Timothy Keller, minister of the gospel, preacher, teacher, and writer. He has written a Christian book titled, “Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism” where he shares his insights on sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ from both the podium and the tea shop. The book is divided into three main parts each comprising of chapters. Part one has three chapters, part two has three chapters while part three contains one chapter. This essay aims to summarize the book’s thesis, and major concepts carry out a critical review identifying a few areas of agreement and disagreement.
In part one, preachers should proclaim the Bible (Chapter 1), which means teaching the gospel (Chapter 2), which involves preaching Lord Jesus (Chapter 3), who is the subject of all Scripture. Keller believes that preachers should present topical sermons on occasion, but that their main sermons should be expository dialogue. Sermons should always be gospel-centered since Scripture reveals the cohesive story of what God says in Jesus through the Spirit to bring us salvation (Timothy 2015). Keller provides six approaches to preach Jesus from all of Scripture that are appropriate to both the message and the context of a given chapter to assist avoid these pitfalls.
In part two, preachers must interpret their messages to their congregations, according to “Reaching the People” (Chapter 4). Contextualized preaching entails a two-step process in which sermons both adapt to and confront society. God has placed traces of himself in all societies because he created the universe and humankind in his image. Chapter 5 “Preaching and the (Late) Contemporary Mind,” in my viewpoint, is an excellent chapter in the book. It reveals the basic cultural narratives that define the late-modern psyche. Keller prefers close to the end to postmodernism because he believes that contemporary society is less a turnaround of modernity than a deepening of its core tendencies. In my perspective, Chapter 6, “Preaching Gospel to the Heart,” is the second finest chapter. It acknowledges that humans are emotive as well as intelligent creatures. Keller contends that preaching cannot merely be factual and sound. I concur with Keller that the message must pique the curiosity and imagination of the audience; it must be appealing and reach into their hearts.
Part three “In Manifestation of the Spirit and Authority” is made up of just one chapter about ministers’ personalities. Your audiences will indeed be persuaded by someone’s message if they have been inspired by you as an individual. Preaching thus works with text (Holy Bible), context (ideology), and subtext. These three words, however, Keller does not mention, roughly correlate to the tripartite division of traditional rhetoric of logos by the text, the contextual arrangement (pathos), and the philosophy of subtext (ethos).
Most believers, especially preachers, find it hard to talk out their faith in a manner that effectively integrates the gospel’s ability to improve people’s lives. Timothy Keller is well-known for his practical, straight sermons and speeches that enable people to recognize themselves, experience Jesus, and relate the Gospel to everyday living. Therefore, through this book, Keller enables the reader to acquire knowledge to effectively deliver the message of the gospel of faith in a much more captivating, powerful, and empathetic way to doubters.
Reference
Timothy, Keller. 2015. Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism. Penguin eBook. Web.