The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators [Hardcover]

Haddon Robinson (Author), Craig Brian Larson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2005

A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. The 11 major sections contain almost 200 articles, which cover every possible preaching topic, including changing lives, sermon structure, 'the big idea,' introductions, outlining, transitions, conclusions, passionate delivery, application, leveraging illustrations, telling stories, preaching narrative texts, topical preaching, expository preaching, evangelistic preaching, preaching to postmoderns, using humor, speaking with authority, and many others. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who's Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson---two of today's most respected voices in preaching---provide editorial oversight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Packed with useful tools that span a wide array of homiletical issues...a tremendous value to preachers seeking to be effective communicators....Pastors will appreciate the many practical ideas, and cautions, offered by the contributors....Preachers of all ages should hear Chuck Swindoll's wisdom in his chapter Simplify....One of the first volumes a pastor should receive when beginning in ministry. With its brief chapters, the book can be utilized as a chapter-a-day continuing education resource.' -- Leadership journal

(Leadership journal )

From the Back Cover

A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. The 11 major sections contain almost 200 articles, which cover every possible preaching topic, including changing lives, sermon structure, "the big idea," introductions, outlining, transitions, conclusions, passionate delivery, application, leveraging illustrations, telling stories, preaching narrative texts, topical preaching, expository preaching, evangelistic preaching, preaching to postmoderns, using humor, speaking with authority, and many others. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who’s Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson—two of today’s most respected voices in preaching—provide editorial oversight.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (June 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310252482
• ISBN-13: 978-0310252481
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Art
  • #72 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Religion
  • #87 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Evangelism > Preaching

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best preaching book out there, bar none!, August 21, 2005

By 

Richard A. Tatum (Muskegon, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators (Hardcover)

I recently received a copy of The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators, and have been browsing through it from time to time. Whether you're a full- or part-time preacher or even if you spend any time at all speaking in front of others as a Christian attempting to bring others to a better understanding of the Bible, or to bring them to a point of decision, you need this book on your shelf. It is the finest compendium of useful preaching/exhortation articles I have ever seen.

I've only just started to browse through this tome, but every article I've glanced at or read has excited me, filled me with ideas on how to improve my preaching and prep-time, and given me already useful techniques to make my delivery more effective. Many of the articles were repurposed from timeless Leaderhip journal articles, some were culled from the Preaching Today website's "Skill Builder" articles, but there are a ton of new articles written fresh just for this project.

About the two editors: Haddon Robinson is considered by many to be one of the finest preachers alive today. I've always enjoyed the interviews and teaching I've heard from Robinson, and he has a clear, fatherly style of teaching. The blurb from Preaching Today Audio says, about him:

"Dr. Robinson has been named one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. His text, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, is used in more than 100 seminaries and Bible colleges in North America. He is also host of Discover the Word which airs on 400 radio stations across the world."

Craig Brian Larson is pastor of Lake Shore Church (Assembly of God) in downtown Chicago, and is the managing editor of Preaching Today. He's well-known in the world of sermon illustrations, having compiled several illustration compendiums (see Movie-Based Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, volumes one and two, for example), and coauthored a guide for helping preachers add journalistic impact to their messages (see Preaching that Connects).

If you preach or teach at all, you really owe it to your listeners to pick up this book and refer to it from time to time. It will be a resource you refer to for years, and it will challenge you at every turn. This book is truly a gift to the Church!

Rich.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive Perspective, November 8, 2005

By 

Lt. Rhoades "Army Chaplain Branch, Staff Spec... - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators (Hardcover)

This is a thoroughly exhaustive resource in the toolbag of the pastor. The multitude of author's writing on a variety of topics from one end of the field of homiletics to another adds a fresh view to bringing a Holy Word for God to affect the "Fallen Human Condition."

The reviewer had to read the book for a seminary preaching class. It was somewhat tedious reading this long book cover to cover. This is expected when there is such a vast number of author writing, but this cross-over isn't necessarily bad. It does give weight to techniques that are shown to be pragmatic. None of the authors are claiming that "their-way-is-the-best." They are merely showing what's worked for them and what is tried and true. They are passing their perspective on...because everyone has something to learn.

So from the lay minister to the scholar, this is a worthy resource to be in your homiletical arsenal.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Preachers Should Have This!, April 23, 2008

By 

Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today's Communicators (Hardcover)

I'm getting my Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching, and so I've read lots of books about giving sermons through the years. This is one of the best. Dozens of scholars have written articles divided up into different categories (style, delivery, preparation, application, illustration, introductions, conclusions). Timothy Warren has several articles defending the topical expository sermon. He is strongly committed to expository preaching, but he doesn't necessarily feel that this always has to be from just one passage per Sunday.

Haddon Robinson has a convicting article warning about plagiarism, and he also has a great article about planning your sermons ahead of time.

Rick Warren has a good article about purpose driven titles for your sermons. The title should clearly communicate what the message is about without giving too much away.

John Ortberg discusses the use of illustrations, and there are also articles about outlining and discovering the main point of the scripture passage you are preaching on (frequently referred to as "The Big Idea").

Don Sunukjian has some contributions to the book, and one article warns about using too much alliteration, which is often the result of the preacher forcing his outline on the text.

You could read this book straight through, or you could pick out the articles that interest you at that moment in time. Many of these articles were first made available only to those who had an online membership to a certain website. But now these sterling pieces have been compiled into this thick volume. The book also comes with an mp3 cd. Highly recommended.