![]() Today’s preaching comes to us in a certain context and packaging. Likewise, most Evangelicals buy into this understanding of preaching without pausing to think. Everything in that classic work on preaching is related to the sermon. For example, in his great work Preaching and Preachers, Martin Lloyd-Jones views preaching and delivering a sermon synonymously. There is an almost exact identification between a sermon (which is delivered in a church) and preaching. Most Evangelicals (perhaps unwittingly) hold to this formula: sermon verbalised=preaching. ![]() Most Evangelicals hold to this formula: sermon verbalised=preaching. For the danger is that we’ll equate their preaching with preaching as it is defined in the New Testament. However, I want to suggest that this desire can also be bad. Thus the desire to preach like them is good. These men are tremendous gifts to the church, worthy of emulation. They may also point to contemporary preachers: Keller, Piper, Begg, Mbewe and so on. When asked to justify their commitment to the primacy of preaching, pastors will often cite the giants of church history (such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, or Lloyd-Jones). We Need a Biblical Definition of Preaching However, I want to suggest that pulpits aren’t the only place where such preaching can take place. We need pulpits reserved for faithful, bold, persuasive, and God glorifying preaching. My intention is certainly not to undermine pulpit preaching. ![]() Therefore many Christians, but especially conservative Evangelicals, have an overly narrow view of what preaching is. The argument I make in this article is that contemporary definitions and ideas concerning preaching are shaped by tradition rather than the Bible. ![]() Many Christians have an overly narrow view of what preaching is. But what is preaching, biblically speaking? Similarly, any decent pastors’ conference will stress the importance of always preaching from scripture. They have been correctly taught that the fundamental work of the pastor is preaching. Seminarians graduate bright eyed and bushy tailed, determined to wholeheartedly preach the word of God. “Preach or perish” is one of our slogans. Conservative Evangelicals have a (justifiably) high view of preaching. ![]()
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