In Defense of the Ass: Is the Sermon a "Relic of the Reformation?"

This is the first half of Mike Glodo's article, the second of which will come later in the week ~ Editor.

Recently I was presented with a question about preaching. "Given that contemporary communication studies show that people learn better with a Q&A format, should we abandon the traditional form of the sermon?" The stated premise behind the question was that the sermon form as we know it is a "relic of the Reformation" for which there is no biblical sanction.

This is a great question because it puts to test the kinds of things I teach my students about preaching, challenging them to apply the biblical principles that underlie preaching to answer a contemporary question. And this is not a question entirely foreign to my thinking, having published on the subject of postmodernism and worship some twenty years ago and having taught preaching at the seminary level the majority of my ministry.[1] Keep reading

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