Thinking After

Tag: preaching

  • The Pulpit is a Prow

    “Yet the preacher of the gospel of grace cannot be a mere minstrel, grinning good cheer in an age of despair.  The preacher’s struggle against the darkness of this present world must be furnished with a full kit: the Bible, the sword of the Spirit, understandable now as it was not understood prior to modernity;[1. While not denying the gains of modern biblical scholarship, I would be inclined to see the legacy of the historical critical method of interpreting the Bible in more ambiguous terms than McClendon seems to at this point.] the history of God’s peaceable Israel old and ongoing (called in Scripture the preparation of the gospel of peace); and supremely (though like the Trinity never so named in Scripture) the primary theology that gives our sermon its center, its raison d’être, its point. (more…)

  • Hans Boersma on Handling Scripture

    There is an excellent essay by Hans Boersma in the current issue of First Things entitled “Fear of the Word” that grapples with some of the fundamental struggles and assumptions about Scripture that haunt preachers today.  Here’s an excerpt: (more…)

  • The Grammar of Resurrection: An Easter Sunday Sermon Excerpt

    I had the great privilege yesterday of celebrating Easter Sunday with the Church of Pentecost in Winnipeg.  Thank you to Overseer Gabriel Addo-Asante for the invitation to share in the ministry of the Word on the Day of the Resurrection.  Here are a few paragraphs from my sermon on Luke 24: (more…)

  • The Plague of Trinity Sunday Preaching (Series on “Minding the Web”)

    “This is Trinity Sunday. Across Christendom preachers are trying to ex­plain “Trinity” to their congregations. God is one, but God is three. How can one be three we ask? Attempts to explain the Trinity I fear often result not only in dull sermons but, even worse, heresy. Even more debilitating is the reality that the heresy evoked by such attempts is not recognized as heresy. It is not even clear if the person that represents the heresy thinks being a heretic is a “bad thing.” (more…)

  • Responding to “A Plea for Pointless Preaching” – A Guest Post by Lissa Wray Beal

    On Thursday, November 1, a surprisingly large and energetic group of pastors, professors, seminary students, and college students gathered at Providence to hear and engage in conversation surrounding my paper, “A Plea for Pointless Preaching.”  The paper was an abbreviated version of an essay that I wrote for Minding the Web: Making Theological Connections.  In the essay, I suggest that the work of “two Stanleys” – the evangelical mega-church pastor Andy Stanley and the theological ethicist Stanley Hauerwas – present two contrasting homiletical paths open to preachers today.  Since that volume will soon be appearing in print, I will not be reproducing the essay here.  However, my colleague Lissa Wray Beal, who served as the respondent to the paper, has graciously allowed me to publish her insightful engagement with the essay here on the blog. (more…)

  • Upcoming Lecture: A Plea for Pointless Preaching

    If you’re in the Winnipeg area on November 1, think about joining us at Providence Theological Seminary for my upcoming public lecture, “A Plea for Pointless Preaching.”  My colleague Lissa Wray Beal, Professor of Old Testament, will be responding to the presentation. Here’s a little teaser for the lecture to whet your appetite: (more…)

  • Teaching Preaching in a Time of Cultural Change

    The Canadian Society of Presbyterian History has released videos of the papers that were presented this past Saturday at the CSPH annual meeting at Knox College in Toronto.  Here’s the video of my presentation of a paper entitled, “Teaching Preaching in a Time of Cultural Change: The Forgotten Story of John J.A. Proudfoot, Knox College.”

  • Back in Toronto: Upcoming CSPH Conference

    I am going to be back in Toronto on the weekend of September 29 to present a paper at the Canadian Society of Presbyterian History annual conference at Knox College.  The subject of my paper is the curious case of J.J.A. Proudfoot, the son of the distinguished 19th century Southwestern Ontario Presbyterian church planter William Proudfoot. (more…)

  • “Farewell to Ontario” Preaching Tour

    I’m currently in the midst of what has turned out to be a “Farewell to Ontario” preaching tour.   This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at North Park Worship Centre in Brampton, Ontario, where my friend and former student Rev. Dr. Mark Lawrence is the Assistant Pastor.  It was refreshing to preach in a context where people are disappointed if you don’t preach for forty minutes.  (Although, preaching forty minute sermons at consecutive services did test my physical endurance!)  It was also a great encouragement to be commissioned and prayed for by God’s people. (more…)

  • Tyndale Chapel – May 9, 2018

    For anyone who happens to be in the north part of Toronto this coming Wednesday morning, I will be preaching at the Tyndale University College and Seminary Chapel.  The service begins at 11:15 am and is open to the public.