Five Books About Contemporary Preaching

By Chuck Sackett

Preaching to Pluralists

By Christ Altrock

Chalice Press, 2004

Altrock begins with a simple overview of the postmodern mind-set. A contemporary pluralist is described as uninformed, spiritual, anti-institutional, pragmatic, relational, and experiential.

After a chapter developing an argument for contextualizing an incarnational message, Altrock suggests appropriate ways in which the gospel can be preached to those specific mind-sets. His suggestions are helpful and thought-provoking.

This book is written specifically about preaching evangelistically and requires some adaptation for preaching to believers.

Choosing to Preach
Kenton Anderson 
Zondervan, 2006
Having written two previous books about preaching (using the format of a novel), Anderson provides a refreshing view of preaching. Choosing to Preach moves the reader from the first decision, “Will I preach?” through a series of follow-up decisions in determining “How I will preach.”
Anderson“s model is especially thought-provoking, using four quadrants. These are determined by two axes: Deductive Study (text) and Inductive Study (audience) intersected by Cognitive Style (idea) and Affective Style (image). Five fundamental approaches to preaching are then identified. Each has its own appeal and will open the repertoire of the preacher to broader variety.
Anderson leads us to consider: Making an Argument (cognitive/deductive); Solving a Mystery (cognitive/inductive); Telling a Story (affective/inductive); Painting a Picture (affective/deductive); and Singing a Song (integrating the quadrants). With each approach there is a suggested preacher: John MacArthur Jr. (declarative), Rick Warren (pragmatic), Eugene Lowry (narrative), Rob Bell (visionary), and Kenton Anderson (integrative).
 











 
The Shape of Preaching
Dennis M. Cahill
Baker Books, 2007
The Shape of Preaching is a helpful overview of the current state of preaching in the United States. Providing a concise overview of the preaching scene, Cahill helps us see where we have come in the past two decades.
For those who are interested in knowing something about the various approaches to preaching and where they originated, Cahill”s book is a must-read. The first half of the book traces a number of homileticians and how preaching has been impacted by their influence. Cahill”s treatment of these developments clarifies the impact of one”s theology on one”s methodology.
The second half of the book is a helpful overview of the sermon process: moving from text to sermon. Cahill emphasizes the text and its impact on the sermon. He provides a number of models with examples. Any preacher looking for a refresher in basic methodology from an evangelical perspective will appreciate this section.
 











Preaching Re-Imagined
Doug Pagitt
Zondervan, 2005
While many may (and should) struggle with Pagitt”s approach, others will find “progressional implicatory dialogue” an inviting method to consider. Because it represents a significantly different approach to preaching, it will force the reader to think about preaching in entirely new ways.
Even though Pagitt creates a false caricature of preaching (speaching), his criticism is too accurate for comfort. His method may not be the best response to the problems he identifies, but reading about the problem should drive every preacher to do a better job with the sermons they preach.
 











 
Communicating for a Change
Andy Stanley and Lane Jones
Multnomah, 2006
Stanley and Jones build on the premise that most listeners can absorb only one main idea. Thus, each sermon develops one idea following the same pattern of development: Me, We, God, You, We. They begin with Orientation (Me). The introduction raises a dilemma the preacher currently faces. From there, the audience is helped with Identification (We). Here the audience is drawn in with “I bet you”ve felt this way, too.”
The sermon then moves to Illumination (God). The text is introduced and explained. God speaks to all situations and the audience is given what he has to say. Following Illumination, Application (You) takes place. The audience is challenged to act on the information they”ve received.
The final segment is Inspiration (We). This might well be called imagination. The preacher seeks to help the audience “see” the response and what it would be like if everyone did something about the dilemma introduced at the beginning.
While this model might not work with every situation or every text, it provides one additional model useful to the contemporary preacher.
 











Chuck Sackett is a preaching minister with Madison Park Christian Church in Quincy, Illinois, and professor at large in preaching at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College and Seminary. He is a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor.