustrating his preciousness by showing our ruin and beggary through sin dwelling in us, and bringing condemnation upon us, is kept in obscurity" (pg. 44).
"Christ is our 'righteousness' unto justification to every one that believeth so that in him there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). But we shall preach him in vain, in that light, unless we show the sinner's absolute need of such righteousness. We must seek, under the power of the Holy Ghost, so to convince him of sin that he shall see himself to be under the condemnation of God's law, without excuse and without hope, till he flies to that refuge" (pg. 44).
Bishop Mclkvaine has a strong Christocentric approach to preaching:
"Be it remembered that while the cross, with its immediate neighborhood, is the metropolis of Christianity, all the region round about is Holy Land, more or less holy according to the nearness to that 'city of our God': 'a land of milk and honey', 'of brooks and fountains of water', intersected in all directions with highways by which pilgrims to Zion approach the desire of their hearts. It is the office of the gospel preacher to map out that land; to trace those converging roads; to set up the way-marks to the City of Refuge" (pg. 43-44).
"But it is manifest from the Scriptures that the Apostles identified the gospel with Christ; so that, in their view and practice, to preach the gospel was neither more nor less than to preach Christ" (pg. 4).
"Our ministry is all darkness, emptiness, and powerlessness; all condemnation to us, all delusion to those who hear us, all dishnonour to the grace of God, whatever the breath of man may say of it, except as it is pervaded, illumined, filled with the testimony of Christ as once the sacrifice for sin, crucified and slain, now the glorified and ever-living Intercessor for all that come unto God by him" (pg. 9).
April 13, 2020
Really great impassioned plea to preach Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. Not an academic read. Not a detailed description or path for preaching Christ. Charles McIlvaine is simply making a basic presentation to the next generation of preachers to continue in the Apostolic tradition of preaching Christ.
Appreciated his overview of what that can entail, how this could be done, how it easily it doesn’t happen in many pulpits. Also enjoyed a similar but different plea from Spurgeon in the Appendix at the end.
I wish the editor had put in the reference for the many passages alluded to or quoted. Some were but most were not. However, by the end I found myself just reading it as if I were sitting in the pews listening to McIlvaine’s address. Quite a present experience and encouraging charge.
I’d happily read it again every so often in my ministry, though there are plenty of other books which can serve a similar purpose to call me to preach the gospel of Jesus. Overall, a decent little book that left my heart ready to preach Christ.
Appreciated his overview of what that can entail, how this could be done, how it easily it doesn’t happen in many pulpits. Also enjoyed a similar but different plea from Spurgeon in the Appendix at the end.
I wish the editor had put in the reference for the many passages alluded to or quoted. Some were but most were not. However, by the end I found myself just reading it as if I were sitting in the pews listening to McIlvaine’s address. Quite a present experience and encouraging charge.
I’d happily read it again every so often in my ministry, though there are plenty of other books which can serve a similar purpose to call me to preach the gospel of Jesus. Overall, a decent little book that left my heart ready to preach Christ.
September 30, 2024
Charles P. McIlvaine was an Episcopalian minister in the 1800's who achieved the title of Bishop. He served at times as the chaplain to the Senate and at the West Point Military Academy.
Preaching Christ, The Heart of Gospel Ministry was originally published in 1863. It is a plea for new preachers to focus on Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. I found it a challenge to read and understand because of the older English. The sentences seemed to run very long and to wander.
This edition also contained a tract by Charles Spurgeon that was much easier to follow and probably serves as a great example of what McIlvaine was saying.
A worthwhile book but too much for my old brain!
Preaching Christ, The Heart of Gospel Ministry was originally published in 1863. It is a plea for new preachers to focus on Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. I found it a challenge to read and understand because of the older English. The sentences seemed to run very long and to wander.
This edition also contained a tract by Charles Spurgeon that was much easier to follow and probably serves as a great example of what McIlvaine was saying.
A worthwhile book but too much for my old brain!
January 5, 2026
Just like his preaching, McIlvaine fills this book with simple yet profound truths surrounding the gospel of Jesus Christ. This book is both concise and effective, offering very practical advice on preaching Christ. It is full of Scripture and focuses on a few core principles, making what it teaches easy to remember and apply.
February 17, 2021
I believe that this is a great book for aspiring preachers. The sermon by Spurgeon at the end of the book provides a clear example of the kind of preaching that the writer talks about.
October 12, 2023
This is a 2003 republication of Charles Pettit McIlvaine's 1863 release of the same name, and my copy is the 2017 rerelease. This republication, and particularly this rerelease of said republication, includes the 2003 Publisher's forward (Publisher: Banner of Truth) and C.H. Surgeon's March 1861 sermon in the Metropolitan Tabernacle of London entitled, "The Subject of Apostolic Preaching" (It was also the first-ever sermon heard in the tabernacle).
Compiled together, this is basically a love letter (with some tough-ish love added) to anyone wishing to be a preacher. To sum it up: basically, a good preacher always actually preaches about Christ without watering anything down. What's interesting is this book's original release year. One can't help but compare the watered-down jargon of the day that McIlvaine and Surgeon were speaking against to the watered-down jargon of modern-day life (review written 12-31-2022). I also can't help but wonder what these two men would say about and how they would react to today's watered down churches like PCUSA and the open and affirming (ONA) side of the ELCA (just to give a few examples).
There was nothing homophobic found within 86 pages (though I doubt they'd have swayed from the only-two-genders argument), so that's also a plus, I suppose. At present day, the Episcopal church is one of the more Conservative ONA denominations in some churches, although my fiancé found some Episcopal churches that were watered down and even an Episcopal cathedral that was surprisingly not ONA, and there's also a modern book called "Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices" by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe that seemed to reflect the more liberal/watered down churches. At least you can still find more Conservative churches within the denomination.
4 stars.
Compiled together, this is basically a love letter (with some tough-ish love added) to anyone wishing to be a preacher. To sum it up: basically, a good preacher always actually preaches about Christ without watering anything down. What's interesting is this book's original release year. One can't help but compare the watered-down jargon of the day that McIlvaine and Surgeon were speaking against to the watered-down jargon of modern-day life (review written 12-31-2022). I also can't help but wonder what these two men would say about and how they would react to today's watered down churches like PCUSA and the open and affirming (ONA) side of the ELCA (just to give a few examples).
There was nothing homophobic found within 86 pages (though I doubt they'd have swayed from the only-two-genders argument), so that's also a plus, I suppose. At present day, the Episcopal church is one of the more Conservative ONA denominations in some churches, although my fiancé found some Episcopal churches that were watered down and even an Episcopal cathedral that was surprisingly not ONA, and there's also a modern book called "Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices" by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe that seemed to reflect the more liberal/watered down churches. At least you can still find more Conservative churches within the denomination.
4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews