As I understand and try to practice it, preaching the Bible involves trying to hear from God through scripture for others, and to communicate to those others what I believe I am hearing. It is part of my responsibility to try to know and understand as far as is possible the people to whom I [...]
world
rod thompson – living in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation
Miroslav Volf contends that God’s people in current times and places must choose to live “against the tide” – a tide characterised by the inner pull toward self-absorption and away from care for others, impelled by what he calls a “culture stripped of grace” (Volf, Against the Tide (Eerdmans, 2010) xi-xii). In different ways, in [...]
myk habets – peculiar preaching
We hear so often today in diverse ways and places, that preaching needs to be ‘seeker sensitive’, that the language and the concepts used in our sermons have to be accessible to the unchurched in such a way that they will immediately comprehend the content and be gripped by the message. If we don’t do [...]
tim harris – preaching and a counter-cultural worldview
‘Worldview’ seems to be the buzzword of our times, but it brings a helpful focus to the task of preaching. The notion of worldview orientates around perceptions of our world, both as we experience it and as we identify order within it. It is hard to identify our own worldview because we absorb so much [...]
not future perfect – andrew butcher
It’s 2051 and you’re standing up to preach to your congregation. What might they look like? They will be old. Over 25 percent of New Zealanders will be over the age of 65. They will have life experience, but also be facing issues of ill-health and mortality. They will be ethnically diverse. Statistics New Zealand [...]
geoff new – the rising cost of electricity
I wonder how many sermons could still be preached this week if the national power grid failed early Sunday morning. I wonder how many preachers would be wailing and gnashing their teeth because their sermon depended upon PowerPoint, YouTube or that must-see-movie-clip? But now there is no data-projector which means there is no multi-media which [...]
lynne baab – preaching about friendship
Alert! Blatant, unashamed (but brief) self-promotion coming… My book, Friending: Real Relationships in a Virtual World, was recently released and is available in bookstores and from online book sellers. It focuses on friendship as a Christian spiritual practice in this Facebook age, and I hope and pray it will help people grow in showing love [...]
