The Preacher as Storyteller takes a skills-development approach to its timely homiletics topic. In short, author Austin B. Tucker reasons that "You can greatly improve your preaching by sharpening storytelling skills...A story can touch the latch spring of the heart to let the life-changing gospel come in." This book clearly helps pastors and pastoral students improve the effectiveness of their preaching by better understanding and employing the techniques of great storytelling.
The Preacher as Storyteller takes a skills-development approach to its timely homiletics topic. In short, author Austin B. Tucker reasons that “You can greatly improve your preaching by sharpening storytelling skills . . . A story can touch the latch spring of the heart to let the life-changing gospel come in.” To that end, he focuses upon the art of narrative and how it is used in the Bible (particularly by Jesus) and profiles great preachers throughout history and into today who have displayed a great gift for effective storytelling in their ministry.
While it is widely acknowledged that Jesus told stories, there has not been much focus on why he did so and how these stories contributed to his ministry. Stephen Wright approaches this topic afresh to analyze how considering the parables as "stories" can help our understanding of Jesus and his mission. Wright begins by looking for insights in scholarship from recent decades on the parables and the historical Jesus. He goes on to imagine how these stories would have resonated with hearers in each of the Synoptic Gospels and considers the dynamics between Jesus and his hearers in different locations like Galilee and Jerusalem. Finally, Wright considers the purpose of these parables as an element of Jesus' ministry and looks at Jesus himself as a storyteller. This book will provide a solid basis for understanding why Jesus spoke in parables and how this distinctive style of speech functioned in his ministry.
This book explores the role narrative can play to renew preaching in Ghanaian congregations. It does this by describing and classifying models of preaching in North America and applies those models to the Ghanaian situation carefully guarding against assuming that a western model can be adapted without question.
This thorough revision of this classic text is even clearer and more helpful than the first edition. Long has updated the language, expanded the key chapter on biblical exegesis, and has included more examples of sermon forms, illustrations, and conclusions.
Can you captivate an audience with your story? Many of us would love to hold the attention of a crowd, a classroom, or just a group of our friends by telling them a great story. We have felt the pressure of a public presentation or the disappointment of telling a story that others ignore. We are ready to be heard, ready to captivate. In The Art of Storytelling, John Walsh takes us through the steps to presenting a compelling story—outlining the strategies that helped him move from stutterer to storyteller. This book will help any person with a story to share by walking you through all aspects of presentation . . . from what to do with your hands as you speak all the way to crafting a killer ending. Whether you’re telling bedtime stories to your children or Bible stories to a congregation, this book will take your storytelling to a new level.
Presents a new approach for using the Gospels as unique storytelling material. Each biblical story is printed in episodes to enhance memorization and make strong interpretive comments. Also includes suggestions on how to connect these stories with everyday experience.
This thorough and detailed revision of The Witness of Preaching is even clearer and more helpful than the first edition. Long has updated the language, expanded the key chapter on biblical exegesis, and included more examples of sermon forms, illustrations, and conclusions. He continues to critically engage the best thinkers in the field of homiletics, bringing into the conversation both important new voices and the latest works of those who appeared in the first edition. In addition, he addresses some of the new forces at work, such as the use of video clips and PowerPoint presentations in sermons.
This is a newly revised edition of one of the standard introductory preaching textbooks on the market today. Beginning with a solid theological basis, veteran preacher and best-selling author Thomas G. Long offers a practical, step-by-step guide to writing a sermon. Long centers his approach around the biblical concept of witness. To be a preacher, Long posits, is to be a witness to God's work in the worldone who sees before speaking, one whose task is to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about what is seen." This updated edition freshens up language and anecdotes, contains an extensive new analysis of the use of multimedia and its impact on preaching, and adds a completely new chapter on plagiarism in preaching. Included for the first time are four complete sermons, with Long's commentary and analysis. The sermons were written and originally preached by Barbara Brown Taylor, Cleophus J. LaRue. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, and Edmund Steimle. With this third edition, The Witness of Preaching reaffirms itself as the essential resource for seminary students as well as new and experienced preachers.
