The Imperative Of Preaching

Believing that preaching remains of vital importance today, John Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. He sees in the Bible a sacred rhetoric which the apostles and prophets, and Christ himself, used to awaken, move and persuade their hearers. While depending on the power of the Spirit, the preacher should not neglect any help which Scripture affords. Sacred rhetoric is based essentially on statements and commands (called in grammar the indicative and the imperative), which, together with exclamations and questions, are of immense significance in the preaching of the Word.

Believing that preaching remains of vital importance today, John Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. He sees in the Bible a sacred rhetoric which the apostles and prophets, and Christ himself, used to awaken, move and persuade their hearers. While depending on the power of the Spirit, the preacher should not neglect any help which Scripture affords. Sacred rhetoric is based essentially on statements and commands (called in grammar the indicative and the imperative), which, together with exclamations and questions, are of immense significance in the preaching of the Word. Abundant examples from Scripture and from the preaching of such men as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, Asahel Nettleton and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, demonstrate Carrick's case. Insisting on the critical importance of applying, as well as explaining, the truth of Scripture, Carrick provides an effective critique of redemptive-historical preaching, arguing that this approach seriously neglects the application of the Word of God.

Recent years have seen a number of high profile scholars converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy while a trend in the laity expresses an eclectic hunger for tradition. The status and role of confessions stands at the center of the debate within evangelicalism today as many resonate with the call to return to Christianity's ancient roots. Carl Trueman offers an analysis of why creeds and confessions are necessary, how they have developed over time, and how they can function in the church of today and tomorrow. He writes primarily for evangelicals who are not particularly confessional in their thinking yet who belong to confessional churches—Baptists, independents, etc.—so that they will see more clearly the usefulness of the church's tradition.

“I am a pastor. I preach. Doesn’t that make me a pastoral preacher?” Not necessarily. Many preach missional rather than pastoral sermons designed to appeal to the unchurched, not the churched. The popularity of regional churches and the global reach of the internet allow preachers to focus their sermons on people they do not know and market a message to an audience they never see. Evangelical leaders produce many resources on attractional preaching, but who is developing a vision for pastoral preaching? David Christensen draws on years of experience to develop a philosophy of pastoral preaching. He writes, “Social media changes the way we preach. More and more pastors are preaching clickbait sermons. These are sermons designed to get clicks or attract interest rather than teach truth. We want catchy titles and clever analogies that will grab people’s attention because the digital world is built on attention, whatever will get likes or drive outrage.” However, pastoral preaching builds community. It is rooted in local soil to the people we know in the place we live. We need a philosophy of preaching that shepherds a community of disciples who worship together in one place.

As part of his passion to bring glory to God, Ernie Klassen is particularly interested in the revival of God’s people and the awakening of the lost. He believes strongly that God-honoring, Christ-exalting, and Spirit-empowered preaching plays a critical role in revival and awakening. No one models this dynamic better than Jonathan Edwards. He was a pastor who was a protagonist of the First Great Awakening. He thought deeply and critically about religious movements, and his reflections and sermons provide valuable “fodder” for reflection. Revival Preaching extracts the most important lessons of Edwards’s writings and sermons for preaching in today’s world.

Those who preach have been called to deliver the truth, and must do so with a conviction that every truth demands a response. J. Josh Smith aims to start a conversation about the role of exhortation in preaching. With emphasis on the biblical and theological foundation for exhortation, and attention to how exhortation is used in both Old and New Testaments, Smith makes a compelling argument that preaching must include both explanation and exhortation. Preaching for a Verdict also provides practical steps to implement effective exhortation in preaching, and offers a variety of biblical models of exhortation to equip the reader to deliver the message of Christ with authority. Text-driven preaching demands text-driven exhortation.

William Perkins was a scholar, pastor, and faithful follower of Christ in a tumultuous time. He gave himself to the study of Scripture out of an abiding love for the glory of God among the people of Christ as well as for the training of future ministers in the doctrines of the faith. William Perkins’s works have greatly influenced Christendom in the centuries that have passed. He writes with a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart. This book examines William Perkins’s view of the biblical role of a pastor in the life of a local church in comparison and contrast to the viewpoints of the Reformers as well as others who proceeded after Perkins. The goal is to understand and evaluate William Perkins’s thought, from Holy Scripture, in light of biblical pastoral theology.

Many Christians share the assumption that preaching the word of God is at the heart of God's plans for the gospel in our age, that it is vital for the church's health, and that it is the central task of the pastor-teacher. Many helpful books on preaching are available. The vast majority are concerned with "how-to," but relatively few focus primarily on the character and theology of preaching according to Scripture. Two key, interrelated questions need to be addressed. First, is there such a thing as "preaching" that is mandated in the post-apostolic context—and, if there is, how is it defined and characterized? Second, how does post-apostolic "preaching" relate to the preaching of the Old Testament prophets and of Jesus and his apostles? In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume Jonathan Griffiths seeks answers to these questions in the New Testament. In Part One he gives an overview of the theology of the Word of God, surveys Greek terms related to preaching, and looks at teaching concerning the scope and character of other word ministries in the life of the church. In Part Two his exegetical studies concentrate on teaching that relates especially to the post-apostolic context. In Part Three he summarizes the exegetical findings, sets them within the context of biblical theology, and proposes a number of broader theological implications. Griffiths's accessible, scholarly investigation will be of value to scholars, pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship, and to point the way ahead.