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Plain Speaking
Although many books have been written about preaching and teaching, most of them are addressed to seminary-trained pastors. They're not aimed at the churches that don't use professionally schooled ministers. That's what is different about this book. The New Testament Christians had no seminaries, but raised up effective preachers and teachers. The Holy Spirit can use ordinary Christian men today to preach and teach just as He did back in the first century.
Plain Speaking takes the reader through all of the steps of developing and delivering effective sermons and devotional messages. Some of the topics covered Choosing the right topic
Building your sermon
Where to find illustrations
Organizing your material
Preparing rousing introductions and conclusions
Making eye contact with your listeners
Controlling speaker's fright
How to make your devotionals special
Pet peeves of listeners
Although packed with practice information, Plain Speaking is written in an easy-to-read, conversational style.
Plain Speaking takes the reader through all of the steps of developing and delivering effective sermons and devotional messages. Some of the topics covered Choosing the right topic
Building your sermon
Where to find illustrations
Organizing your material
Preparing rousing introductions and conclusions
Making eye contact with your listeners
Controlling speaker's fright
How to make your devotionals special
Pet peeves of listeners
Although packed with practice information, Plain Speaking is written in an easy-to-read, conversational style.
152 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 31, 2025
This short, straightforward volume is narrowly tailored for lay preachers, specifically those emerging from a conservative Anabaptist tradition. Measured against any mainstream text on homiletics or public speaking, Bercot's book appears breathtakingly insufficient. Yet, that is not its aim. Bercot has done a phenomenal job identifying his niche audience and addressing their needs with surgical precision. For this reason alone, I recommend it.
The Good: Precision and Practicality
Bercot provides excellent guidance on the necessity of preparation, considering one's audience, and the value of prayer. He somewhat idiosyncratically demonizes full manuscript preparation, instead urging reliance on a robust outline—a practice that may hold considerable value for his intended readership.
The Bad: Insularity and Gaping Omissions
As is common with Bercot's work, the text employs a strident anti-intellectualism. He vilifies scholars and theologians, dismissing their contributions as unnecessary compared to his brand of literal Bible reading under the Holy Spirit. This is perhaps best exemplified by his absurd claim that commentaries are unneeded because "they simply read the Scriptures and applied them literally and seriously" before the third century. This dismissal of "intellectualism" functions as a shibboleth for his conservative base.
Beyond the polemics, the book suffers from several substantial weaknesses:
* Expository Preaching is an Afterthought: Bercot largely dismisses expository preaching, leaving it to the "most seasoned" ministers.
* The Analogy of Conversation: His insistence that preaching is mere "organized, one-sided conversation" is a helpful fear-remover for some beginners, but it's an unhelpful, limiting analogy for a comprehensive approach to preaching.
* Doctrinal Assumptions: He assumes the use of the King James Version (KJV) and explicitly excludes women, declaring the book is for men only, since only men are called to preach or lead devotionals.
The Fatal Flaw: A Lack of Exegesis
Perhaps the most disconcerting failure is the utter lack of guidance on exegesis. Bercot leans on the assumption that most users will craft topical sermons (a glaring weakness in itself), encouraging them to bring their ideas to the text, rather than taking the meaning of the text into their hearts.
The closest he gets to instruction is a short, insufficient chapter offering guidance on using topical Bibles and concordances. There is virtually nothing on reading passages in context, determining authorial intent, or considering cultural concerns—all essential steps for faithful interpretation.
The Verdict
Gapping absences; idiosyncratic prescriptions; the outright rejection of women as Bible teachers; and an easy dismissal of scholarship. Why do I still recommend this book?
Because his audience needs it. I refuse to fault the book for being what it was never intended to be. I can only imagine positive results as his intended readership applies the core concepts offered here.
The greatest lack remains the absence of instruction on proper biblical interpretation. Those who use this book would be well-served to seek guidance on exegesis from other, less ideologically constrained sources. (NOT Bercot's earlier work, Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture. .) But, for this specific, insulated audience, I know of no other resource that is so perfectly tailored to their needs.
The Good: Precision and Practicality
Bercot provides excellent guidance on the necessity of preparation, considering one's audience, and the value of prayer. He somewhat idiosyncratically demonizes full manuscript preparation, instead urging reliance on a robust outline—a practice that may hold considerable value for his intended readership.
The Bad: Insularity and Gaping Omissions
As is common with Bercot's work, the text employs a strident anti-intellectualism. He vilifies scholars and theologians, dismissing their contributions as unnecessary compared to his brand of literal Bible reading under the Holy Spirit. This is perhaps best exemplified by his absurd claim that commentaries are unneeded because "they simply read the Scriptures and applied them literally and seriously" before the third century. This dismissal of "intellectualism" functions as a shibboleth for his conservative base.
Beyond the polemics, the book suffers from several substantial weaknesses:
* Expository Preaching is an Afterthought: Bercot largely dismisses expository preaching, leaving it to the "most seasoned" ministers.
* The Analogy of Conversation: His insistence that preaching is mere "organized, one-sided conversation" is a helpful fear-remover for some beginners, but it's an unhelpful, limiting analogy for a comprehensive approach to preaching.
* Doctrinal Assumptions: He assumes the use of the King James Version (KJV) and explicitly excludes women, declaring the book is for men only, since only men are called to preach or lead devotionals.
The Fatal Flaw: A Lack of Exegesis
Perhaps the most disconcerting failure is the utter lack of guidance on exegesis. Bercot leans on the assumption that most users will craft topical sermons (a glaring weakness in itself), encouraging them to bring their ideas to the text, rather than taking the meaning of the text into their hearts.
The closest he gets to instruction is a short, insufficient chapter offering guidance on using topical Bibles and concordances. There is virtually nothing on reading passages in context, determining authorial intent, or considering cultural concerns—all essential steps for faithful interpretation.
This is a devastating weakness. Even a topical preacher must carefully consider the passages he uses to ensure faithfulness to authorial intent and context. Bercot, perhaps drawing on his background as a lawyer, seems to assume this skill is innate, but I assure him it is not for most of his audience.
The Verdict
Gapping absences; idiosyncratic prescriptions; the outright rejection of women as Bible teachers; and an easy dismissal of scholarship. Why do I still recommend this book?
Because his audience needs it. I refuse to fault the book for being what it was never intended to be. I can only imagine positive results as his intended readership applies the core concepts offered here.
The greatest lack remains the absence of instruction on proper biblical interpretation. Those who use this book would be well-served to seek guidance on exegesis from other, less ideologically constrained sources. (NOT Bercot's earlier work, Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture. .) But, for this specific, insulated audience, I know of no other resource that is so perfectly tailored to their needs.
March 20, 2025
Practical
This is a very practical guide. It is a little light on exegesis but well worth the investment of time.
This is a very practical guide. It is a little light on exegesis but well worth the investment of time.
December 27, 2011
i guess it's mostly about the preaching sort of teaching. I like his other books better.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews