WHY JOHNNY CAN’T PREACH
The media have shaped the messengers
By T. David Gordon. P&R Publishing. 107 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978-1-59638-116-2
In some senses, this book could be regarded as a potential ‘Last Will and Testament’ of its author, who, at the time of writing, was undergoing treatment for cancer with only a 25% likelihood of success. Mercifully, David Gordon is currently in remission and, equally mercifully, did not significantly edit his work, which is marked by a sense of urgency and conviction. He speaks his mind in a gracious but earnest manner and about things that need addressing in such a way.
Gordon’s main contention is that the vast majority of today’s preachers have been so affected by trends in the contemporary media culture that they are unable to deliver sermons that are characterised by the seven basic features of expository preaching as listed by D.L. Dabney: Textual Fidelity, Unity, Evangelical Tone, Instructiveness, Movement, Point and Order. Gordon does not primarily blame the theological training received by preachers, but the illiterate, soundbite, triviality obsessed world of communication that surrounds us all.
