On Preaching: Two Articles

Is Preaching Really Foolishness?

I once asked a number of people which verses came to mind when they thought about preaching. I had already gone to one of the concordances and looked up verses where the English words preaching, preacher, or preach occur, and I found that, even in these cases, which do not reflect all occurrences of the Greek and Hebrew root words (these are also translated “proclaim,” “make known,” “speak,” and so on), there are 150 verses. But when I began to ask my question, people referred again and again to one verse, 1 Corinthians 1:21, which says, “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

I think that says something about the way many people regard what they hear coming from the pulpit. They think of it as foolishness. In the minds of many, the content of preaching, and perhaps even the delivery of the sermon itself, is a very foolish thing. Keep reading

Preaching through Bible has risks, pastors say

Preaching straight through the Bible has its risks, pastors acknowledged in a panel discussion held during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Panelists urged a balance between verse-by-verse explanation and sermons on specific topics at a June 16 breakfast meeting sponsored by The Gospel Project, a curriculum series of LifeWay Christian Resources.

Many pastors believe tackling Scripture verse by verse from the pulpit is the only acceptable approach, said moderator Ed Stetzer, general editor of The Gospel Project.

But that view may be different from the pews, the four panelists agreed. Continuity is broken if people don't attend every service -- and "I can guarantee you during football season you're going to have people who are there every third Sunday," said Chip Henderson, pastor at Pinelake Church in Jackson, Miss.

A lengthy series of sermons can leave newcomers "feeling like they're catching the movie in the middle," said H.B. Charles Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.

Most important, Stetzer said, a demand for expository preaching may discourage pastors in developing countries who lack the academic training to analyze every verse.

"We live in a world that needs a lot more serious expository preaching," Stetzer said. "But when we hold this out as a norm across all cultures and times -- a biblical principle that must be done -- we impose a foreign model that is not found in Scripture." Keep reading