Review: Preaching in a New Key

December 3, 2025December 2, 2025 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

Preaching in a New Key

Preaching in a New Key, Mark R. Glanville, IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514010990) 2025.

Summary: A guide to engaging in Christ-centered expository preaching that is culturally resonant in Post-Christian settings.

Mark R. Glanville believes in expository preaching. But he argues that our practice needs to shift in two key ways. First, we need to understand the complexities of believing for people in our culture and communicate both sensitively and effectively. Second, our preaching should focus on nourishing “communities of hope” that extend the healing ministry of Jesus in our neighborhoods. He recognizes that something has shifted in the culture and that preaching needs to be cognizant of that shift. Rather than making authoritative pronouncements from scripture, he argues for the “ironic authority of scripture.” That is, as we exposit the lack of cultural plausibility of the text, it breaks through as a word from God, and not just more Christian culture. In this book, Glanville unpacks approaches that he’s found resonate in Post-Christian settings.

After a prologue studying the nature of preaching in the Bible, he explores the personal awareness preachers need to cultivate in a section titled “Deeper.” This begins with self-awareness and emotional health. We communicate with our whole selves, healthily or not. He then focuses on knowing one’s church, shaping a community pursuing life and the love of Jesus together. Finally, he invites contextually aware preaching–particularly of the doubts and questions people bring. He argues for “reversing the flow.” That is, recognizing these doubts and questions as one opens the scripture and displays the wisdom and beauty of Christ.

Then Glanville gets down to “Craft” in Part Two. He begins with composing, following the structure of the text. He emphasizes identifying the “through line.” Derived from one’s exegetical summary, it is the idea running through the text. He describes artisan skills consisting of eight practices and eight “licks” (Glanville’s a jazz musician) that make an exposition come to life. “Playing with Heart” speaks to the appropriate appeal to emotion–from the heart to the heart. This chapter also includes a very practical schedule for preparation. Glanville concludes the section by explaining his preaching sketchpad, which integrates the various elements he has been unpacking. Here’s the sketchpad:

Available for free download at: https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/Excerpts-and-Samples/A1099-Preaching-Sketchpad.pdf

Part Three turns to “Tradition.” By this, Glanville is referring to representing scripture accurately in all its richness. “Learning the Tradition” focuses on knowing the story, being clear on the gospel, understanding the nature of witness, and what is biblical ethics. “Trusting the Tradition” returns to the idea of authority, and the centrality of Jesus. Finally, “Exegeting the Tradition” offers guidelines for the exegetical work basic to developing a message.

The final part of the book turns from the mechanics of preparation to the artistry of preaching. “Creativity” focuses on how we weave beauty into sermons through the use of imagination and the arts. Then “Posture” creates space for people to explore and consider in safety. This includes intercultural sensitivity and awareness of traumas experienced in the community. Turning to the “Church,” Glanville explores how one weaves together rhythms of scripture, the local congregation, the neighborhood and the wider church. However, beauty doesn’t preclude addressing violence in scripture and texts that teach about justice in society. This is the focus of the final chapter in this section.

In addition, the book includes three appendices on preaching on a theme, preaching a short text, and connecting to the Monday through Saturday vocations of people. Throughout, Glanville uses graphics to explain points, offers a number of lists of practical suggestions, and relates all this to his own work.

In conclusion, Granville offers an approach to expository teaching that exegetes not only the text but the listening community and that moves from head to heart while remaining faithful to the biblical text. Practical considerations are balanced by attention to the health and heart of the preacher, so crucial in a time prizing authenticity. This book distills so much wisdom about preaching that one might call it a shop manual for preachers. This book will not only be read once and set aside. You will find yourself referencing it in different seasons of your preaching life.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Encountering God through Expository Preaching

November 13, 2017November 11, 2017 / rtrube54 / 2 Comments

Encountering God through Expository Preaching, Jim Scott Orrick, Brian Payne, Ryan Fullerton. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2017.

Summary: An argument for expository preaching as the means by which the people of God encounter the living God through the word of God, and an explication of the practices in preparation that lead to this in experience through the preached word.

The authors of this book both define what preaching is and set out their purpose in an opening statement in answer to the question, “what is preaching.” They respond:

“Preaching occurs when a holy man of God opens the Word of God and says to the people of God, ‘Come and experience God with me in this text.’ Encountering God through Expository Preaching is an explanation of this sentence.”

This book accomplishes what it promises and more. It sets forth the high calling, privilege, and sheer joy of preaching. The writers begin with the “holy man” and assert that godly character, and particularly that one is progressing in one’s own growth is critical to preaching that leads people to experience God. Giftedness is not enough, and often will result both in the cult of the preacher, and disappointment.

Then they turn to the defense of expository preaching, and particularly expository preaching that gives careful attention to the context of the text within the passage, the book, and ultimately the whole Bible. Particular emphasis is given to situating the text within God’s unfolding covenant purposes. This is not mere verse by verse explanation but canonical and biblical theological exposition, where the themes of scripture and the whole of scripture shape the treatment of a particular passage. While preference is given to preaching through books of scripture, they allow that topical preaching is both warranted by scripture itself, and that it may be done expositorily.

The authors conclude the first part with three chapters on the importance of the Holy Spirit in preaching that invites people to experience God. Careful exegesis and good homiletic practice are insufficient to transform our listeners. The Holy Spirit illumines both us and those who hear the Word preached. He emboldens the preacher, particularly in the face of opposing powers, he lights us up, fills us with love and gives us words. Finally, we constantly rely on Him through relying upon His Word, upon the Lord’s gospel, upon God in prayer, and upon the prayers of our people.

They then focus on early preparation. What I found is that this did not concern exegetical practice or turning exegetical outlines into preaching outlines, as so many similar texts do. To some degree they already addressed this in the chapters on context, and will in broad outline in the following chapters. But they begin by focusing on the importance of delivery, and also the reading of the preaching text–itself a form of preaching when done well. One of the most trenchant observations made here is that good teachers are able to anticipate how their words sound in the ears of their hearers.

The next three chapters are built around a little rhyme suggesting four questions each sermon must answer:

How does it fit?

What does it say?

How is it built?

Why does it stay?

“How does it fit?” answers the question of how the text fits into the overall context of the Bible. “What does it say?” focuses on what needs to be said about the message of this particular text to one’s audience. “How is it built?” looks at the way a passage develops its main idea. “Why does it stay?” is about why this passage has lasting relevance and how it may be relevant in the lives of the preacher and the hearers.

The final three chapters weigh the respective advantages and disadvantages of preaching from a manuscript, preaching from an outline, and preaching without notes. While a manuscript provides for precision of utterance, and avoids rabbit trails, and an outline helps with remembering what one wishes to say, the writers come down preferring the practice of preaching without notes. They favor this both in terms of what it requires of the preacher in terms of personal holiness, an outline based on the text, a simple and memorable outline, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. It also allows for better communication with and engagement with one’s audience, including more eye contact, and more natural movement and vocal variety.

What this book does is de-emphasize some of the more technical aspects of sermon preparation to focus on the spirituality of preaching–the character of the preacher, one’s own encounter with God in the text through the ministry of the Spirit, and reliance upon the Spirit in both preparation and proclamation.

While there is much of worth for anyone who aspires to preach, it should be noted that a premise of this book is that the office of preacher is limited to men–evident in references to “a holy man, ” and in the argument for preaching without notes that “it encourages masculinity” and that “for preaching to be effective, the preacher must be a masculine man” (p. 200).

While I do not agree with this premise, I found much of worth in this book, and particularly the strong argument for expository preaching, that this is really to expose God’s word under the power of God’s Spirit, so that the people of God may experience, worship, and obey the living God. It has been my joy to experience the living God under the expository preaching of both holy men and women of God, and I can’t imagine why those charged with preaching the Word of God would want anything less or else.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: Preaching the New Testament

May 28, 2015June 20, 2016 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

Preaching the New Testament edited by Ian Paul & David Wenham. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2013.

Summary: The contributors to this volume consider how the character of the genres and sub-genres of the New Testament shape how these texts are preached with faithfulness not only to the meaning of the text but also to the type of text they are preaching. Essays include not only discussions of genres but also issues in hermeneutics and homiletics as they bear on the teaching of the New Testament.

Anyone who has attempted to preach from the various New Testament texts quickly realizes that not only do different principles of interpretation apply to different genres, but how one preaches these texts differs. When preaching a gospel narrative, helping people inhabit the story is crucial. When preaching Romans, understanding the argument Paul is making and how he develops it is important.

A number of books have been written on genre and exegesis. What is different about this book is that it takes the various genres and sub-categories of genres and explores how these might be preached in a manner consistent with their form. There are several essays concerning various types of writing found in the gospels–an overview by D.A. Carson, a treatment of the nativity narratives by R.T. France, which was the last thing he wrote before his death, and chapters on parables, miracles, and the Sermon on the Mount. Successive chapters consider the book of Acts, Paul’s epistles, and the Pastoral epistles, Hebrews, the General Epistles, and Revelation. These are followed by chapters on the use of archaelogy and history in preaching, how one preaches the ethics of the New Testament, the preaching of hope and judgment, two chapters on hermeneutical issues, and a concluding chapter that considers preaching the gospel from the gospels.

I thought in general the essays were of high quality. Carson’s on preaching the gospels, like so much of what he writes was a goldmine bringing together exegetical and homiletic insight. France explores the crucial issue of how one brings fresh life to familiar infancy narratives. I. Howard Marshall helpfully addresses both the horizon of the context of the Pastoral epistles and a number of contemporary issues that the texts address under the categories of Christian belief, Christian character and congregational life and gives us examples of two of his own homiletic outlines. I thought the essay on Hebrews especially helpful in identifying both the challenges of preaching this text and the thread of redemptive history that may be brought forth.

In the portion not devoted to specific genres, Peter Oakes essay on archaeology and history emphasized as the most crucial task helping people understand everyday life in New Testament contexts. Stephen Travis helpfully took on the important issue of preaching hope and judgment. In his discussion of judgment I thought he struck a good balance of what may be clearly affirmed and the places where there are no definitive answers, between the reality of judgment and the truth that this was not God’s intention for human beings.

A common quality of all these essays was the conviction that those who preach do not need to choose between faithfulness to the text of the Bible and preaching that engages contemporary hearers. In fact, they would contend that faithful attention to the genres of New Testament text that allows these genres to shape how one preaches is critical to homiletic relevance and delivers the preacher from falling into patterns of boring sameness. While this is not the sum total of good preaching, which includes the pastor’s engagement personally with the text and speaking in the power of the Spirit, this work contributes to God’s word being heard by God’s people through the human vessel of preaching. I would commend this book to any who are committed to biblical preaching and seek not only to be faithful to the meaning of these texts but also their literary character.