Preaching Art

This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology.

The Homiletical Plot, Expanded Edition follows in the same solid tradition of its predecessor. Upon its release, The Homiletical Plot quickly became a pivotal work on the art of preaching. Instead of comments on a biblical passage, Lowry suggested that the sermon follow a narrative form that moves from beginning to end, as with the plot of a story. This expanded edition continues to be an excellent teaching resource and learning tool for all preachers, from introductory students to seasoned clergy.

Given the stiff competition in today's attention economy, many pastors feel pressured to make their sermons strikingly original. But Austin Carty, a longtime pastor and award-winning writer, has a different perspective: nothing we do or say is ever truly new. The power of a sermon is found not in novelty, but in the mandate it gives preachers to collect their thoughts every week and put them down in a succinct, coherent fashion.

This collection of uplifting, informative stories behind your favorite hymns will warm your heart and revitalize your worship. Each entry comes with the hymn's full text and musical score. Perfect for devotions, sermon demonstrations, bulletin inserts, and introducing congregational hymns, each hymn story includes information about the author, composer, the tune's name, and scriptural basis.

Preach and Deliver is a practical guide that will teach you the best practices for body language, eye contact, pauses, humor, illustrations, notes, and much more. This book will change the way you deliver a sermon so that you can preach in a powerful way that grips the hearts and minds of your audience. But passive listening alone will not make you a better preacher. That's why at the end of every chapter, I have included an action step to apply what you learned.

In Storycraft, renowned author Walter Wangerin, Jr. explores the power of narrative and storytelling to impact message, messenger, and hearer. Through preaching and teaching, the gospel comes alive—is incarnated—in the words, actions, and stories we tell. Well-crafted stories shape the relationship between tellers and listeners, between preachers and people. And in the telling, trust is established, faith is formed, and lives change. Together, Wangerin's reflections create a theology of story that shows how the Word of God takes on flesh in practiced speech.

Essential listening for understanding the development of religious thought in America...or for just hearing a rousing good sermon! Dynamic performances bring these classic pieces of Americana to life!

In the mid-19th century, Romantic literature was still in full bloom across the West, but some American authors began producing literature that, while still Romantic, was unique enough to be considered a different genre. This new genre, Transcendentalism, focused on the spirituality of the self and nature, not rejecting religion outright but concentrating on pragmatism and the importance of individuals as the spiritual center of the cosmos.