Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Viking, 2015).
I am a preacher, but I have a hard time listening to most
sermons. I have learned over the years that I end up being frustrated or disappointed
when I listen to most preachers speak to congregations on Sunday mornings.
Often I am disappointed by the lack of biblical exposition and depth, and every
now and then I am offended by the trite manner the Bible and its truths are
handled.
Maybe I am too picky. Maybe I am a bit of an elitist when
it comes to good sermons and what they ought to do. But I do know I have a
conviction that handling the Scriptures for congregations and communities is a
big deal and it demands hard work and prayer. Even though some pastors often
sound like second-rate stand up comedians when they talk there is nothing silly
about what we do when we preach.
If you are a pastor and you are not learning at least one
or two things from Timothy Keller, let this book on preaching be your starting
point. Having preached for decades in the spiritual clay of the north eastern
United States and many of those in the middle of Manhattan, he has a lot to
offer pastors on the ins and outs of effectively preaching the gospel to our
culture. His book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, is
broken into three sections where he addresses “Serving the Word,” “Reaching the
People,” and “In Demonstration of Spirit and Power.”
Keller makes one thematic point a few times in the book
in a few ways: the preacher’s job is to be simultaneously faithful to Scripture
and to God’s people. To that end he does a wonderful job defending the
centrality of expository preaching, discussing how to make us of the whole of
Scripture to preach the gospel and Jesus Christ, preach to a post-Christian
culture, and providing an insightful outline of what it means to preach from
the heart and to the heart. As a Pentecostal I find it ironic that the shortest
portion of the book has to do with preaching in the power of the Spirit, but
there is still much to commend in that he says.
I do not think I exaggerate if I say that almost every
preacher would do good to read this book and put much of it into practice. As
with all texts on preaching and communication there will be suggestions that do
not fit everyone’s gifts and personality (and Keller recognizes that), but
there are still plenty of marvelous and effective principles contained in each
section. If you have not paid attention
to your craft in a while, or if you have spent too much time trying to sound
like the guys and gals on TV, this book is a must.
If you find my comments helpful, please say so on Amazon.
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