Category Archives: Stage 8 – Message Detail
Authority and Clarity
Two sibling doctrines. One gets all the attention. The other goes unmentioned. Actually, one is the darling of preachers. The other might well think we are out to get it. Authority and clarity. These two doctrines matter. Authority speaks of … Continue reading →
Saturday Short Thought: Reinforcing Every Time
This week I have been pondering how to preach with a more developed set of motivational tools than just the pressure of guilt. I’m convinced this is an important issue, and not just a homiletical detail. It gets to the … Continue reading →
Don’t Burn Up Your Creativity Too Soon
Preaching is both art and science. It involves a certain amount of creative artistry. But most of us have a limited tank of energy when it comes to creative flair. Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your creative energies when you … Continue reading →
Beyond Guilt – Part 4
Some preachers rely exclusively on the pressure tactic of guilt in their preaching. Surely there must be a more biblically rounded approach? This week I’ve suggested we need to consider our stance, our tone and yesterday, our strategy. Let me … Continue reading →
Filed under Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail
Tagged as Church, Religion, sinful humanity, Theology
Beyond Guilt – Part 3
So far we have looked at issues of stance and tone in this series. It is easy to have a minimalist default approach of piling on the pressure and using guilt to twist arms. The biblical preacher needs to get … Continue reading →
Beyond Guilt – Part 2
This week I am pondering how to preach with a more nuanced approach than mere guilt pressure. As I’ve written already, there is a place for genuine conviction of sin, and I am not hiding from that. But equally, I … Continue reading →
Beyond Guilt
A friend asked me how we can preach to encourage listeners apart from making them feel guilty. He and I would both recognize the need for genuine conviction of sin, a work of the Spirit and a feature of some … Continue reading →
Preaching Cross-References?
How much should the preacher use cross-references? Yesterday Dave wrote this in a comment: In an effort to avoid falling prey to the errors you outline here I kept myself from using many cross references. When reviewing the sermon, my … Continue reading →
Preaching This Passage or That?
There is another subtle temptation all preachers face, potentially every time they preach. That is to preach a text other than the text they think they are preaching. I saw this firsthand once when I listened to a series of … Continue reading →
Preaching What’s There But Not
I’ve mentioned it before, as have many others, but its worth another shot – don’t rush to “find a message” in your passage, be sure to find the message of the passage. There are shortcuts that inevitably are attractive to … Continue reading →
