Customer Reviews

Preaching With Purpose

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Like Pee Wee Herman, you either love Jay Adams or hate him. He (Adams) never backs away from a fight, and never hesitates to state his case with force and assurance. Thankfully, these qualities make "Preaching With Purpose" a delightful book. Adams cuts through the padding found in so many homiletics texts and serves the prime rib sans gluey gravy. The title pretty much gives the book away (as a good title should): Adams expects you to learn to find the God-given purpose ("telos" in Greek) in every text. Purpose is not just for your choice of verses however; it extends to your gestures, illustrations, etc. This "telic" purpose of preaching immediately eliminates much of the rambling and sidebars that obscure the plain message of the Gospel, much like Adams' compact style eliminates much of the wasted ink in many preaching textbooks. In 162 pages (including the index) he covers everything from choice of text to style of delivery. The section on finding illustrations (hint: he doesn't like books of illustrations, so you won't find any recommended titles here...) is alone worth the price of the book! I have yet to see a preacher who couldn't benefit from continued study of homiletics. Why not start here?

Adams, a propenent of "nouthetic" counselling, applies Biblical principles to the urgent task of preaching the Word. He issues forth the call for purposeful preaching, in which the "telos" of the passage of Scripture in question is sought out, applied, and implemented through creative textual preaching. Topics such as the preacher's stance, outline, introductions, conclusions, invitations, illustrations, counselling, and application are covered. Adams may be overly critical of the traditional scholastic method of preaching (embodied by the English Puritans) and the one gaping hole of the book is the lack of emphasis on prayer and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but there are some invaluable principles to be gleaned as well. Of great help was the chapter on "Gathering Storytelling Materials", where Adams gives a plan by which to learn how to illustrate starting in your study. He claims that six months worth of preaching illustrations are to be found in the normal study! Also of interest is his idea of a six-month preaching plan. Some good books to balance this one are Preaching and Preachers by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper.

Jay Adams covers the fundamentals in great preaching in this book. There is no fluff or beating around the bush. He simply states the basics of great preaching and the purpose by which it comes. I recommend it to any preacher, if nothing else, as a refresher in what is important in preaching. Covering the basics, he also gives references if you want to do further digging in.

In this book, Jay Adams does an excellent job of advocating purposeful preaching; he rightly portrays the alternative as a deadly practice of obscuring truth. His description of finding the telos, or end, of a passage of scripture to determine its chief meaning is right on target and could help any pastor keep his preaching on track.

However, the value of this book is damaged by Adams's arguments. The problem is not what he says, but rather how he says it. Adams attacks anyone and everyone he can get his hands on, from today's preachers to professors in academic institutions to the churchgoing public and more. While he has a right to criticize what he sees as wrong, the aggressiveness with which he criticizes reduces his credibility.

Adams also has a bad habit of quoting himself. Not that a writer should not make reference to his other works, but Adams frequently quotes himself when he could just as easily and more forcefully refer to the works of others. This habit sometimes makes him sound arrogant and unread.

Don't get me wrong - this is a solid book, and Adams has many good things to say about the weight and purpose of preaching. Any preacher should digest what Adams has to say. But when you read this book, be warned: Some of those razorblades are sharp.

Jay Adams effectively summarizes the mediocrity of modern American preaching. He emphasizes that a preacher must discover the God-inspired purpose of a text and then effectively communicate that original purpose to God's people. This imparting of God's Word is necessary to equip Christians for the work of the ministry. Adams observes that God's people need to be edified and to love God and their neighbor. This requires a pastor to teach his local congregation to observe God's commands. God's Word must be preached with the complete authority of Scripture itself and must be unpolluted by the preacher's own notions or opinions.

In order to best minister to his flock, a preacher should analyze his congregation by formal and informal contacts, as well as counseling. He must also be aware of the neighboring community and any negative influences it may have on the congregation.

Jay Adam's differentiation between lecturing and preaching the Bible is excellent. He states that, "the lecturer speaks about the Bible; the pastoral preacher speaks from the Bible about the congregation. He tells them what God wants from them." Adams also points out the need for a purposeful introduction to orient the congregation to the sermon. A good conclusion effectively summarizes the purpose of the message.

Within the context of a sermon, a preacher must choose his words carefully. Words often have emotional connotations that must be considered. Illustrations are also an important factor. A preacher must observe the world around him with all his senses in order to gather effective illustrations.

In Chapter 20, Jay Adams states that, "Jesus Christ must be at the heart of every sermon you preach." He clearly teaches that it is only by God's saving and sanctifying grace that a person can be obedient to Biblical teaching.

Great book. I really enjoyed it immensely. When a speaker takes the time to prepare in advance he isn't as led by whim and impulse and actually leaves MORE room for the Holy Spirit to work because the speaker is relying less on himself and MORE on preparation and study. The principles given in this book have considerably freed up time and energy to focus on other important aspects of what I do.

As with ANY book, other than the Bible, there are parts that are more applicable than others. There are going to be things that just may not be practical for your ministry or for your style but there ARE a lot of principles that should become a mark of maturity and as a sign of growth.