Download or read book Reading for Preaching written by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2013-11-30 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Reading for Preaching Cornelius Plantinga makes a striking claim: preachers who read widely will most likely become better preachers. Plantinga -- himself a master preacher -- shows how a wide reading program can benefit preachers. First, he says, good reading generates delight, and the preacher who enters the world of delight goes with God. Good reading can also help tune the preacher's ear for language -- his or her primary tool. General reading can enlarge the preacher's sympathies for people and situations that she or he had previously known nothing about. And, above all, the preacher who reads widely has the chance to become wise. This beautifully written book will benefit not just preachers but anyone interested in the wisdom to be derived from reading. Works that Plantinga interacts with in the book include The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini Enrique's Journey, by Sonia Nazario Silence, by Shusaku Endo "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" by Leo Tolstoy "Narcissus Leaves the Pool" by Joseph Epstein Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo . . . and many more!

Download or read book Lent Through Eastertide written by David L. Bartlett and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Feasting on the Word offers pastors focused resources for Sermon preparation, written by companions on the way. With four different essays on each of the four biblical texts assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary, this series offers preachers sixteen different ways into the proclamation of God's Word on any given occasion. For each reading, preachers will find brief essays on the exegetical, theological, homiletical, and pastoral challenges of the text. The page layout is unusual. By setting the biblical passage at the top of the page and placing the essays beneath it, we mean to suggest the interdependence of these four approaches without granting priority to any one of them. Some readers may decide to focus on the Gospel passage, for instance, by reading all four essays provided for that text. Others may decide to look for connections between the Hebrew Bible, Psalm, Gospel, and Epistle texts by reading the theological essays on each one. Wherever they begin, preachers will find what they need in a single volume produced by writers from a wide variety of disciplines and religious traditions. These authors teach in colleges and seminaries. They lead congregations. They write scholarly books as well as columns for the local newspaper. They oversee denominations. In all these capacities and more, they serve God's Word, joining the preacher in the ongoing challenge of bringing that Word to life.... We have been honored to work with a multitude of gifted thinkers, writers, and editors. We present these essays as their offering-and ours-to the blessed ministry of preaching."-From the introduction by David L. Bartlett, Barbara Brown Taylor

Download or read book In the Shadow of the Pulpit written by M. Wynn Thomas and published by University of Wales Press. This book was released on 2009-10-15 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranging from the nineteenth-century to the present, this book explores several central aspects of the ways in which the English-language poetry and fiction of Wales has responded to what was, for a crucial period of a century or so, the dominant culture of Wales: the culture of Welsh Nonconformity. In the introduction, the author reflects on why no sustained attempt has hitherto been made to investigate one of the formative cultural influences on modern 'Anglo-Welsh' literature, the Nonconformist inheritance. The importance of addressing this strange and significant cultural deficit is then explained, and a preliminary attempt made to capture something of the spirit of Welsh Nonconformity. The succeeding chapters address and seek to answer such questions as: What exactly did the Welsh chapels believe and do? Why have the English-language writers of Wales, from Caradoc Evans and Dylan Thomas to R.S. Thomas and the authors of today, been so fascinated by them? How accurate are the impressions we've been given of chapel life and chapel people in the English-language poetry and fiction of Wales? The answers offered may alter our views both of the Welsh Nonconformist past and of Welsh writing in English. One of the ideas advanced is that many of Wales' most important writers went to war with the preachers in their texts, and that their work is therefore the site of cultural struggle. Theirs was a war in words waged to determine who would have the last word on modern Welsh experience.

Download or read book Pigs in the Pulpit written by J. Michael Wittman and published by Booksurge Publishing. This book was released on 2009-08-10 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pigs In The Pulpit - Identifying and exposing systematic abuse, cult-like tendencies and deception in the Christian church.

Download or read book Pervert in the Pulpit written by Jeff Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-09-16 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Filmmaker David Lynch's work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformer's mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but he indulges in a voyeuristic pleasure which he simultaneously condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothy's closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynch's work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. Works presented include all features from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive, shorts such as The Amputee and The Grandmother, and contributions to television such as Hotel Room and, of course, Twin Peaks. This study develops an idea of Lynch's politics, analyzes his work, and explores Lynch's paradox of condemning an immoral world through disturbing images and concepts, and touches on such points as the identifiable figure of evil in his works as well as the archetypes of the nymphet, well-meaning traditionalist, and struggling ethicist. Also included are a history of moralistic criticism in American literature and a review of existing Lynch criticism within this context.

Download or read book Power in the Pulpit written by Jerry Vines and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 1999-06-10 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The call to preach is just that- a call to preach. The call to preach, however, is more than just preaching. The call to preach is a call to prepare. Too many pastors have refrained from preparation while they await the Holy Spirit to do all of the work. God expects preachers to prepare sermons as much as possible and allow Him to prepare the preachers. Join Dr. Jerry Vines and Dr. Jim Shaddix as they achieve a balanced approach to teaching sermon preparation in Power in the Pulpit. This book combines the essential perspectives of a pastor of forty years with another pastor who also devotes daily time to training pastors in the context of theological education. Thus, Power in the Pulpit is a practical preaching help from a pastoral perspective in the tradition where expository preaching is a paramount and frequent event in the life of the local church. Power in the Pulpit is the combined work of Dr. Vines's two earlier publications on preaching: A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation (Moody Press, 1985) and A Guide to Effective Sermon Delivery (Moody Press, 1986). Dr. Shaddix carefully organizes and supplements the material to offer this useful resource which closes the gap between classroom theory and what a pastor experiences in his weekly sermon preparation.

Download or read book The Shared Pulpit written by Erika Hewitt and published by Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. This book was released on 2014 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Here is a complete workshop to help lay people gain experience writing and preaching a full-length sermon for their congregation. This easy-to-use guide for both facilitators and participants provides a step-by-step lesson plan for eight sessions. Workshop members learn about the theory and theology of preaching, then practice writing and speaking with authenticity, gradually building toward composing quality 20-minute sermons. Workshop leaders learn to foster a supportive environment in which participants offer one another helpful feedback. The Shared Pulpit includes a separate leader's guide, readings for homework, sample sermons, and exercises to help first-time preachers polish their preaching craft."--Back cover.

Download or read book Passion in the Pulpit written by Jerry Vines and published by Moody Publishers. This book was released on 2018-07-03 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biblical exegesis doesn’t stop with the words alone. Faithful preachers exegete the emotion of the text as well. It’s easy to let our own personalities dictate the emotional dimension of our sermons, but the best preachers mirror the Bible’s emotive intent in their sermons. In Passion in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and Adam Dooley will teach you how to exegete not just the verbal content of Scripture, but its emotional appeal as well. They show you the role the Bible’s emotional intent should play in each stage of sermon prep, and: Offer exegetical steps to discern the biblical pathos Teach you how to avoid manipulation while making your sermons emotional Help you determine the appropriate limitations of emotional appeal Give you verbal, vocal, and visual techniques to help convey the biblical emotional intent in your sermons When we elevate the Bible’s emotional intent above our own, we preach truth rather than personality.

Download or read book Caught in the Pulpit written by Daniel C. Dennett and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2015-05-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it like to be a preacher or rabbi who no longer believes in God? In this expanded and updated edition of their groundbreaking study, Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola comprehensively and sensitively expose an inconvenient truth that religious institutions face in the new transparency of the information age—the phenomenon of clergy who no longer believe what they publicly preach. In confidential interviews, clergy from across the ministerial spectrum—from liberal to literal—reveal how their lives of religious service and study have led them to a truth inimical to their professed beliefs and profession. Although their personal stories are as varied as the denominations they once represented, or continue to represent—whether Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Mormon, Pentecostal, or any of numerous others—they give voice not only to their own struggles but also to those who similarly suffer in tender and lonely silence. As this study poignantly and vividly reveals, their common journey has far-reaching implications not only for their families, their congregations, and their communities—but also for the very future of religion.

Download or read book Pulpit Press and Politics written by Scott McLaren and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2019-07-15 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When American Methodist preachers first arrived in Upper Canada in the 1790s, they brought with them more than an alluring religious faith. They also brought saddlebags stuffed with books published by the New York Methodist Book Concern – North America’s first denominational publisher – to sell along their preaching circuits. Pulpit, Press, and Politics traces the expansion of this remarkable transnational market from its earliest days to the mid-nineteenth century, a period of intense religious struggle in Upper Canada marked by fiery revivals, political betrayals, and bitter church schisms. The Methodist Book Concern occupied a central place in all this conflict as it powerfully shaped and subverted the religious and political identities of Canadian Methodists, particularly in the wake of the American Revolution. The Concern bankrolled the bulk of Canadian Methodist preaching and missionary activities, enabled and constrained evangelistic efforts among the colony’s Native groups, and clouded Methodist dealings with the British Wesleyans and other religious competitors north of the border. Even more importantly, as Methodists went on to assume a preeminent place in Upper Canada’s religious, cultural, and educational life, their ongoing reliance on the Methodist Book Concern played a crucial role in opening the way for the lasting acceptance and widespread use of American books and periodicals across the region.

Download or read book Who Moved My Pulpit written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2016-06-01 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who Moved My Pulpit? may not be the exact question you’re asking. But you’re certainly asking questions about change in the church—where it’s coming from, why it’s happening, and how you’re supposed to hang on and follow God through it—even get out ahead of it so your church is faithfully meeting its timeless calling and serving the new opportunities of this age. Based on conversations with thousands of pastors, combined with on-the-ground research from more than 50,000 churches, best-selling author Thom S. Rainer shares an eight-stage roadmap to leading change in your church. Not by changing doctrine. Not by changing biblical foundations. But by changing methodologies and approaches for reaching a rapidly changing culture. You are the pastor. You are the church staff person. You are an elder. You are a deacon. You are a key lay leader in the church. This is the book that will equip you to celebrate and lead change no matter the cost. The time is now.

Download or read book Pulpit Rock written by Kate Rhodes and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-15 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fourth instalment in a gripping and atmospheric crime series set on a small island where there is no escape . . . 'Gripping, clever and impossible to put down' ERIN KELLY AN ISLAND ON LOCKDOWN. A KILLER ON THE LOOSE . . . As the scorching summer sun covers the small Scilly island of St Mary's, DI Ben Kitto and his team are training for the annual Swimathon. But their morning session comes to a climactic end when they discover a body hanging from Pulpit Rock. The victim has been dressed up in a bridal gown, and Ben quickly realises that a dark and sinister killer is at large on the island. To prevent the killer from escaping, Ben has no choice but to lock down St Mary's, yet in doing so he is unwillingly trapping the killer's next victim. When another woman is attacked, Ben gathers the island's at-risk residents inside the local hotel for safety, but the killer is already watching and remains one step ahead . . . Everyone is a suspect. No one is safe. PRAISE FOR KATE RHODES: 'Gripping, clever and impossible to put down. I've been a Kate Rhodes fan for years and in Ben Kitto she has created a detective who is just as complex and compelling as Kate's elegant plotting and stunning prose. The claustrophobia and paranoia of the island are so brilliant evoked, I could almost feel the tide encroaching as time ran out to find the killer' ERIN KELLY 'Absorbing and complex, Hell Bay kept me guessing until the final pages' RACHEL ABBOTT 'A vividly realised protagonist whose complex and harrowing history rivals the central crime storyline' SOPHIE HANNAH 'Beautifully written and expertly plotted; this is a masterclass' GUARDIAN 'Expertly weaves a sense of place and character into a tense and intriguing story' METRO 'Rhodes does a superb job of balancing a portrayal of a tiny community oppressed by secrets with an uplifting evocation of setting' Jake Kerridge, SUNDAY EXPRESS 'The whole book tingles with tension. I hope it does for the Scilly Isles what Ann Cleeves did for Shetland' MEL MCGRATH 'I love reading Kate's books in the way I love reading Sophie Hannah - a poet writing crime fiction is a great thing . . . It is at once a locked-room mystery, a story of the returning hero, and an examination of fear and abuse. It has the air of a twenty-first century Agatha Christie' JULIA CROUCH

Download or read book Making a Scene in the Pulpit written by Alyce M. McKenzie and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2018-10-23 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can preachers ensure that their sermons continue to engage listeners in a world defined by visual media and the short, segmented delivery of information? Alyce McKenzie harnesses the element of drama and the human fascination with scenes to offer ministers a modern means of sermon development and delivery. McKenzie's core strategy is to invite listeners into scenes—whether from Scripture or contemporary life—and, once they are there, to point them toward the larger story of God's relationship with humankind. Creating such scenes unifies the whole process of preaching, she says, from the preacher's daily life observations to interpretation of scenes from Scripture, to sermon shaping, sequencing, and delivery. The process culminates in a specific understanding of the purpose of the sermon: to send listeners out into the scenes they'll play in their lives for the next week, equipped to act out their parts in ways that are kinder, more just, and more courageous than last week.

Download or read book Between Truth and Fiction written by David Jasper and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "These often unexpected texts offer a provocative invitation to the hermeneutical challenges of the ever changing shape of the literature and theology canon. Students will be surprised and delighted by these carefully selected and powerful readings."---George Newlands, Professor Emeritus of Divinity, University of Glasgow --

Download or read book The Power of the Pulpit written by Gardiner Spring and published by . This book was released on 2009-08 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Gardiner Spring's 'The Power of the Pulpit' is an old classic on preaching that truly believes in the pulpit. It deserves to stand on every minister's bookshelf beside Spurgeon's 'Lectures to my Students' and Lloyd-Jones's 'Preaching.' I'll never forget the first time I read Spring's chapter on a minister's personal piety; it overwhelmed me, and moved me to tears, to silence, to confession, and to prayer for mercy and help. This is a great book which every minister should read and re-read, if he really wants to get a sense of the magnitude, awesomeness, power, and beauty of his calling." - Dr. Joel R. Beeke

Download or read book Pulpit Crimes written by James R. White and published by . This book was released on 2006-10 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the contention of the author that the pulpit in the average church is a place in which crimes are committed every week. He seeks to expose false teaching while offering encouragement to those who are seeking to be faithful to God's Word. (Christian)

Download or read book Anointed written by Greg Baker and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-17 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A David and Goliath Novel (Book One of the Davidic Chronicles) Book one of the Davidic Chronicles immerses you in a young David's world during a time of bloody war and supernatural deliverance. Witness the titanic collision between Goliath's gods and David's faith in Jehovah. Inside Anointed... "What chance do you have against the giant?" Saul asked. David bowed. "Let the king know. Your servant kept his father's sheep. There came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock. And when the lion arose against me, I caught the lion by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. I also slew the bear, my lord. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD God that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." The king's eyes closed. "I fear to send you, my son. I fear what the giant will do to you. You have yet to witness his great strength." He hesitated. "But I do believe the LORD is with you. I pray that He is. Our honor, our nation, our lives rest upon you, my servant. Go, and Jehovah be with you." David left the tent, but only Jonathan followed him. The king's son walked over to a pole that bore a flag of challenge. It had lain unused on the ground for these past forty days, but now Jonathan hoisted it high and slammed the butt hard into the earth to steady it. The red flag waved defiantly in the small breeze of the late afternoon. A roar of approval rose from the ranks of Hebrew soldiers, and from the valley below, Goliath beheld the challenge flag and beat upon his breastplate in pleased battle lust. He shouted, "Come then! Send me a man that we may fight!" David took a deep breath, eyeing the monstrous giant. Then he bounded down the slope to meet his fate and fulfill the duty of his anointing.