The mystery of preaching

by James Black

Preaching is the natural overflow of our religion. We have received good news, and we long to tell it to others. The reason and passion of preaching is that a great and wonderful thing has come into our lives in the love of God through Jesus, and we can find no rest until we tell the world.. Black's classic book on preaching, first published in 1924, remains a valuable guide for ministers and students of theology. Originally delivered as a series of lectures the book covers the many facets of preaching from choice of subject, through the hard work involved in careful preparation, to the importance of delivery. The final chapters are devoted to the planning of worship and the conduct of services. Preaching, as the title implies, is not the art of following prescribed rules. There is always an element of mystery, bound up with the greater mystery of personality.

169 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2002

Reviews

[Randy Corn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has what may be a unique distinction. It was the “James Sprunt Lectures” at Union Seminary and the “Warrick Lectures” in Scotland. I think that says that James Black must have been thought of as the preacher’s preacher of the 1920s. I have to say that it made for interesting reading.

The chapters cover the sorts of things one might expect in a book about preaching or better the ministerial preparation for it. The author is quite a good communicator, though his style is a bit dated.

It was interesting to me to see what he had to say about worship, since that is currently a hot topic. I don’t think there would be much that he said on that subject that would all that controversial today. I do wonder how it was received in 1924. I suppose the part of the book that I most enjoyed were the hints that he gave about his view of the Bible. I wonder if he had embraced the “higher critical” school of that day. If so, he displays the optimism of many of that day. Either they had not yet worked out all the implications of what they believed or that had faith that sooner or later someone would.

It is also interesting to read his remarks about prayer. He advocates writing out one’s prayers but not reading them in the service. In fact, he says that one ought to work as hard on the composition of a prayer as one does on his sermon. I had to wonder what sort of affect it would have on my prayers to do so.

I fully intend to recommend this book to others. I know it is long out of print, but it may well be available as an ebook.

[Brian]

Loved his wisdom! He displays knowledge of not only Biblical Preaching but also Philosophy and Literature and this comes across in His exhortation.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm inclined to give the book 3.5 stars. It's a good book, but there are much better now available. The eight chapters correspond to a series of lectures given by Black, first in Glasgow and then Virginia. The first six chapters address various aspects of preaching. It's all good stuff and sometimes quite inspiring, but Black doesn't go as deep as many of the other better books now available. Black often discusses the problems faced by preachers and the church. He was writing over ninety years ago, but the problems he describes are the same ones we have today and which we often think are new to our generation. The last two chapters address the subjects of worship and prayer. As a clergyman in the Free Church of Scotland Black shows his investment in "free" and extempore worship. The historical background he offers in discussing the Early Church is off. Even ninety years ago historians knew better. Most of what Black discusses regarding worship and prayer relate to expository and "free" forms, but some of the material is still relevant to those of us who worship and pray liturgically. Most of the general principles he discusses apply across the board. The short section of selection of hymns is definitely worth a read.

[David Cowpar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book, though mostly because it was written in 1923 and my dad made notes in it in 1978 and I was reading it in 2015. Fascinating to see the different emphasises we all have and what's changed now in comparison with those other two periods of time!

Worth a read to see how the landscapes of preaching and what's important and the important issues in preaching have changed over the last (almost) 100 years!