Today at the Brook Dialogue called “Spirit and Truth” I’ll be sharing some thoughts on preaching, and taking in a lot from the pastors and worship leaders gathered at Elmbrook, from special speaker Scot McKnight and our worship staff, and then, later in the evening, a special presentation by Professor James Davison Hunter. It should be a full day! Here are some historic quotes I like to share when talking about the ministry of preaching:
Martin Luther: A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and fight.
Martin Luther: A preacher should have the skill to teach the unlearned simply, roundly, and plainly; for teaching is of more importance than exhorting.
Abraham Lincoln: I don’t like to hear cut-and-dried sermons. When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees.
Phillips Brooks: Preaching is truth through personality.
Edgar DeWitt Jones: The preacher for this day must have the heart of a lion, the skin of a hippopotamus, the agility of a greyhound, the patience of a donkey, the wisdom of an elephant, the industry of an ant, and as many lives as a cat.
St. Francis de Sales: The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not what a lovely sermon, but, I will do something!
George Crane: You cannot have a live church with a clergyman who is devoid of humor or dramatics.
Richard Cecil: To love to preach is one thing—to love those to whom we preach, quite another.
John Newton: My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken one.
Austin Phelps: Genius is not essential to good preaching, but a live man is.
Any of these quotes notable to you? What do you think about the ministry of preaching today?