thistle93
Puritan Board Freshman
Curious, how you would define good preaching? What are the essential ingredients?
I would say some of the essentials of good preaching are that it is God-centered, is primary aimed at His glory, always points to Jesus Christ, is faithful to the Biblical text and has practical application and response throughout.
What concerns me is that it seems more and more today the emphasis of what constitutes good preaching is being placed on style and technique. Not that most people are neglecting content but it seems that equal emphasis is placed on style/technique. Now does style/technique have a place in preaching? Absolutely! All who preach the Word should be seeking to improve in these areas where lacking. But preachers must make sure it is unction of the Holy Spirit that drives their style/technique. This is what separates a preacher from a mere performer. So please do not think I am advocating boring and unenthusiastic preaching. But I do not read anywhere in Scripture that the marks of good preaching is that the preacher is a dynamic speaker and can captivate an audience. Yet this is often seen to be a major factor of what makes a preacher good at preaching. I believe there is the constant danger for the preacher and the congregation putting too much stock in the presentation, so that it is the presentation rather than the Word of God that becomes the driving force of the sermon. Paul sure seemed to think this could be a danger in 1 Corinthians.
I think it is good for pastors to remind those in their congregation to analyze their criteria for what makes good preaching and see if it is subjective and based more on personal preference or is it based on Biblical standards and principles. I think also good for pastors to remember these things each week as they preach becasue very tempting to lose perspective.
I am sure I am preaching to the choir but even us in reformed circles are not immune to falling into these temptations either as listeners of preaching and/or as preachers doing the preaching.
For His Glory-
Matthew
I would say some of the essentials of good preaching are that it is God-centered, is primary aimed at His glory, always points to Jesus Christ, is faithful to the Biblical text and has practical application and response throughout.
What concerns me is that it seems more and more today the emphasis of what constitutes good preaching is being placed on style and technique. Not that most people are neglecting content but it seems that equal emphasis is placed on style/technique. Now does style/technique have a place in preaching? Absolutely! All who preach the Word should be seeking to improve in these areas where lacking. But preachers must make sure it is unction of the Holy Spirit that drives their style/technique. This is what separates a preacher from a mere performer. So please do not think I am advocating boring and unenthusiastic preaching. But I do not read anywhere in Scripture that the marks of good preaching is that the preacher is a dynamic speaker and can captivate an audience. Yet this is often seen to be a major factor of what makes a preacher good at preaching. I believe there is the constant danger for the preacher and the congregation putting too much stock in the presentation, so that it is the presentation rather than the Word of God that becomes the driving force of the sermon. Paul sure seemed to think this could be a danger in 1 Corinthians.
I think it is good for pastors to remind those in their congregation to analyze their criteria for what makes good preaching and see if it is subjective and based more on personal preference or is it based on Biblical standards and principles. I think also good for pastors to remember these things each week as they preach becasue very tempting to lose perspective.
I am sure I am preaching to the choir but even us in reformed circles are not immune to falling into these temptations either as listeners of preaching and/or as preachers doing the preaching.
For His Glory-
Matthew