Preaching without notes,

by Clarence E. Macartney

A Series of lectures on Preaching. Chapters 1. The Recall to Gospel Preaching 2. The Preacher & his illustrations 3. Getting Redy for the Pulpit 4. Bible Biographical Preaching 5. Preaching without Notes 6. The Minister's Occupation Classic book on preaching & pastoral practice by a Master.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2008

About the author

Clarence Edward Noble Macartney:
a prominent conservative Presbyterian pastor and author.

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a 1946 printing of this book in an antique store for $15. I knew nothing about it or the author. I was pleasantly surprised by the wisdom and worthy advice. While the theme is "preaching without notes" (which requires more work and study in preparation for a sermon than simply speaking "off the cuff"), there is a great deal of encouragement and insight for the preacher, both for his life and sermon preparation. Here is a sample: "The motto for every earnest minister ought to be that of the great Minister, the great Shepherd himself, who said, 'For their sakes I sanctify myself.' The better the man, the better the preacher. When he kneels by the bed of the dying or when he mounts the pulpit stairs, then every self-denial he has made, every Christian forbearance he has shown, every resistance to sin and temptation, will come back to him to strengthen his arm and give conviction to his voice. Likewise every evasion of duty, every indulgence of self, every compromise with evil, every unworthy thought, word, or deed, will be there at the head of the pulpit stairs to meet the minister on Sunday morning, to take the light from his eye, the power from his blow, the ring from his voice, and the joy from his heart. It is a great thing for the preacher when 'they of thine own house' -- the words, thoughts, and deeds of his own life -- are on his side and not against him." If you are a preacher young or old, inexperienced or seasoned, or if you are just thinking of becoming a preacher or a Bible teacher, you would reap blessings from this book.

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be a little different than what it ended up being. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. It is full of advice and suggestions for the preacher in regards to sermon topics. Some of the book was a little bit dry due to the several lists of sermon topics the author goes over periodically throughout the book. Because of this I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. However, the richness of the book does deserve 5-stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and did not tire while reading it. if the Lord calls me into the pastorate I have a desire to preach without notes, so this book was rather encouraging to me.

"A poet ought to be a poem himself. Likewise the preacher out to be a sermon himself." - John Milton

[Caleb Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed through this one. Despite a few disagreements, this book convinced me to move away from strict manuscript preaching. Also, his encouragement to strengthen sermon illustrations convicted me. Overall, it’s a fairly basic book on preaching with some gold nuggets scattered throughout.

[Jake Litwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful in some areas but overall it’s mediocre. Outdated in some sections.

[Tom Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter on illustrations is a very helpful resource. To me, not outdated. The human condition remains unchanged. For those of us who preach through books, this has some very helpful alternatives to preaching that I really had not considered (I.e. Biographical Preaching). Also, it is a reminder that many of the most effective preachers of recent centuries were not using notes.

Negative: he assumes a primarily topical or systematic way of preaching rather than lectio continua preaching.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some good stuff in it. Somewhat dated in places, but still there are some good observations.