Text-Driven Blog
Learning to Preach from John Broadus
John Albert Broadus (1827–1895) is, as my preaching professor Dr. Matthew McKellar has said, the granddaddy of text-driven preaching. He had experience as a Greek and Latin tutor as well as a pastor. He also had pastoral experience as a chaplain, albeit sadl... Read More »
Learning to Preach from D. L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody was born February 5th, 1837 in East Northfield, Massachusetts. His father died suddenly at the age of forty-one when Moody was just four years old. He was one of nine children, in a family left in poverty, with little or no opportunity for e... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Jonathan Edwards: The Preacher as a Burning and Shining Light
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), the great colonial American pastor and theologian, is generally not known as a great preacher. Rumor has it that he seldom made eye-contact with his audience; if he wasn’t reading his sermon manuscript he would stare off towar... Read More »
Learning to Preach from John Chrysostom
Few preachers in the early church are more widely celebrated than John Chrysostom. Not only does his name “Chrysostom,” or “Golden-Mouth”, capture the renown of his oratory skills, the simple fact that more of his sermons survive than any other preache... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Alexander Maclaren
How God uses who God uses is up to Him. I have long since given up bemoaning gifts God has not given me. Our job is simply to be faithful with what God has given us everywhere He may lead us. Have you ever marveled at God’s grace in your life? The story of... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The ministry of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) at Westminster Chapel in central London “was one of the greatest Christian phenomena of the 20th century.”[1]https://www.westminsterchapel.org.uk/ourhistory/. My awareness of Lloyd-Jones’ homiletical legacy le... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Charles Simeon
In the history of preaching, Charles Simeon is a name to remember. His view of preaching continues to influence modern homiletical thought in a dramatic fashion. Simeon was born in England in 1759, attended Cambridge and became pastor of Church of the Holy Tri... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Martin Luther King, Jr.
The black preacher has been called many things; he’s been called a poet, a sage, a prophet, and the political leader of his community. Black preachers have been the voice of both hope and despair in the struggle for Civil Rights. They are the expressions of ... Read More »
Learning to Preach from Charles Spurgeon
“Give the people something worth hearing and they will listen like a woman hearing a will read or a condemned man hearing his sentence given by the judge.” The man who said that was preaching to thousands weekly by the age of 21 and had already preached mo... Read More »
Preaching with Theological Clarity
The National Review carried an article recently which quoted Democratic National Committee Chairman, Tom Perez, complaining that voters are being “Influenced By The ‘Pulpit On Sunday.’” My initial response was “Hhmm … I hope so!” Fran... Read More »
Preaching with Rhetorical Flourish
There is an Arab proverb that says, “He is a good speaker who can turn an ear into an eye.” Good speakers and preachers use words as artists use brushes and paint. If you would persuade, portray. Don’t merely present a truth, picture it. The Bible says t... Read More »
Preaching that Forges the Church’s Identity
My pastor and mentor in the ministry told me, “Always put some of the cookies on the bottom shelf.” I tell my own students, “One goal is for the kindergarten kid to be able to tell mommy and daddy at lunch exactly what your sermon was about.” Clarity i... Read More »
