Preaching at the Crossroads: How the Worldand Our PreachingIs Changing

by David J. Lose (Editor)

Postmodernism. Secularism. Pluralism. These are the words often used to describe the tumultuous changes that have affected our culture and our churches. But what do they really mean? More importantly, what challenges and opportunities do they provide todays preachers? David Lose takes preachers on a tour of the major cultural influences of the last century, explaining how they have contributed to the diminishment of the church and exploring how they also offer opportunities to cultivate a more vibrant and relevant faith in the twenty-first century. Filled with lucid analysis and practical suggestions, Preaching at the Crossroads invites preachers to reclaim the art of preaching the timeless Gospel in a timely and compelling manner.

124 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

Reviews

[Kendall Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent brief introduction to the effect of postmodernism, secularism, and pluralism on the church as well as its impact on the task of preaching. Lose's stance toward these forces is commendable because he encourages seeing these cultural forces as something we need to work in light of rather than forces we might try to fight against.

[Mark Whitelaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Had some really helpful and interesting things to say. It is a little out of the loop, being a slightly (slightly) older book but it still speaks volumes! I'd recommend to anyone who preaches/teaches in church and/or even youth/kids settings in church.

[Ian Bordenave · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Preaching at the Crossroads: How Our World—and Preaching—Is Changing, David Lose argues that the preaching landscape has changed while most preachers have failed to notice and thus have failed to adapt their preaching. Lose says three things are now fixed in place as far as the preaching landscape goes: post-modernism, secularism, and pluralism. While he says there is overlap among the three, he makes neat distinctions for the purpose of discussion. He says post-modernism posits there is no universal truth to be had, and anyone claiming to have a universal truth is naïve or lying. He says secularism posits one can find fulfillment in materialism. Thus, the quest for transcendence is superfluous. He says pluralism says that there are many meaning-making pathways in life, not just Christianity, and that the best pathway is the one that best suits one.

To counteract post-modernism, secularism, and pluralism, Lose recommends in the case of post-modernism for preachers not to try to win an argument in a sermon, since this is counterproductive with postmodernists. Rather, he recommends preachers witness to their life in Christ without any shred of defensiveness as the best hope of persuading postmodernists to see the truth of Christianity. He recommends in the case of secularism for preachers to visit the workplaces of their congregants and talk about those visits in their sermons to help their congregants see a connection between Sunday and the other days of the week—something congregants usually lack. He recommends in the case of pluralism for preachers to draw their congregants into the sermon preparation process and to even have the congregants give the sermon to equip congregants to speak about their faith publicly and thus imbue them with a sense of its uniqueness.

I like how Lose ends the book by saying preaching has always constituted a struggle. He encourages preachers to try new things and to risk failure as they endeavor in the all-important task of preaching the Gospel.

Preaching at the Crossroads is an enjoyable read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so very glad I read this book. The first half I wasn’t so sure. I thought the analysis was good, while a little academic, it resonated. I didn’t find anything I really disagreed with, but it was like “duh, of course” as I read. But then he got to writing about the sense of “calling” we have lost in our lives in the world and the way in which the church has done a poor job in worship and in practice to respond to the world around us and the scripture in ways that help us see our lives in the lens of calling. Then it set my imagination soaring. THAT is what I want a book to do. I’m very grateful for this.

[Chris Halverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lose names three major cultural forces shaping our world today, postmodernism, secularism, and pluralism (specifically digital pluralism), and asks how do we preach the gospel in such a world?
As someone who has been pointing to Decentralization, Demographic Shift, and Disestablishment as the major factors shaping the church today, I felt like this book echoed many of my impressions, but Lose has had a lot more time to think about these issues than I. A worthwhile read!

[Jon Herrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important work for our postmodern world. This is a must read for anyone who preaches or pastors today. Lose has his finger on the pulse of our world, and he has a clear path forward for those who want to impact the world outside the church walls.

[Ricky Beckett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keep an eye on the following link for my full review: https://thelutherancolumn.com/categor...

[John Medendorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about changes in contemporary society and the challenges and opportunities it presents for preaching. Lose focuses on the phenomena of postmodernism, secularism, and pluralism as key movements that have shaped contemporary western society and offers a robust formulation of ecclesiology, vocation, and narrative identity as a response. Faith, hope, and love are identified as the key responses to each of these three phenomena, respectively, although Lose doesn't use that terminology. I particularly appreciated his emphasis on vocation and the connection and relevance of Sunday worship to the everyday life and work of parishioners. Lose suggests regular work and school visits to congregation members, noting from his years of experience as a pastor and preaching professor that such visits are not only appreciated and desired, but do a lot to affirm the "real life" of Christians and stretch the imagination of the preacher. Typos and grammatical errors in the opening and closing chapters were distracting and revealed a hasty editing job, but the book is probably the most accessible and practical primer I have read on preaching in contemporary western society.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, clear, concise, and readable approach to major philosophical movements of our times as they relate to communicating the gospel! I wish I had read this in seminary. Postmodernism, secularism, and pluralism are not merely something to rail against and reject outright suggests Lose. These philosophical realities are simply the cultural air we breathe and it's up to us to both understand them and learn to communicate in effective ways. Lose explains that most preachers were trained in a certain era and trained to communicate in particular ways to a particular audience. Well, that audience has changed over the years and today's preachers must learn how to creatively gain a hearing today given today's philosophical assumptions and cultural realities. It is a challenging yet very positive and hopeful book that every communicator of the gospel must read!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. Postmodernism, secularism, pluralism - the book briefly defines these social and cultural developments from over the past 50 years that have frustrated preachers. But he shows what questions are really being asked - "does my life have meaning in this world" - and shows that the Christian message can provide help and hope to a world overwhelmed by competing messages. There are tremendous challenges, but we have a great message. I believe he is is complimentary towards conservative Christians, and the Law-Gospel sermon is also useful. He gives suggestions and directions on what to focus on to help answer questions people are asking and what is going on in their lives throughout the week. I underlined a lot in this book!

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Lose offers in brief compass a wonderfully illuminating look at preaching in the modern context. As a preacher I know that my sermons reach some, but are they addressing the real questions of the day? Is what we've been trained to do up to the demands of this era? We know that many are slipping away from the churches, in large part due to the wide variety of meaning making options -- the question is -- does the message we share help with meaning making?

Lose addresses the issue of preaching in relationship to postmodernism, secularism, and pluralism (in the last section he is focused on digital pluralism not religious pluralism). In the end, the question is how does preaching help form a Christian identity?

Excellent book that preachers should read!!

[David Hardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interest book. Maybe it's because he is speaking to mainline Christianity or because I am of a younger generation (maybe both) I didn't find any of the ideas novel. In fact I think Evangelicals largely embraced these ideas 20 years ago. Most of the challenges were expressed by Robert Webber and others in the late 90's. However the boom offers a short accessible easy to read look at the challenges of 21st century preaching and some solid suggestions on what to do about them. I do think theology is more of an issue than the book addresses, but that's not surprising given our different theology backgrounds.

[Neil White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really excellent descriptive and suggestive book in how preaching and more broadly ministry might look at the beginning of the 21st century. David Lose does an excellent job describing postmodernity, secularism and pluralism in both concise and helpful ways and then moves to show not only the challenge but the opportunities presented by each of these three movements. Full review at http://signoftherose.org/2014/12/11/r...

[Paul Rack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book on preaching, paying attention to post-modern details and situations, without collapsing into fads, gimmicks, quick and easy fixes, bait-and-switch, or one-size-fits-all answers. Not a whole lot of technical advice; more like strategies for adapting to a changing time, yet within the context of the gospel message and practice.

[Pastor Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, one the author states was brought together from different writings he'd done previously, did flow better than I thought it would. I was hoping for more practical help but naming what we see in this life around us that affects the ways we share Christ was most helpful.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the finest address of the situation of contemporary preaching as I have yet read. Recommend highly to preachers, pastors, and those who want to know what goes on in the mind of their pastor between Sundays.

[Margaret D'Anieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Connected the dots for me, as Lose often does. While the audience is obviously preachers, a worthwhile read for anyone wondering about the role of faith communities in today's world of competing narratives and what he calls digital pluralism.

[Anne]

It's a book on preaching, but it has in it a really clear and concise discussion of postmodernism that I can imagine giving to undergrads to read well outside that context.

[Nathan Willard · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preaching at the crossroads los spends a lot of time asking how we can preach in a relevant fashion there are a lot of good ideas in here but I'm not entirely sure about his overall project.