The Company of Preachers: Section 1

It occurs to me that I haven't reviewed any books lately. . . and I don't want any of you thinking that I'm not keeping up with my reading. While being in class and writing a couple of papers has slowed my reading, it hasn't stopped it completely.

I've finished two sections in Lischer's The Company of Preachers. Today I'll just review the first one, "What is Preaching?" This section contains the wisdom of seven separate lectureres on the topic of the nature of preaching: Alan of Lille (c. 1128-1202), Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), Phillip Brooks (1853-1893), C.H. Dood (1884-1973), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), Carl Michalson (1915-1965), and Barbara Brown Taylor (still kickin!).

They were all worth reading. I was surprised, though, to disagree with Bonhoeffer; such is my respect for his life and ministry. However, he beleives that preaching is Christ. "The proclaimed word is the incarnate Chirst himself," he writes. That, for me, is just too high a view of preaching.

I enjoyed Barbara Brown Taylor's lecture especially. It was helpful and I have a natural affinity for her methods. Also, I've quoted Phillip Brooks to some of you, but his essay put those quotes into conext:

"Truth through personality is our description of real preaching. The truth must come really through the person, not merely over his lips, not merely into his understanding and out through his pen. It must come through his character, affections, his whole intellectual and moral being. It must come genuinely through him."

Good stuff. Lischer did an excellent job of selecting texts for this book. I got an email from Susan Higgins last week telling me that she really appreciated Lischer's new book, The End of Words. I suspect, from Susan's recommendation and from reading The Company of Preachers, that it's a worthy read.