‘Preaching is the bringing of truth through personality,’ stated Phillips Brooks, the former rector of Trinity Church in Boston and later Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts who lived from 1835 to 1893, to the original listeners of his now famous lectures on preaching at Yale College.[1] Many preachers and homileticians have quoted his definition ever since. But what does it actually mean? Charles W. Fuller, pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky and adjunct professor of Expository Preaching at Boyce College of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, examines Brooks’ sermons, lectures, and writings in an attempt to find out exactly.

The author forthrightly states the main thesis of his book in its introduction: “This book assesses, from an evangelical perspective, Brooks’s [sic] classic definition of preaching as ‘truth through personality’ and, after pinpointing its substantial weaknesses, salvages the concept by reconstructing it with solidly evangelical doctrines (p. xviii).

Though Fuller claims to write as an evangelical, the non-Calvinistic reader soon begins to wonder with what form of evangelicalism does the author identify himself? Since he serves as an adjunct professor Boyce College of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, it seems safe to assume he alludes to those Calvinistic evangelicals who consider themselves the only true proclaimers of the pure unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. The Southern Baptist Seminary has become known in recent years as a bastion of high or five-point Calvinism. Since Brooks tended to lean away from high Calvinism, even to the point of questioning the teaching of what is now known as eternal security (a distinctive doctrine of the church Fuller pastors), this reviewer wonders if this is the reason Fuller accuses Brooks of unorthodoxy?

Over all, the book tends to be blatantly negative of Brooks, as the author frankly admits and laments. A major concern for Fuller is his belief that Brooks emphasized the importance of personality over truth. He alleges Brooks did so because of his less than evangelical theology, the influence of the teaching of evolution and higher criticism in his day, and his wide reading of philosophic Romantic literature. He especially takes exception to what he perceives as Brooks’ emphasis on Jesus’ example over His atonement.

Fuller contends three problems confront any academic study of Brooks: his popularity, his ambiguity, and his idealism (pp. xxi-xxii). Brooks was an immensely popular preacher in his day. By his own admission, Brooks felt he was at his best when he spoke in general rather than in specific terms.[2] And Brooks was a product of Romanticism to some extent with its emphasis on feelings over the facts of faith. But Fuller makes Brooks into more or less a liberal in his day. He does so by evaluating Brooks’ theology in four areas: biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism, and activism (to use Fuller’s own categories). He finds Brooks deficient on every evangelical scale he proposes. He never seems to give Brooks the benefit of the doubt. He apparently finds little, if anything, to admire in the man or his ministry, although many people in Brooks’ own day felt decidedly positive toward him.

For instance, Fuller often quotes what appear to be clear affirmations of evangelical theology by Brooks only to turn right around and explain them away. This unusual methodology gives the impression Brooks could not do or say anything right in the mind of Fuller.

No matter how many homiletic courses taken and sermons delivered, preachers are always looking to improve their sermons. Many times the pastor leaves the pulpit on Sunday and although many hours of prayer and study went into sermon preparation, he or she is not satisfied with the results.

One pastor commented, “We pray and study all week then when we stand behind the pulpit to proclaim God’s Holy Word we fumble and bumble.”

Although the minister’s library has many preaching titles they are always on the lookout for newly published books on the subject.

Preaching Points: 55 Tips For Improving Your Pulpit Ministry will be a welcome addition to a pastor’s already voluminous library.

This book contains nuggets of wonderful insights that will help the pastor in sermon preparation.

Preaching Points is written by professors of homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching at the seminary.

The contributors are respected professors of preaching including, The late Haddon W. Robinson, Jeffrey D. Arthurs, Patricia M. Batten, Scott M. Gibson (editor), and Matthew D. Kim.

Regarding clarity, Gibson writes, “The preacher has the responsibility to be clear to his or her listeners. If there were to be an eleventh commandment given to preachers it probably would be “Be clear”! (p.1)

The late Dr. Howard Hendricks, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary supports this point about being clear by saying, “A mist in the pulpit puts a fog in the pews.”[1]

Obviously, it is important to be clear, but what is the Big Idea?

Professor Robinson states the following:

We talk about the Big Idea at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The Big Idea is the dominant idea in your sermon. It’s made up by asking two questions: First, what is the author talking about? And second, what is the author saying about what he is talking about? (p. 3)

In his book, Biblical Preaching, Robinson devotes an entire chapter to the Big Idea. Clearly, this is an important part of sermon preparation and it behooves the pastor to heed his advice.

The Preaching Points listed in the book will certainly help the preacher to stay on track and keep the attention of his or her listeners. Outstanding chapters of note are: Sermon preparation is twenty hours of prayer; Feed my lambs, not my giraffes; In our preaching, less is more; Praise your listeners before correcting them; and Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

Although the preacher may be very familiar with the text and may have preached from it many times before, they should still soak themselves in the text.

One pastor who knows the importance of soaking oneself in the text shared that he reads his text 100 times.

The book does not provide notes or a bibliography, however, the experience of these leading scholars make up for it. Several books on preaching have been written by the contributors to this book.

The material shared is invaluable for sermon preparation. They are a fountain of information to assist the pastor in fulfilling Paul’s exhortation to pastors to “Preach the Word.”

This book may not be mentioned on lists of the best books for preachers, however, it will benefit the preacher to purchase a copy. It is a very easy read and very well-written. Grab your highlighter, you will want to return here many times to be refreshed.

Reviewed by Larry Russi

Publisher’s page: https://lexhampress.com/product/153980/preaching-points-55-tips-for-improving-your-pulpit-ministry

Notes

[1] “A Fog in the Pews” Moreland First Baptist Church

I enjoyed reading this book. It is written for teachers of homiletics, but pastors would also benefit from reading it. It is written by some of the leading homileticians from the Academy of Homiletics. Thomas Long who is one of the editors said, “the focal point of the book is on the substance of preaching”. It builds on the past and present literature of preaching and pin-points that preaching as an art that can be learned.

The field of homiletics is extensive and the editors must have had a difficult time in deciding what subjects should be addressed and by whom. However, all the writers believe in the importance of preaching. The first section deals with “preaching as a Christian practice”. The second section deals with the “various components of preaching”. The third section deals with “assessment and formation of preaching,” and the last section deals with “teaching a first year course in preaching, and places to find further help on the study of preaching.” I found the last two sections most helpful in assessing students of preaching, and the help that is offered from the Academy of Homiletics and the support that is offered from various schools and denominations. Assessing students of preaching is very difficult and the guidance provided by leading teachers and their various approaches to this challenging subject can help teachers to be more proficient. There is further need by senior homileticians to publish further works that provides more guidance for younger teachers of preaching.

Reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath

Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website. Later included in the Summer 2025 issue.

Karen L. Willoughby, “Space Force hymn writer inspired by ‘awe and wonder of God’” Baptist Press (July 3, 2024).

PneumaReview.com author Jim Linzey writes: “the Baptist Press has published this article, mentioning the New Tyndale Version (NTV) and the hymn I wrote. The Baptist Press has the largest readership in the world among Protestant publications.”

Image: Sarah Burvenich

Eugene Bach, “Pastor Dennis Balcombe Shares the Essential Element Needed for Revival” Back to Jerusalem (July 28, 2024).

Both Eugene Bach and Dennis Balcombe are PneumaReview.com authors. Search here for more on Revival.

PR

Danielle Treweek, “Will ‘Complementarianism’ Survive?: I want to continue to call myself a complementarian. But we need to reclaim the term” Christianity Today (March 18, 2024).

As appearing in the April 2024 issue of Christianity Today.

Gaby Viesca, “Egalitarianism Is More Than a PR Statement: Are churches moving to an egalitarian model truly embracing female leadership?” Christianity Today (March 18, 2024).

As appearing in the April 2024 issue of Christianity Today.

Gordon P. Hugenberger, “Complementarian at Home, Egalitarian at Church? Paul Would Approve: The biggest New Testament passages on gender roles may have more to do with marriage than ministry” Christianity Today (March 18, 2024).

As appearing in the April 2024 issue of Christianity Today.

John Stonestreet and Shane Morris, “Richard Dawkins, a ‘Cultural Christian’: You can’t have Christianity’s fruit without its root” Breakpoint (April 9, 2024).

Mark R. Fairchild and Jordan K. Monson, “Was Paul a Slave?: The surprising argument that Saul of Tarsus was born into bondage” Christianity Today (May/June 2024).

This cover story from Christianity Today offers historical and biblical evidence that has been convincing to non-English theologians and Bible scholars for over a hundred years. Will we read Paul differently if this is true, and if so, how?<< [seek cover image]

“Preaching and Pentecostalism panel discussion” CraigKeener.com (June 26, 2024).

This was a Panel discussion at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary posted to CraigKeener.com on June 26, 2024.

Rasool Berry, “For Christians, Juneteenth Is a Time of Jubilee: Observing Juneteenth as a national holiday affirms what we believe about our faith and our freedoms” Christianity Today (June 16, 2022).

PneumaReview.com Editor Raul Mock writes: “I would like to introduce you to my friend, Rasool Berry, and this terrific introduction to Juneteenth. Although this article was published in 2022, it should be evergreen until every follower of Jesus in the USA appreciates this holiday. Rasool was the host and narrator for the excellent, award-winning documentary, ‘Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom’ produced by Our Daily Bread Ministries and shown throughout the country on PBS.”

Here is another article on Juneteenth: John Mark Richardson, Sr., “Juneteenth: Through the Eyes of an African American Wesleyan Holiness Leader” Firebrand (June 18, 2024)

Image: Andrea Tummons

PR

“The Relatable Zeal of Puritan Women: They were extremely into religion without being extreme” Christianity Today (January 3, 2023).

Catherine Parks interviews Pneuma Review author Jenny-Lyn de Klerk about Puritan spirituality.

Max Lucado, “Help, Wisdom & Strength for You Right Now” Charisma (Jan-Feb 2023).

In this excerpt from Help Is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit (Thomas Nelson, 2022), Max Lucado describes his early struggles with burnout and how to move past four common misunderstanding about the gifts of the Spirit and keep growing.

From the archives: Tim Stafford, “The Pentecostal Gold Standard: After 50 years in ministry, Jack Hayford continues to confound stereotypes—all to the good” Christianity Today (July 2005).

John Lathrop suggested this significant article, the cover story from Christianity Today’s July 2005 issue, as another way of marking the passing of Jack Hayford.

Kyle Duncan, “Just Call Me Jack: Pastor Hayford’s heart, humility & authenticity allowed the Holy Spirit to shine through” Charisma (February 20, 2023).

Wolfgang Vondey, “Pentecostal Theology” St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (January 25, 2023).

Thanks to Rick Wadholm Jr for this recommendation by PneumaReview.com author Wolfgang Vondey. This entry includes recommended further reading and works cited.

Image: Jeremy Thomas

Craig Keener, “Opinion: What is Revival—and is it Happening at Asbury?” Roys Report (February 16, 2023).

John K. Jenkins Sr., “The Apostle Paul’s Secret to Preaching” Outreach (March 14, 2023).

“This article is adapted from a talk John K. Jenkins Sr., pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland, gave at the 2022 Amplify Outreach Conference.”

David Livermore, “Leadership Advice You Should Ignore” DavidLivermore.com (March 16, 2023).

Global pioneer in Cultural Intelligence, PneumaReview.com author David Livermore writes to business leaders, emphasizing principles that also speak to the world our parishioners live in: “So much advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is ill suited to leading in a digital, diverse world. It often includes kernels of truth; but if we’re committed to being an effective global leader, we need to rethink a lot of what passes as essential leadership advice …”

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, “Company that Trademarked ‘Worship Leader’ Makes Others Drop the Term” Christianity Today (March 20, 2023).

Subtitle of the article reads: “Popular meme accounts lose social media pages after being reported by Authentic Media, which says it coined the phrase.”

Stanford E. Linzey, Jr., “Is Speaking in Tongues Just Gibberish?” CharismaNews.com (March 25, 2023).

Does speaking in tongues seem foolish? The late Stanford Linzey wrote: “So when speaking in tongues, if it sounds foolish, silly or like gibberish, and one does not think it is a language, he should remember this: There is nothing one can utter that does not have meaning as far as God is concerned.”

PR

“There is no end to the writing of books” says the Preacher of Ecclesiastes; the same can be said about the writing of books about preaching.

Every year countless books are published on the subject of preaching. The preacher who is in the market for fresh editions will face the exciting task of which ones to choose.

Realizing that her preaching skills need to be sharpened, the pastor wonders whether she should purchase one of the classics that she has never read or take a chance on a recently published edition.

A slim book that she should consider as she contemplates the great responsibility that she has with preaching the Word of God is Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s Reading for Preaching, subtitled the preacher in conversation with storytellers, biographers, poets, and journalists.

Listed as one of the top ten best books for preachers for 2013 by Preaching Magazine, this a different type of a preaching book. http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11707451?page=10

Unlike the typical preaching text, there are no diagrams, outlines, or sermon illustrations. The reader will, however, come away with an insatiable urge to read and read some more.

Since reading is a very important part of the minister’s spiritual and intellectual growth and preachers are always looking for fresh new ideas for sermons and Bible studies, Plantinga advocates general reading to support ministry, believing that “a preacher is extremely likely to benefit from a program of general reading.”

To support his thesis, Plantinga mentions such diverse writers as Calvin, Nabokov, Orwell, Updike, and even Anne Lamott!

He also encourages a weekly visit to the website Arts and Letters Daily to “find out what the best journalists have been saying.”

Realizing the importance of wisdom needed in every area of preaching, Plantinga devotes three chapters on the subject—Whatever You Get, Get Wisdom; Wisdom on the Variousness of Life; and Wisdom on Sin and Grace.

Some notable pieces of advice from these chapters are:

“I recommend a reading program for preachers for lots of reasons, but chiefly because it will tend to make the preacher wise. It will give…substance” (73).

“God is great and God is good, but God is also elusive and unpredictable, and the preacher’s reading can help him see this.” (99).

“The wise preacher sticks with his reading program to become wise not only about the variousness of life, but also about some of the wonders within it. Naiveté is often the child of ignorance, but wonder is often the child of imagination” (102-103).

And from the interview listed above, “Reading wise writers is not recreation, it’s part of the preacher’s preparation to preach.”

This book is a page turner that reads like a novel; it leaves you hungry for more of the story. It will motive you to read and read some more. You will find yourself returning to it for motivation and inspiration.

Plantinga provides a selected reading list, which he states was chosen for “Imaginative Reading for Creative Preaching” Seminars which he hosted.

The list contains about 50 books and magazine articles of varying subjects—mostly secular—which will be appreciated by the reader. Book lovers, however, may be disappointed that the list is not longer.

Plantinga’s contribution is a welcome addition to any preacher’s library.

Reviewed by Larry Russi

Publisher’s page: http://www.eerdmans.com/Products/7077/reading-for-preaching.aspx

Preview: https://books.google.com/books/about/Reading_for_Preaching.html?id=TbC8AAAAQBAJ

Matti Wendelin: My ministry, Full Gospel for All Nations, was founded 1990 in Finland. I have been preaching the gospel since 1977. This is still a small ministry, but thanks to God we are wining many souls around the world, especially in Asia. My vision is to do mass crusades and I love when I see people being saved and healed. We often see that everyone attending our crusades wants to get saved.

PR: When did you sense that the Lord was calling you into ministry?

Matti Wendelin: When I was a child, the Lord spoke to me through many different ways about my calling to preach the gospel. I used to go alone to forest where I had collection of empty bottles. I preached to those bottles and at the end of the service, I pushed them down. When I grew up, I wanted to do something else with my life until Lord took me for a visit to Heaven. In Heaven, one angel took me to the room where there were a lot of crowns. He took one crown and came to me saying, “The Lord has prepared this for you.” I liked it and it was very beautiful in my eyes, but he put it back and took another crown and said to me, “This is for you.” Immediately I could see there was a big different between those two crowns, like night and day. He continued, “That first one was prepared for you, but because you did not want to do the will of God and you were not willing to go to Pakistan, India, Papua New Guinea, and wherever the Lord would send you to preach the gospel, so someone else is going to do what you were asked to do, and they will receive what was prepared for you.”

Editor’s note: With a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching, a Doctorate of Theology in Pentecostal Preaching, and extensive experience training preachers in the Majority World, Aldwin Ragoonath is uniquely gifted to help today’s church leaders around the world. PneumaReview.com asked Dr. Ragoonath to tell us about the series of twenty-five lectures he had made available without cost in his YouTube playlist.

Aldwin Ragoonath and his class at a Bible college in Chennai, India in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUAzGabLGGL2-z2kxsGeBQGg

Introduction. These lectures will give you an idea of what Pentecostal preaching is and the subjects I will cover. They are given by a trained Pentecostal homiletician from within the movement who draws homiletical ideas from Jesus, Acts, The Church Fathers and the founders of the Pentecostal movement with a mixture of contemporary homiletical theories.

Theology of Pentecostal preaching. The emphasis of this lecture focuses on the character of the preacher, the message he preaches, a theological understanding of preaching, the altar call, the anointing and fasting and prayer.

Historical analysis of Pentecostal preaching. This lecture looks at early sermons by the founding fathers of the Pentecostal movement, major themes and the changes that have taken place.

Hermeneutics of preaching. We give biblical and theological foundation of Pentecostal preaching, define the difference between hermeneutics proper and homiletical hermeneutics, the gifts of the spirit, preaching and how to get a word from God. Luke 4:16-20 gives us a biblical and hermeneutical basis to say that Pentecostal preaching is 50% sermon and 50% signs, wonders and miracles. Drawing the symbolic meaning of the text adds to the preaching text.

Types of sermons: Here is a list of sermons preached today: expository is general, topical is similar to expository, counselling is the type of sermons Dr. D. Cho preaches and need centered sermons seek to address the needs in the audience, such as stress etc. We provide a homiletical theory for each type of sermon.

Preaching, healing and deliverance service. Most Pentecostal services in the west shy away from praying for the sick because of the abuse by some evangelist. This lecture provides direction and a context to bring back the healing service into the context of the church.

Outlining sermons. This lecture gives simple and straight forward steps on how to outline sermons simply so the audience can understand what the preacher is saying.

Sermon Delivery. Many people think that Pentecostal preaching is a specific style of communication in sermon delivery. That is not true. This lecture draws from the biblical words on preaching that define preaching and from contemporary communication theory of great public speakers today.

Culture and preaching. Good preaching is only as good as one understands and communicates in a given culture. There are three types of cultures that is taken into consideration in preaching: biblical, western and non-western. I suggest biblical culture is the best approach to communicate Pentecostal preaching

Steps in building a sermon. We walk through simple steps in building a sermon. We start at receiving a word from God to the delivery of the sermon.

Summary. I summarize the lectures and emphasize the most import parts in building a sermon

Dr. Ragoonath and his ministry facilitate two-day seminars for pastors in groups as well as offering personal mentoring. Contact www.atmc.ca for more information.

From Pneuma Review Fall 2013.

Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 138 pages, ISBN 9780664233327.

There are some occasions where the reader finishes a book unsure whether they should praise the author for writing a challenging and necessary work or criticise them for missing vital emphases. Prophetic Preaching is one of those books.

To begin with, the author’s definition of prophetic preaching is surprising. For Tisdale, “prophetic preaching” is not tied to any prediction of the future nor to speaking out any directly Spirit-inspired words but instead to preaching “based on prophetic biblical texts that call people to live into God’s vision for justice, peace, and equality in our world” (p. 3). What is presented then is a “social justice gospel” in much the same way that the preaching of some within certain Pentecostal traditions has been labelled a “prosperity gospel”. The rest of the book will provide ample evidence of both the potential and the danger of adding the phrase “social justice” in front of the gospel.

The first chapter covers a few definitions of “prophetic preaching”, before using these definitions as a basis for outlining seven hallmarks of this kind of preaching. These hallmarks range from an expression of the Biblical grounding of prophetic preaching (p. 10, point 1) to the corporate focus of prophetic preaching (p. 10, point 3). Reflecting what will be one of the most welcome arguments of the book, point seven points out that prophetic preaching “requires of the preacher a heart that breaks with the things that break God’s heart … and a strong reliance on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit” (p. 10). The chapter then ends with seven reasons for resistance to prophetic preaching. In six of these seven reasons, Tisdale covers ground that will be recognisable to many church leaders, including the insecurities than can render preaching less effective. What is most striking is the first reason, where Tisdale takes issue with models of Biblical interpretation that focus on evangelism over social justice (pp. 11-12). Many in Pentecostal churches would almost certainly take issue not only with her view that social justice better reflects “the heart of the gospel” than evangelism but also that such a view of the gospel “relegate[s] prophetic texts to the periphery of the Scriptures” (p. 11). These are arguments that will be returned to later.

In the second chapter the book really comes into its own, with its focus on “reclaiming a spirituality for activism” (p. 22). Tisdale’s appeal for a reconnection of silence and prophetic speech (pp. 22-23), individual and corporate aspects of biblical interpretation (pp. 28-32) and “prayer and prophetic witness” (pp. 32-35) all tackle issues that are key for the modern church. The overall theme of this chapter is a call for preachers to join together what the Bible says to each of us as individuals and what it says to us as a church or nation. The only issue in this chapter is the lack of an explicit appeal for preachers to call their congregants to reconnect their private and public service to God, an appeal which would obviously have strong biblical grounding (e.g. the book of Haggai, Isaiah 58 etc).