Calvin Miller, Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition

Calvin Miller's new book, Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition, is a helpful, engaging, well-written 248 pages on preaching. Calvin Miller, seasoned pastor and author, and now professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Beeson Divinity School, has much to teach his readers about preaching as he draws from decades of preaching experience. For me, reading Miller felt like sitting down for a meal with a wise grandfather and listening in on story after story and proverb after proverb on the art of preaching.

While I don't agree with everything this wise grandfather says, and while I found Miller's stories and proverbs and instruction to be more about preaching in general, rather than specifically about narrative preaching, I heartily recommend this book to my fellow preachers. Engaging this book will serve you as a preacher.

On the front plate of my copy of Preaching I wrote down the page references of over 20 quotes from Calvin Miller that caused me to pause and think.

In the coming weeks I hope to share many of these quotes, but for now, here's a handful:

Preaching is rescue work.

Preaching is the workhorse of the ecclesia. Preaching was established by Jesus because God has a job to do.

We make a mistake in always trying to write better sermons while paying so little attention to the life of the preacher.

To prepare a great sermon begins with a greatness of being that comes from a magnificent obsession with the Savior.

Because the secular culture didn't want a Lord, preaching quit saying, 'Thus saith the Lord.' Now there are far too few pulpits informing the world that God has something to say to it. In the absence of God's Word, 'how-to' has replaced 'repent and be baptized.'