Preaching today is ‘like hot food on a cold plate’
Preaching today is too often ‘like hot food served on a cold plate,’ says a member of the FIEC’s new theology team.
Bill James, Principal of London Seminary, joins Paul Mallard, Sarah Allen, Yannick Christos-Wahab, Jon Gemmell and Martin Salter in the group, which the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches says aims to provide ‘clear resources which will deepen our understanding and equip us to address pastoral needs and respond to contemporary challenges’.
Is it ungodly to work on your sermon delivery?
‘Just preach the word brother’, said the older preacher to his young apprentice. The younger man had expressed a desire to mature in the craft of communicating. The older man gently but firmly implied this was a waste of time – perhaps even an ungodly way to think about preaching.
The older man’s concerns are not unfounded. Preachers are not called to be stand-up comedians, slick rhetoricians or uber-charismatic vision-casters.