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Studies in Baptist Life and Thought
John A. Broadus: A Living Legacy
John A. Broadus (1827-1895) was a founding faculty member and the second president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He preached to Robert E. Lee’s army during the Civil War and later wrote the enduring classic, A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. A. T. Robertson called him "one of the finest fruits of modern Christianity." Charles Spurgeon deemed him the "greatest of living preachers." A. H. Newman described Broadus as "perhaps the greatest man the Baptists have produced."
Indeed, the legacy of Broadus lives on today, reflecting a model author, teacher, preacher, scholar, seminary leader, and denominational statesman. This timely new biography, a collection of ten independently contributed chapters that address his work from various angles, presents Broadus as a shining example of balance, careful thinking, and biblical faithfulness in a season when Southern Baptists are seeking to re-establish a new consensus and move forward in the twenty-first century.
- GenresBiographyChurch History
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2013
Broadus is largely an unknown to many Baptists, which is a shame. Overshadowed by James P. Boyce perhaps, he is not as well remembered as he ought to be. Like most volumes where each chapter is written by a different author, this book had some weak chapters amid the strong ones.
This book stands as the first (I believe) in a series called "Studies in Baptist Life and Thought" which I have come to greatly enjoy. The volume on Adoniram Judson is very well done and the one on Andrew Fuller is simply outstanding.
More than once this book indicated that a major, critical biography of Broadus still waits to be written. Reading this book will will leave you wondering who will write it, and when.
This book stands as the first (I believe) in a series called "Studies in Baptist Life and Thought" which I have come to greatly enjoy. The volume on Adoniram Judson is very well done and the one on Andrew Fuller is simply outstanding.
More than once this book indicated that a major, critical biography of Broadus still waits to be written. Reading this book will will leave you wondering who will write it, and when.
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January 28, 2015John A Broadus: A Living Legacy
Edited by David S. Dockery and Roger D. Duke
This new biography was written in 2008, so it is not “new” but is most recent. John Broadus (1827-1895) was one of the founders of Southern Seminary and was a preacher, author, and seminary professor. Most students today would know him as the author of one of the most enduring textbooks on homiletics, Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, first published in 1870. Broadus once met Charles Spurgeon, who later wrote, “I was delighted to see Dr. J.A. Broadus. His book is invaluable.” Second only to that volume was his commentary on Matthew in An American Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Alvah Hovey, in 1886. In this volume Dockery and Duke present ten chapters by various authors covering Broadus’ life and works, including a chapter by Dockery, “John A. Broadus and His Influence on A.T. Robertson and Southern Baptist Life.” Much of the volume is a tribute to Broadus as a founder of the seminary, preacher and author, and statesman. Some interesting facts about Broadus are: that he sat under William McGuffey at the U. of Virginia where Broadus later taught; that he was father-in-law to A.T. Robertson; that he led to the Lord and baptized missionary Lottie Moon; that he was asked personally by General Stonewall Jackson to preach to the troops on several occasions; that he taught himself German, French, Spanish, Italian, Gothic, Coptic, and modern Greek; that he delivered the Lyman Beecher Lecture series (on preaching!) at Yale University in 1889; and that “Thomas Armitage, a nineteenth-century Baptist historian and pastor, published A History of the Baptists in 1887 that featured an embossed image of John Broadus on the cover.”
Some of my favorite remarks recorded in the book are: “If I were asked what is the first thing in effective preaching, I should say sympathy; and what is the second thing, I should say sympathy; and what is the third thing, sympathy;” “We have heard fears expressed lest the pulpit should die of dignity; but that is no reason why it should be murdered by irreverence;” “Robertson, who knew something about the value of historical insight, remarked at Broadus’ memorial service that his father-in-law ‘was fond of saying that history was the noblest of all human studies.’”
see my website for more book reviews
Edited by David S. Dockery and Roger D. Duke
This new biography was written in 2008, so it is not “new” but is most recent. John Broadus (1827-1895) was one of the founders of Southern Seminary and was a preacher, author, and seminary professor. Most students today would know him as the author of one of the most enduring textbooks on homiletics, Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, first published in 1870. Broadus once met Charles Spurgeon, who later wrote, “I was delighted to see Dr. J.A. Broadus. His book is invaluable.” Second only to that volume was his commentary on Matthew in An American Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Alvah Hovey, in 1886. In this volume Dockery and Duke present ten chapters by various authors covering Broadus’ life and works, including a chapter by Dockery, “John A. Broadus and His Influence on A.T. Robertson and Southern Baptist Life.” Much of the volume is a tribute to Broadus as a founder of the seminary, preacher and author, and statesman. Some interesting facts about Broadus are: that he sat under William McGuffey at the U. of Virginia where Broadus later taught; that he was father-in-law to A.T. Robertson; that he led to the Lord and baptized missionary Lottie Moon; that he was asked personally by General Stonewall Jackson to preach to the troops on several occasions; that he taught himself German, French, Spanish, Italian, Gothic, Coptic, and modern Greek; that he delivered the Lyman Beecher Lecture series (on preaching!) at Yale University in 1889; and that “Thomas Armitage, a nineteenth-century Baptist historian and pastor, published A History of the Baptists in 1887 that featured an embossed image of John Broadus on the cover.”
Some of my favorite remarks recorded in the book are: “If I were asked what is the first thing in effective preaching, I should say sympathy; and what is the second thing, I should say sympathy; and what is the third thing, sympathy;” “We have heard fears expressed lest the pulpit should die of dignity; but that is no reason why it should be murdered by irreverence;” “Robertson, who knew something about the value of historical insight, remarked at Broadus’ memorial service that his father-in-law ‘was fond of saying that history was the noblest of all human studies.’”
see my website for more book reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews