In This Book
Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching
A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators
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The High Call of Preaching
- 1 Core Convictions of Biblical Preaching
- 2 A Definition of Biblical Preaching
- 3 A Weekly Dose of Compressed Dignity
- 4 Overfed, Underchallenged
- 5 Theology of Powerful Preaching
- 6 Preaching That Raises Our Sights
- 7 Leading and Feeding: How Preaching and Leadership Intersect
- 8 John 3:16 in the Key of C
- 9 Spiritual Formation through Preaching
- 10 Preaching Life into the Church
- 11 My Theory of Homiletics
- 12 Staying on the Line
- 13 History of Preaching
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The Spiritual Life of a Preacher
- 14 A Cup Running Over
- 15 The Patented Preacher
- 16 I Prayed for My Preaching
- 17 How Does Unction Function?
- 18 Squeaky Clean
- 19 Required Reading
- 20 Rightly Dividing the Preaching Load
- 21 Preaching Through Personal Pain
- 22 A Prophet among You
- 23 Burning Clean Fuel
- 24 Backdraft Preaching
- 25 Why I Pace Before I Preach
- 26 Preaching to Convulse the Demons
- 27 Holy Expectation
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Considering Hearers
- 28 Preaching to Everyone in Particular
- 29 The Power of Simplicity
- 30 View from the Pew
- 31 Preaching to Ordinary People
- 32 Why Serious Preachers Use Humor
- 33 Connect Hearers through Dialogue
- 34 Self-Disclosure That Glorifies Christ
- 35 How to Be Heard
- 36 Opening the Closed American Mind
- 37 Turning an Audience into the Church
- 38 Preaching to Change the Heart
- 39 Preaching Truth, Justice, and the American Way
- 40 Preaching Morality in an Amoral Age
- 41 The Intentional Bridge Builder
- 42 Connecting with Postmoderns
- 43 Preaching Amid Pluralism
- 44 Connecting with Non-Christians
- 45 How to Translate Male Sermons to Women
- 46 He Said, She Heard
- 47 Connecting with Men
- 48 Creating a Singles-Friendly Sermon
- 49 Preaching to Preschoolers
- 50 Hispanic American Preaching
- 51 African American Preaching
- 52 Asian American Preaching
- 53 Work Wins?
- 54 One Sermon, Two Messages
- 55 The Playful Preacher
- 56 What Authority Do We Have Anymore?
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Interpretation and Application
- 57 Why the Sermon?
- 58 Getting the Gold from the Text
- 59 Faithful First
- 60 God’s Letter of Intent
- 61 Five Bird-dogging Questions for Biblical Exposition
- 62 The Rules of the Game
- 63 Why All the Best Preachers Are–What a Concept!–Theological
- 64 Letting the Listeners Make the Discoveries
- 65 Conviction and Compassion
- 66 The Inadequacy of “Yes” Theology
- 67 What Great Coaches and Preachers Know
- 68 Preaching That Opens Ears and Hearts
- 69 Fundamentals of Genre
- 70 From B.C. to 11 a.m.
- 71 The Big Idea of Narrative Preaching
- 72 Apply Within
- 73 Application Without Moralism
- 74 Blending Bible Content and Life Application
- 75 Showing Promise
- 76 Helping Hearers Practice What We Preach
- 77 The Heresy of Application
- 78 Preaching for True Holiness
- 79 Less Joe, More Jesus
- 80 Preaching That Promotes Self-Centeredness
- 81 The Danger of Practical Preaching
- 82 Grace: A license to Wander?
- 83 The Rich Sound of Grace and Holiness
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Structure
- 84 Set Free from the Cookie Cutter
- 85 Say and Do
- 86 Connecting Biblical Content with Contemporary Audiences
- 87 Clearly
- 88 Skills of Oral Clarity
- 89 Questions That Put Muscle on Bones
- 90 Better Big Ideas
- 91 The Power of Sequence
- 92 Outlines That Work for You, Not against You
- 93 The Tension Between Clarity and Suspense
- 94 Lifeblood of Preaching
- 95 Alliteration Downfalls
- 96 Modulating Tension
- 97 The Purpose-Driven Title
- 98 Why Should I Listen to You?
- 99 Satisfying Conclusions
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Style
- 100 Determining Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- 101 Interesting Preaching
- 102 Crafting an Experience
- 103 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Preachers
- 104 The Sermon’s Mood
- 105 Teaching the Whole Bible
- 106 Dramatic Expository Preaching
- 107 Verse-by-Verse Sermons That Really Preach
- 108 What Makes Textual Preaching Unique?
- 109 Can Topical Preaching Be Expository?
- 110 Topical Preaching Can Be Truly Biblical
- 111 Topical Preaching on Bible Characters
- 112 Topical Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 113 Topical Preaching on Theological Themes
- 114 Making the Most of Biblical Paradoxes
- 115 Getting the Most from the Sermon Series
- 116 The Next Big Thing
- 117 The Compelling Series
- 118 First Person Narrative Sermons
- 119 Biblical Preaching Is about Life Change, Not Sermon Style
- 120 Seven Timeless Principles for Reaching Lost People
- 121 Evangelistic Preaching in the Local Church
- 122 Felt-Needs Preaching
- 123 How to Preach Boldly in a “Whatever” Culture
- 124 Preaching with a Leader’s Heart
- 125 Critique of the New Homiletic
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Preparation
- 142 Why I Pat the Bible on My Nightstand
- 143 Busting Out of Sermon Block
- 144 Centered
- 145 A Long, Rich Conversation with God
- 146 A Mysterious Impulse to Pray
- 147 Preparing the Messenger
- 148 The Hard Work of Illumination
- 149 Heart-to-Heart Preaching
- 150 Imagination: The Preacher’s Neglected Ally
- 151 Preaching That Magnifies God
- 152 When Is a Sermon Good Enough?
- 153 How to Build a First-Rate Library
- 154 What Makes a Sermon Deep?
- 155 Before You Preach
- 156 Inspiration Points
- 157 Simplify
- 158 Using Someone Else’s Sermon
- 159 Planning for a Richer, Deeper Sermon Series
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Delivery
- 160 The Source of Passion
- 161 Place of Pathos in Preaching
- 162 Preaching with Intensity
- 163 No Notes, Lots of Notes, Brief Notes
- 164 In the Eye of the Hearer
- 165 No Voice, No Preach
- 166 Eliminating My Um, Um, Annoying Pulpit Mannerisms
- 167 Reading Scripture in Public
- 168 The Importance of Being Urgent
- 169 The Day I Lost My Nerve
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Special Topics
- 170 When You Don’t Look Forward to Special Days
- 171 Preaching the Terrors
- 172 Preparing People to Suffer
- 173 Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age
- 174 Speaking into Crisis
- 175 When the News Intrudes
- 176 Redemptive Sermons for Weddings and Funerals
- 177 The Landmark Sermon
- 178 You Had to Bring It Up
- 179 Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 180 Preaching Sex with Compassion and Conviction
- 181 The Ever-More-Difficult Marriage Sermon
- 182 When the Sermon Goes to Work
- 183 Bridging the Marketplace Gap
- 184 Sermons on Giving That People Actually Like!
Selena is the Mexican American pop star killed by a friend at age 23. The movie Selena is based on her short life. As her fame in the U.S. increases, one scene shows Selena (Jennifer Lopez) being invited to return to Mexico to perform at an important event. Her father opposes the appearance because he thinks his daughter's Spanish is terrible. When Selena protests that her singing in Spanish is fine, her father says singing is one thing, but interviews are another. He then goes into a tirade about the difficulties of being Mexican American. "The Mexicans think you aren't Mexican enough, and the Americans think you aren't American enough."
This is also a concern in Hispanic American preaching. There are differences between how Hispanic and non-Hispanics communicate. Keeping both perspectives in balance is crucial, but we need to focus more on the Hispanic than the American.
The distinctives of Hispanic American preaching
Hispanic preaching values family
Hispanic preaching is shaped by the high value Hispanic culture places on family relationships. American culture tends to be individualistic, while we think in terms of us more than me. The idea of family is not limited to our close relatives but extends to the family of faith and the surrounding community.
This affects preaching particularly in the approach to holidays. While some non-Hispanic churches may give little attention to special days, all special days are significant for us. Obviously Christmas and Easter are days of tremendous importance. We also make Mother's Day and Father's Day a great celebration. While it is necessary to clarify the spiritual focus—such as the Fatherhood of God on Father's Day—the connection to family is considerable.
Latino preaching is not content with just an inward focus. It calls people to link our discipleship back into our community. Our preaching calls people to community involvement and service. In the name of Christ we must care about the good of the larger family.
Hispanic preaching links the biblical story to the story of our people
The circumstance of many Latino people includes limited opportunities and material want. We preach biblical themes that speak to the issues of marginalization, poverty, and liberation. We build bridges between the biblical narrative and the personal story of Latinos through storytelling.
A great example is Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4. We connect through the historical-cultural lens of the conflict between Jews and Samaritans. In the sense that Samaritans were not totally Gentile and not totally Jew, Hispanic Americans have a "Samaritan" identity. We can recognize the inferior treatment of the Samaritans, the otherness of a minority people living in a dominant culture. We can address our sense of inferiority and its relationship to the good news through the lens of Samaria. We show how Jesus crossed the street culturally, socially, politically, racially with a spiritual agenda. This scene is one way we declare that the gospel goes beyond human limitations and prejudices.
Our preaching addresses the key issues of Hispanic Americans, which include identity, significance, and freedom. With stories like the woman at the well we bring the message of liberation and transformation. The New Testament "Samaritan trilogy" provides a pattern. The trilogy is the woman at the well, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the Samaritan Pentecost in Acts 8. These accounts provide a paradigm for evangelism, ethics, and ecclesiology. They are a theological basis for intercultural relations.
Hispanic preaching is passionate
Latinos tend to be more inspirational than instructional, more emotional than expository. Emotion is extremely important because it is a part of who we are. We speak forcefully, poetically, and with a raised voice. Those familiar with Anglo American preaching may wonder why the Latino preacher seems to be angry. Our sermon delivery is fiery because we focus more on persuading than informing. This is not for the purpose of manipulation, but a sincere expression of how God made us.
We try to preach in the universal language of love. Whatever else is said, we speak from the heart with love. The mind and logic is not our primary concern; rather the heart is the essential issue.
As with every culture, this can be overdone. Some Hispanic preaching takes emotion to an extreme at the expense of sound teaching. Good Hispanic preaching blends both passion and instruction. The best means to accomplish this is storytelling. In the Hispanic context, stories are a better vehicle for truth than a logical, systematic presentation.
Hispanic preaching is vulnerable
Friendliness and sincerity are part of Hispanic culture. Hispanic preachers communicate that by personalizing our message. We are careful to put ourselves and our feelings into the sermon. Distant, impersonal theories do not reach our people. Latino preachers must be willing to share their own struggles and tie that into the life experiences of their people. We openly admit the tension of living in two worlds and then address the conflict we all face as we seek to follow Christ in this society.
Our vulnerability must be true and natural, authenticated by and consistent with our spiritual life as lived out among the people. Our responsibility is to put the struggle of the people into words. We give expression to the problems they face and offer the hope that is in Jesus.
Hispanic preaching expects responsiveness
We must involve the congregation in our sermons. When we preach, we expect to be answered. Not only does the congregation listen to us, we also listen to them and respond. Hispanic preaching is about give and take, and audience participation, much like African American churches.
That response may not occur if we don't take into account our distinctives. When preaching to Hispanic people in the United States, one size does not fit all. Although we share one basic language, Hispanic congregations are very different. The differences include country of origin, culture, economic conditions, and education. Preachers cannot assume they are communicating clearly when speaking to various groups of Hispanic people. Speech patterns, styles, expressions, and even the meaning of words may be different. We are tied together by language and shared experiences, rather than by geographical location.
When Anglo preachers speak to Hispanics, it would be good for them to try to express more passion in their sermons. Work at inspiring the people as you instruct them. Use stories. Be aware of issues faced by our communities and acknowledge the cultural tensions faced by Hispanics. Do not be afraid to address the problems of materialism, racism, oppression, and so forth. As members of the dominant culture, Anglos can make a great impression with Hispanics if they learn to communicate with some of our language and know some of our customs.
In the early days when Noel Castellanos was planting La Villita Community Church in Chicago, they held a potluck supper at Christmas time, and Noel thought he should bring something suitable for the occasion. In a cookbook he found a recipe for Holiday Salsa. The ingredients included pineapple, cranberries, nuts, and chili peppers. He thought people would love his festive salsa but was disappointed to see that no one even tried it. Finally one of the men explained, "Noel, you can't make salsa without tomatoes."
Hispanic American preachers live in two worlds. If we leave out the tomatoes, no one will like the salsa.
