We Preach

Holds Paul up as a model of faithful and effective preaching to help pastors and seminarians evaluate their own preaching.

In June of 2012, an astounding 360 people gathered at the University of Notre Dame for a major conference on Catholic preaching. With contributions by a wide variety of theologians and practitioners, We Preach Christ Crucified gathers the fruits of those days spent reflecting on the importance of the preaching ministry. Its release is timely, given the US bishops' promulgation of a new document on preaching, Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily (January, 2013), and the renewed emphasis on preaching by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. The challenges facing Christian preachers in our time are many and formidable ones. The authors in this collection take a fresh look at the task, the resources at hand, the contemporary context, and the preacher. The result is a refreshing and stunningly hopeful reconsideration of an ancient ministry. We Preach Christ Crucified includes essays by: Robert Barron Archbishop Robert J. Carlson John C. CavadiniArchbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS Mary Catherine Hilkert, OPJan Michael Joncas Barbara E. Reid, OP Michael E. Connors, CSC, ThD, is a pastoral theologian and teacher of homiletics on the faculty of the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame, where he also directs the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics. He is the author of Inculturated Pastoral Planning: The U.S.Hispanic Experience (Gregorian University Press, 2001).

It is my desire, through the writing of The Gospel We Preach, to bring an exposition of the different aspects and truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Preaching may take many different forms, whether from the church pulpit or in more relaxed environments in coffee bars or small groups. Water can come in various containers, but it is still water! The Gospel can be presented in various ways, but it must still be the Gospel that eventually leads to genuine repentance to life. It is a love story of God seeking to bring a lost world back into relationship with Himself. It is a plan that called for the greatest sacrifice the universe has ever seen. It is the Gospel of God's grace and love that offers every living soul the opportunity to step out of spiritual darkness and death into the abundant life of Christ. This book will take you on a journey through the great truths of salvation that every believer needs to understand. To become a disciple and fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, it is vitally important to understand who we are in Christ and how this new life He offers really transforms. The Gospel We Preach can be given to those who may not as yet come to faith in Christ, and it will be a great resource for all believers, whether new to the faith or have been serving God for many years. For those who aspire to become preachers and those who have perhaps been serving the Lord in ministry for many years, my prayer is that this book will inspire you to preach the Gospel with all its amazing love, passion, and power. The book is illustrated with some personal testimony and some amusing incidents. May you be blessed as you read The Gospel We Preach.

Through hymns, poems, and the lens of personal experience, a leading spiritual director and author takes a thoughtful, in-depth look at the Cross as a focal point for theology, spirituality, Christian symbolism, and discipleship, providing a probing and disturbing resource for group study during Lent.

Let the Legends Preach celebrates the past and current legends of black preaching through preserving the sermons that they preached at the Annual E. K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference. The twenty-four preachers honored in this book received the Living Legend Award for Excellence in Preaching on account of ministries that impacted hundreds of thousands of people across the nation and around the world. Not only does this book lift up preachers that are familiar to so many, names belonging to the great cloud of witnesses in black preaching over the last fifty years, but it also introduces a new generation of preachers to their powerful stories and homiletical wisdom. Each chapter offers readers short biographical sketches on the life and ministry of the preachers that were honored followed by the sermon that they preached or the lecture that they delivered at the annual conference.

Many preachers ignore preaching from the Old Testament because they feel it is outdated in light of the New Testament and difficult to expound. On the other hand, some preachers will preach from the Old Testament frequently but fail to handle it correctly, turning it into moralistic rules or symbolic lessons for our spiritual life. In How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth, Christopher J. H. Wright proclaims that preachers must not ignore the Old Testament. It is the Word of God! The Old Testament lays the foundation for our faith and it was the Bible that Jesus read and used. Looking first at why we should preach from the Old Testament, the author moves on to show the reader how they can preach from it. Covering the History, Law, Prophets, Psalms, and Wisdom Literature, interspersed with practical checklists, exercises, and sermons, Wright provides an essential guide on how to handle the Old Testament responsibly.

In Preaching Christ from Daniel Sidney Greidanus shows preachers and teachers how to prepare expository messages from the six narratives and four visions in the book of Daniel. Using the most up-to-date biblical scholarship, Greidanus addresses foundational issues such as the date of composition, the author(s) and original audience of the book, its overall message and goal, and various ways of preaching Christ from Daniel. Throughout his book Greidanus puts front and center God's sovereignty, providence, and coming kingdom. Each chapter contains building blocks for constructing expository sermons and lessons, including useful information on the context, themes, and goals of each literary unit links between Daniel and the New Testament how to formulate the sermon theme and goal contemporary application and much more!