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This book is practical. While it doesn’t pretend to offer a full-blown theology of preaching or even a particular form for the sermon, it does provide the preacher with a tremendous amount of practical advice on the the craft of preaching. The authors challenge the preacher to find an “angle” from which to present the sermon and the text. Their particular angle for this book is the techniques of journalism. Both writers, experienced journalists themselves (Christianity Today, Inc.), employ the skills they describe, effectively helping preachers think with greater clarity and communicate with extra crispness. As might be expected, the book reads like a series of magazine articles on the subject – short paragraphs and sharp prose. Deceptively simple, a thoughtful study of this book will go a great distance toward enhancing the preaching of anyone who gives it their attention.
Table of Contents:
1. Love Your Hearers as Yourself
2. How to Be More Creative
3. Introductions That Get Listeners
4. Structuring Your Sermon for Maximum Effect
5. When You Can’t Find an Illustration
6. Good Illustrations – and Great Ones
7. How to Tell a Good Story
8. A Forceful Style
9. Crafting Words That Inspire
10. Pacing
11. Finishing Strong
12. Preaching Within Yourself – and Beyond
Excerpt: Journalists want to communicate truth, but we soon realize that effective articles are more than words logically arrangedd. An article that is read – the only kind worth writing – must have clear writing about a fresh subject, but it must also touch the human heart, addressing some human concern. It must do at least these two things at once. ... Here again, magazine journalism can help. An engaging article must be universal enough to appeal to a large number of readers and particular enough to say something interesting. When a writer discovers that combination, he or she has discovered the article angle. (page 47, 48)