Persuasive Preaching


Book Description

Michael Dudit, executive editor of Preaching Magazine, writes in the foreword that "the reader will find in this book a valuable discussion of what persuasion really is, what the Bible has to say about it, how it is modeled in the New Testament, and what role persuasion should and should not play in our own preaching in the twenty-first century. The author has provided solid biblical content and practical guidance that will be a powerful resource for preachers and church leaders. He writes with clarity and--dare I say it?--persuasive power. I hope you will be as blessed by this book as I have been."




The Persuasive Preacher


Book Description

How can we preach persuasively without huckstering, manipulating, or coercing people? Sadly, we are seeing the fall of many pastors not for reasons of sexual immorality, but the pursuit of pride and power. The skillful use of marketing methods creates celebrity pastors who become significant influencers in the evangelical church. The lure of success is seductive, turning pastors into hucksters and Christians into consumers. We need to heed the warnings of the New Testament about the pride of rhetoric and the pursuit of power. David Christensen carefully analyzes the biblical warnings of Paul about the temptations of rhetorical sophistry in the first-century church and applies them to pastoral ministry today. God calls preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders. David develops an ethical grid for pastoral persuasion using principles drawn from the Bible and social science along with practical illustrations from his years of ministry. He calls preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders by emphasizing the centrality of the word of God while depending on the power of the Spirit of God.




The Handbook of Oratory


Book Description




Passion in the Pulpit


Book Description

Biblical exegesis doesn’t stop with the words alone. Faithful preachers exegete the emotion of the text as well. It’s easy to let our own personalities dictate the emotional dimension of our sermons, but the best preachers mirror the Bible’s emotive intent in their sermons. In Passion in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and Adam Dooley will teach you how to exegete not just the verbal content of Scripture, but its emotional appeal as well. They show you the role the Bible’s emotional intent should play in each stage of sermon prep, and: Offer exegetical steps to discern the biblical pathos Teach you how to avoid manipulation while making your sermons emotional Help you determine the appropriate limitations of emotional appeal Give you verbal, vocal, and visual techniques to help convey the biblical emotional intent in your sermons When we elevate the Bible’s emotional intent above our own, we preach truth rather than personality.







Herman Bavinck on Preaching and Preachers


Book Description

Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) is widely celebrated as one of the most eloquent divines in the Reformed tradition. And yet there is a curious gap between Bavinck the theologian and the preachers who read him in the present day. How Bavinck preached, or what and how he thought about the act of preaching, are largely unknown. The largest barrier is that his writings on preaching were previously untranslated--until now. Herman Bavinck on Preaching & Preachers is a welcome translation from Dutch of Bavinck's thoughts on preaching and preachers, and includes one of his only written sermons. For Bavinck, the sermon was the most important part of the worship service, and the preaching of the word is the decisive mark of the church. He believed that the preacher must be a student of the word, search it in all its riches and depth, in its unity and diversity. Translator and editor James Eglinton describes this book as a "useful and very interesting text on how to preach theology" and a "message that sorely needs to be heard if pulpits during our own time are to improve." This is the first time this book is in print. Herman Bavinck on Preaching & Preachers has never been published before in either Dutch or English.




The Preacher's Manual


Book Description




The Preacher as Storyteller


Book Description

The Preacher as Storyteller takes a skills-development approach to its timely homiletics topic. In short, author Austin B. Tucker reasons that “You can greatly improve your preaching by sharpening storytelling skills . . . A story can touch the latch spring of the heart to let the life-changing gospel come in.” To that end, he focuses upon the art of narrative and how it is used in the Bible (particularly by Jesus) and profiles great preachers throughout history and into today who have displayed a great gift for effective storytelling in their ministry.







The Genuine Article


Book Description

Dividing his work into 24 essays with sections on "New Englanders," "Southerners," and "Revolutionaries," Morgan examines the history of the American colonies from the arrival of the first settlers in 1607 to the radical changes brought forth by the American Revolution.