Volume 1
Fall 2002 - Introduction to PulpitTalk
The inaugural issue of PulpitTalk kicks off with a powerful sermon by Gordon Hugenberger, Senior Minister of Park Street Church in Boston. The sermon is titled, "I am not the Christ" and is both a thoughtful challenge to pastors as well as a superb example of a big idea sermon. Also in this issue you will join the faculty members of the Center for Preaching as they discuss the sermon, the future of preaching, and books about preaching that you need to know.
Listen to audio samples:
Excerpt 1 from "I Am Not the Christ"
Excerpt 2 from "I Am Not the Christ"
Further Resources
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson; Baker Books, 2001.
Leadership Journal published by Christianity Today.
Preaching Today published by Christianity Today.
Winter 2003 - Doing Introductions
Introductions may not make a sermon, but they can break one if you fail capture the audience’s attention. In this issue we learn about the importance of introductions and how to develop an introduction that will gain the interest of your audience and give you the momentum to move into your text. Listen along as the faculty of the Center for Preaching evaluate strong and weak introductions and share the elements that are essential for starting your sermon off right.
Listen to audio samples:
Introduction to Volume 1, Number 2
Sample Excerpt from Volume 1, Number 2
Further Resources
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson; Baker Books, 2001.
Introducing the Sermon: The Art of Compelling Beginnings by Michael Hostetler; Zondervan, 1986.
Spring 2003 - Narrative Preaching
A great deal of the Bible is in narrative form. A special homiletic technique is required to preach a sermon from one of these texts. In this issue you will learn the principles of narrative preaching and listen as J. Kent Edwards implements these principles in his sermon, "Samson: The Weak Strong Man." You will also hear about recent and readable books on narrative preaching. Learning how to tell the stories of the Bible will give you another skill to make the truths of the Bible come to life for your audience.
Listen to audio samples:
Introduction to Volume 1, Number 3
Sample Excerpt from Volume 1, Number 3
Further Resources
Variety in Biblical Preaching: Innovative Technique and Fresh Forms by Harold Freeman; W Publishing Group, 1987.
The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry; Westminster-John Knox Press, 2000.
The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative by Steven Matthewson; Baker Books, 2002.
Effective First-Person Biblical Preaching: The Steps to Text to Narrative Sermon by Kent Edwards; Zondervan, 2005.
It's All in How You Tell It by Haddon and Torrey Robinson; Baker Books, 2003.
Summer 2003 - Preaching to Women
Did you know that more than sixty percent of people in the average church are women? This is a fact that preachers need to take note of each Sunday. This special edition features women as listeners, based on Dr. Alice P. Mathews' recent publication. Listen as she talks with the Center for Preaching faculty about the differences between how men and women respond to sermons and gain valuable insight from a roundtable discussion of women listeners. Learn how that you can make sure that you are communicating to everyone in your audience.
Listen to audio samples:
Introduction to Volume 1, Number 4
Sample Excerpt from Volume 1, Number 4
Further Resources
Preaching that Speaks to Women by Alice Mathews; Baker Books, 2003.
