Subtitle: Preaching as a Theological and Pastoral Practice of the Church (2006)

Pasquarello is concerned by modern approaches to preaching.  He sees contemporary approaches as being obsessed with “how-to’s” at the cost of having lost the divine-human conversation – we’ve mistakenly traded in communion for consumption.  The field of homiletics, by establishing itself in distinction from the related fields of theology, exegesis, spirituality and worship, has somehow lost its moorings and become merely a technical field of somewhat sanctified communication.

This book offers nothing new, but rather seeks to reconnect us to the past.  It seeks to offer the possibility of engaging with ten esteemed mentors in the field of preaching, ten mentors from church history.  From them we can reignite a passion for true preaching – that which is “a theological and pastoral activity [of the church] that locates us in God’s story, drawing the world with us toward our true end: peace and friendship, communion with the Triune God.” As Steinmetz suggests in a quote in the conclusion, “Only when we have regained our identity from the past can we undertake our mission in the present.” (Both quotes on p135.)

The majority of the book is not a critique of present practice, but rather a presentation of ten preachers from the past.  Beginning with a slightly more lengthy treatment of Augustine, the book moves on to consider such esteemed names as Gregory the Great, Benedict, Bernard of Clairvaux, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Erasmus, Latimer, Luther and Calvin.

I do not feel adequately prepared to make judgment on whether the presentation of these men is either accurate or rightly balanced in terms of historical detail.  What I do know about church history suggested the presentations were on track.  However, as a reader I can say that this book stirred my heart for the privilege of preaching – participating in the central action of God’s story in this age.

Although short (139pp), this is not a quick read.  It takes time to ponder the presentation of each preacher.  It takes time to digest the relative benefits from conversation with each one.  It takes time, but it is worth it, for we are surely not participating in something new in our generation.  We stand as preachers, as those engaged in the glorious calling to sacred rhetoric.  Whether or not you are a regular reader of church history, this book is well worth reading as we seek to participate in God’s ongoing story.