Customer Reviews

The Witness Of Preaching, Second Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Reading Thomas G. Long's book has given me new inspiration as a preacher and pastor. I wish I had this book as a student! I especially enjoyed the two first chapters, where he gives a solid theolgical basis for the sermon AND for the preacher. Pastors and preachers do not, as we tend to think, come to the church from the outside, but are witnesses to The Word coming form within the church itself. He then goes on providing the reader with theoretical and practical advice for building the sermon. Preachers from all denominations will benefit from this book!

Tom Long's "The Witness of Preaching" is a refreshing and readable look at homiletics. Long is well versed in the dominant literature and gives insight into preachers such as Fred Craddock and David Buttrick. However, his real accomplishment is found in the first chapter. Unlike some homiletics texts which focus on rhetoric or communication theory, Long begins with theology. Drawing from Old and New Testament roots, Long offers an image of preacher as the one who "bears witness." Long's beginning chapter is well worth the price of the entire book. In actuality, the chapter probably could stand alone. Will Willimon suggests as much by excerpting part of the chapter in "Pastor: A Reader for Ordained Ministry" (Abingdon Press, 2002).

The image of the preacher "bearing witness" guides the rest of the book. Instead of promoting rigid forms or rules, Long promotes flexibility in preaching. The preacher must make choices based upon the task of preaching. The author offers practical advice on sermon forms, introductions, conclusions, and the like without being pedantic. I only wish that Tom Long had included more examples. However, an interested reader can easily find collections of Long's sermons on Amazon.

I only have one other reservation. This one concerns the sticky issue of hermeneutics. To be fair, interpreting the Bible faithfully is a challenge. Giving advice for faithful interpretation is even more challenging. However, Long leaves the reader wanting more. At one place, he suggests that biblical preaching "does not mean merely talking about the Bible, using the Bible to bolster doctrinal arguments, or applying biblical 'principles' to everyday life" (pg 48). As a preacher who suffers to be "biblical," I could not be in greater agreement. Scripture contains ideas and principles, but these cannot be ripped away from their context. Otherwise one easily preaches abstractions, cut from the moorings of Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension and return. However, Long does not seem consistent dealing with difficult texts such as household codes in the New Testament: "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters." There he suggests the need to separate gospel from what is culturally conditioned. According to Long, the task is difficult--

"The point is that texts which scream cultural bias are also gospel texts, and texts which shout the gospel are also culturally conditioned. There is no surgical procedure for separating the tissues, no guaranteed way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Hearing the claim of God in and through a biblical text always demands and act of faithful imagination, a refusing to let a text go until it has blessed us..." (pg 52).

How different is this "blessing" from discovering "biblical `principles'"? Long offers no distinction except the term "faithful imagination." Interpreting difficult texts is the challenge of every preacher, and this reader would have loved some guidance in what consists a "faithful imagination."

Despite these reservations, Tom Long delivers an excellent primer on homiletics.

In this book, Thomas Long gives those preparing to preach a fine, step-by-step introduction to sermon writing and delivery. Beginning with choosing a text, Long shows how one might analyze the text to determine the central meaning, and look for new angles in Bible passages that may challenge our understanding of that text (or make for a unique sermon). The remaining steps are similarly detailed, yet highly adaptable for your own individual style. Furthermore, Long apparently knows the young preacher's habit of delivering a sermon that is either too broad or rambling, so he always makes sure that the sermon stays on-track. Finally, a big benefit of this book is Long's constant reminder that sermons are works that are meant to be delivered orally, and thus heard (not read). Keeping the lay audience in mind and how people typically listen/hear was highly valuable to me. Recommended for those who want to learn more about what kind of work goes into sermon prep.

The first edition of Witness has become the standard text in intro to preaching classes, much as Broadus was at the beginning of the 20th century. Like countless others, I was guided into preaching with Witness. This second edition presents several improvements. The most notable of these are the inclusion of more concrete examples that illustrate the process of sermon preparation and the addition of some "homiletical lore," addressing everything from filing illustrative material to Power Point. Simultaneously, all the brilliant insights and clear presentation that made the first edition such a success are present in this volume.

As a student, colleague, and friend of Tom's for the last few years, I can say that this book truly does represent his great passions: preaching, and teaching others to preach. I cannot reccommend it highly enough.

This book is outstanding for anyone planning to preach and anyone interested in good preaching. The subtlety of this book is fascinating. But, also see Craddock's.

Excellent book that emphasizes the need to witness about the Gospel from the pulpit. But witnessing from the pulpit is not just about giving an invitation at the end of the sermon. It is about the entire sermon preperation and delivery process.

This book was purchased for a training class for a Lay Pastor program. Meaning that the class was not for a seminary student but a regular person to read. It is very down to earth and fairly easy to understand. The book was very enlightening and helpful in developing my first real sermon and will be helpful as a resource in my library.

I'll keep it short. Get the book. Read the book. Reread the book. Reread the book. Reread the book. Learn what it says. Reflect upon what it says. Keep it on your desk for easy consultation. It will help immeasureably. This book is one of those rare jewels that the busy preacher, if it wasn't used in seminary, needs to get and imbibe from deeply and even more deeply still!

There were no problems found with the shipment of this item. And I don't know what else to write but they want me to write 20 words.

Because I am still a student of my craft, I certainly have gain some value skills and techniques from this reading. Even though I am attending a local seminary, I believe I am getting a quality education based upon the books we are assigned to read. This book is not very hard reading and I will continue to use it.