The following article is the first of a series of articles by the preaching faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where a faculty member reviews a recent book they have read and shares its importance for preachers. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Pu... Read More »

Preaching has many roles. Preaching can fulfill the purposes of teaching, evangelism, discipleship, or a multitude of other functions. However, the preacher has a responsibility in his preaching that is often overlooked. The preacher has a duty to shepherd his... Read More »

Few times in the history of the Christian church have God’s people been more serious about spiritual maturity than the age of the Puritans (c. 1550–c. 1700). Part of the reason so many people embraced spiritual maturity during this time was because of the ... Read More »

The Puritan “plain style of preaching” is generally organized into three main parts: exegesis, doctrine, and uses (or application). While there is much to be gleaned from our Puritan forebears’ emphasis on interpreting a passage and unlocking the doctrin... Read More »

I must confess. When I think about the word “worship,” the first thing on my mind is singing.  To be honest, I do not know why it does, I guess it is just a product of my upbringing; there was worship, and then there was preaching. I mean, it said so in t... Read More »

William Perkins despised ostentatious sermons.  Messages which seemed to be delivered in order to attract attention or impress listeners.  Perkins, a Cambridge-educated English cleric and theologian, was one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in... Read More »

As we, for a moment, gaze back into the history of Puritan preaching, it is clear that Puritan preaching affirmed that all biblical doctrine assuredly points to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. J.I. Packer, when writing on the Puritans, noted that “Doctr... Read More »

The Puritans viewed the pulpit as a place that always needed both light and heat. Light came from the Word of God to push back the darkness in a heart and soul. Heat was the passion exuding from the heart and the soul of the preacher. It was a hot May Sunday n... Read More »

This phrase, “light and heat,” can bring a lot of things to mind. For some, it sounds like the product of a secret military weapon. For others, it is a fitting description of Superman’s laser eyesight, which can melt steel like a popsicle. Yet for others... Read More »

The great puritan pastor-theologian John Owen gave  a pastoral charge to a young man entering the ministry, “The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the word.” This quote by Owen reinforces the idea that for ... Read More »