Customer Reviews

The Great American Sermon Survey

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Dr. Carrell accomplishes what she set out to do and did it well. She is not only a professor of communications, but an excellent communicator both in print and in the classroom. This book reveals a wealth of information about the perceptions of preacher and listener alike and has many helpful suggestions for both. As a pastor near retirement I would that this perspective would have been available in my seminary years. The primary weakness for me is that in surveying both Catholic and Protestant, evangelical and liberal, the averaging is not always meaningful. That is, I would like this same survey information from just evangelical preachers and listeners. None-the-less, Dr. Carrell's book demonstrates careful research and is a good start in opening the dialogue between pulpit and pew.

Dr. Carrell interviewed many Christian preachers, both Protestant and Catholic, and many perishioners in preparation for this objective study of the sermon. She sees the sermon as a dialogue between preacher and perishioner. If the perishioner is an active, not passive, participant in this dialogue the sermons will be more meaningful. Dr. Carrell suggests one way to encourage active dialogue is through discussion meetings between the preacher and some of the members on the sermon topic before and/or after the deliver of the message to the congregation.