Homiletical Handbook

James L. Heflin  |  Southwestern Journal of Theology Vol. 36 - Spring 1994

Homiletical Handbook. By Donald L. Hamilton. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992. 207 pages. Paper, $14.95.  

Everything you need to know about homiletics in one volume? Not quite. Hamilton, by design, does not treat the personal life of the preacher or the subject of delivery. He does, however, “dwell on homiletics” (Introduction) and intends that his book serve as an introduction to homiletics. He justifies another entry into the field by suggesting that, although we have numerous texts on the subjects, the number of helpful volumes is few. Thus he alienates some readers, especially authors of homiletics texts, from the first page. Perhaps he could have suggested that he, too, would like to offer help.  

The book is divided into three parts: “Understanding Our Homiletical Task,” “Developing Our Homiletical Techniques,” and “Using Our Homiletical Treasury.” Parts One and Two are predictable, containing material found in most of the other texts which he finds not very helpful. Part Three is stronger; it deals with the matter of how to preach from the various genres found in the Bible. This section, along with the bibliography, increases the value of the book and makes it worthwhile reading. Promotional notes on the back cover speak of “three appendixes dealing with variety in preaching, the sermon proposition, and sermon illustrations,” but they did not appear in the copy this reviewer received.  

Category: Journal Article
Tags:


Share This Article:  

Southwestern Journal of Theology
To download full issues and find more information on the Southwestern Journal of Theology, go to swbts.edu/journal.