I have said that the text should shape the sermon, and the outline should rise out of the text. What does that mean in practice? What does that look like? Let's use a text that many readers are familiar with, Genesis 1, and use it as an example. When I look at Genesis 1, I … Continue reading Example of Text Shaping Sermon
God, Who Raises the Dead
On 14 December, a little girl died. Her name was Olive; she was two years old. She was the daughter of Kalley Heiligenthal, a worship leader at Bethel Church in Redding CA. Her mother took to social media to ask that people pray with her for her daughter to be raised from the dead. For … Continue reading God, Who Raises the Dead
Government & Business: Referees or Coaches?
Warning: incoherent rambling about government to follow: Let me explain how conservatives and libertarians have normally seen the relationship between government and business. (I believe this particular analogy is an update on a debate that Hamilton and Madison had, once upon a time.) Some people think that the government should be like the referees in … Continue reading Government & Business: Referees or Coaches?
Martin Luther and Christmas
A great post from Jesus Creed: While walking under the starry sky in a snowy woods just outside Wittenberg on a bright moon-lit night, Martin Luther was so overtaken by the glorious scene that he determined to recreate it inside his home, the Black Cloister. He chopped down a fresh blue spruce, brought it inside … Continue reading Martin Luther and Christmas
To the Ends of the Earth (or at least the ends of central Europe)
From Zagreb to the ends of the earth (or at least the ends of central Europe): check out the places where Biblijski institut professors have ministered this year.
Allah = Yahweh?
Recently I've seen several posts on FB, and several other comments on FB posts, that accuse prominent Christians (Rick Warren, Miroslav Volf) of teaching that the Allah of Islam and the Judeo-Christian Yahweh are the same. An aside: I should note here that I reject equating Allah with Yahweh. The New Testament tells us that … Continue reading Allah = Yahweh?
Rules for Developing Sermons
There are a lot of things I do not know about preaching. Here are a few things that I DO know, or think I know: FIRST: the best sermons are the ones where the preacher takes a single text--a verse, a paragraph, even a chapter--and explains what God is saying to the church through it. … Continue reading Rules for Developing Sermons
