Category Archives: Preaching

Preachers should be like naughty children

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

I think good preachers should be like bad kids. They ought to be naughty enough to tiptoe up on dozing congregations, steal their bottles of religion pills…and flush them all down the drain. The church, by and large, has drugged … Continue reading →

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Dangerous Preachers

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

Because the underlying theological influence of most emergent theology (even though its advocates rarely know it) is Karl Barth, the written Word of God is debased in favor of the living Christ of the Word (a false dichotomy). As a … Continue reading →

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Change in Church and the “Religious People” Bogeyman

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

Demonizing opponents is (unfortunately) a common practice in churches where the leadership is making sweeping changes that are opposed by some in the congregation. Those who oppose the changes, the pastor tells the congregation, are just like the Pharisees in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching | Leave a comment

Metaphor: The Language of Discovery and Invention

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

What is metaphor? Aristotle defined it as giving some “thing” a name that belongs to something else. The “thing” is called the metaphor’s “target” and the “something else” from which it takes a name is its “source.” Like the etymology … Continue reading →

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Metaphor, Part 2: The Pin-Prick of Metaphor

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

In his book, I is an Other, James Geary recounts the story of Édouard Claparède, a Swiss neurologist who studied patients with neurological damage who could not recall old memories. One of his patients had completely lost her short-term memory. … Continue reading →

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The Place of Metaphor in Thinking, Writing, and Preaching, Part 1

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

I am the Good Shepherd. I am the Door. I am the Bread of Life. How often would I have gathered you under my wings. My beloved is a bouquet of flowers. I have fought a good fight. Metaphor is … Continue reading →

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Preachers, Know When to Quit!

Posted on September 22, 2010 by

There are few things more disheartening as a congregant than hearing a forty minute preacher preach for fifty minutes, a thirty minute preacher preach for forty minutes, or a twenty minute preacher preach for thirty minutes.  Somehow, that last ten … Continue reading →

Posted in Church History, Preaching | 4 Comments

Is Revivalism Good for the Church? In a Word, No.

Posted on September 17, 2010 by

What role do revivalism, evangelists, emotional altar calls, crisis decisions, etc. have in a church dedicated to faithful preaching? According to Kevin Bauder, none. And I agree. Bauder is the president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, MN, near … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Church History, Preaching, The Church | 5 Comments

The Value of Systematic Theology to Pastors

Posted on September 14, 2010 by

Pastors are busy. I know; I was one. They hardly have time to prepare their sermons every week while at the same time visiting, counseling, planning, fixing, etc. Ask most pastors what good theology books they’ve read recently and you’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Theology | 3 Comments

A Sure Sign of Unbelief: Keeping the Bible Out of the Hands of People

Posted on June 30, 2010 by

Ever since the Reformation put the Bible into the hands of everyman, opponents of the truth have decried the availability of the Bible to be read and understood by more than just an elite clergy. The pre-Reformation scholar William Tyndale … Continue reading →

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