Excellent Preaching: Proclaiming the Gospel in Its Context and Ours

by Craig G. Bartholomew

The goal of preaching is to let the powerful message of the Bible penetrate the lives of your congregation. A well-crafted sermon can help to bridge the gap between biblical context and contemporary application.

In Excellent Preaching, Craig Bartholomew explains why we need to be acquainted with both the context of Scripture and the context in which we preach. Good contextualization is hard work, but Bartholomew shows that it can be done.

Practical, accessible, and rooted in years of preaching experience, this short book helps preachers connect the message of the text to everyday life.

Genres: Theology

71 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Craig G. Bartholomew (PhD, University of Bristol) is the H. Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, and the principal of the Paideia Centre for Public Theology. He founded the internationally recognized Scripture and Hermeneutics seminar and is coauthor of Living at the Crossroads and Christian Philosophy.

Reviews

[Simon Wiebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buch habe ich überflogend gelesen. Hätte ehrlich gesagt mehr erwartet von Bartholomew. Hat mich nicht wirklich gepackt und der Inhalt war nicht gut aufgearbeitet. Die Struktur hat mir ebenfalls gefehlt.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of lectures on preaching. Keep preaching and prayer together as you do the hard work of exegeting both the text and your people.

[Jack W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite compelling, forces the consideration of new perspectives and topics to preach on, and greater dwelling on blindspots of our own.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read

Nothing too profound but it is no doubt a delight to read. I was reminded of great truths and encouraged to preach with the awareness of a diligent theologian with a newspaper in hand.

[Dan Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book (76 pages including footnotes) that developed out of the keynote lectures of the 2015 Synod of the Anglican Network in Canada. This is more of a theoretical work about the preacher's task and how best to preach in such a way that brings the text home to the hearers and helps them obey the text of Scripture in the specific context of their own lives. Bartholomew calls this, "landing the plane" and notes that many preachers deliver sermons in such a way that leaves the plane circling in the sky, never quite landing it or bringing it home to speak to people in their broader and specific contexts (cultural, societal, redemptive-historic, day-to-day, etc.). When the plane is left circling, the text remains informative but basically theoretical and so there is no way for the congregation to be changed by the text other than by gaining information about God or the Bible.

Bartholomew argues that preachers must not only study and know the text of Scripture within its broader context but they must also study the context of the congregation that they will be preaching to. In arguing for this, Bartholomew echoes a practice that I first encountered in both Francis Schaeffer and John Stott. This study of the congregation requires not only a familiarity and critical examination of and interaction with the messages, trends, and trajectory of the surrounding culture but also an intimate and personal knowledge of the congregants themselves. It is at the intersection of the two horizons of the text of Scripture and the context of the congregation that the application, the runway for landing the plane, is located. This is the place the preacher must aim at when applying the Word of God to the people of God in the task of preaching.

The preacher is trying to point the text at the congregation and the congregation at the text, to make them intersect. The preacher must first of all locate the text he is preaching within God's unfolding work of redemption, which is the place and relevance of the text within the broader story of how God is working within creation and history to bring about his purposes. The 6 Acts of the biblical story, as Bartholomew understands them, are:
1) God establishes the Kingdom: Creation;
2) Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall;
3) The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated, a) a people for the King; b) a land for God's people;
Interlude: A Kingdom Story Waiting for an Ending - the intertestimental period;
4) The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished
5) Spreading the News of the King: The Mission of the Church, a) from Jerusalem to Rome; b) into all the world (the act we are currently in);
6) The Return of the King: Redemption Completed

Then, once the specific passage is located within its broader context in Scripture and God's work of redemption, there are further factors to be considered to bridge the gap between the passage of Scripture (within its biblical context) and the culture the congregation is located within. These congregational context factors are:
- Creation
- your place in the biblical story (Bartholomew holds to a 6-Act view of redemptive history whereas N.T. Wright offers a 5-Act view. Bartholomew would see the church in Act 5 of the biblical story as per below)
- the time you live in
- the area you live in
- your specific culture
- your congregation

So if one's text is located in Act 2 of the biblical story, one must first locate the text in its broader place in God's unfolding work of redemption. Furthermore, the preacher must then remind the congregation of their place in the story of God's redemption; what act they find themselves in. Finally, in order to land the plane, the preacher must determine where the text, in its own broader context, intersects with the historical/cultural/regional/congregational location of the sermon's recipients. This intersection is the runway that the preacher seeks to land the sermon on.

At first, this sounds like a massive task. Some of this I try to do and some of it I must admit that I either do not always do or don't do it well. Thankfully, Bartholomew doesn't leave this at the theoretical level. There are some examples/suggestions of how to do this from various passages in various parts of Scripture which serve as suggestions to the preacher of what this might look like. Bartholomew uses Galatians 1:10-2:21, Genesis 1:16, Exodus 20:3, and Ephesians 6:10-20 to give brief descriptions of what bridging the biblical and cultural contexts might look like in order to land the plane of these texts.

To conclude, Bartholomew gives 6 helpful suggestions to preachers regarding practical ways forward. First, he reminds preachers that the first step in the preaching task is always repentance. Second, Bartholomew calls pastors to prioritize preaching in their ministries. This does not mean they should neglect other legitimate and biblical aspects of ministry, but rather that they ought to use the various gifts and people in the body and structure their own lives and study habits in such a way that they are equipped for and committed to all the hard work of labouring in the Word. Third, preachers must get all the help they can to understanding the cultural and congregational contexts in order to "land the plane" and preach in a way that is transformative to the body. Forth, Bartholomew calls pastors to remind their congregations that properly receiving the Word is a communal act. The broader programs, ministries and life of the church should be structured in such a way as to increase the church's biblical literacy and spiritual health so as to maximize their receptivity to the Word of God as it is preached. Fifth, the reader is reminded that the effective and obedient preaching of the Word is a task bigger than any one pastor. Bartholomew encourages pastors to "join forces" with fellow ministers, build relationships with Christian scholars, and benefit from congregational and denominational resources and study tools. Finally, Bartholomew reminds the reader that preaching is a work of the Spirit. As such, the necessary position of a preacher is prayerful dependence on the God.

At the end of the book are some suggested resources to help equip pastors for the task of landing the plane of the sermon, as well as a very helpful, two page expansion of the Apostle's Creed, which fills in critical events in the unfolding of the biblical story and superimposes the six acts of redemptive history onto the Creed.

This is not the place to look for a detailed step-by-step for sermon prep and delivery. Rather, this is a particularly important overview of the what and how of locating any given text of Scripture within its overall biblical and redemptive-historical context, and bringing that text, so oriented, to meet a given congregation where they are in their own general as well as specific contexts. This work would be a good introduction to the task of preaching for beginners as well as a valuable reminder and encouragement for those who already labour in the Word of God for the people of God. Very much recommended.

[Daniel Mcgregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I find preaching to be such an art that books on the subject often come across to me as dull and abstracted. That being said, the directness of Bartholomew's words and his instructions to the reader and preacher are helpful. It is hard to rave about this book, but I do not think it is appropraite to discount or malign it either.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While short, Bartholomew's focus on the narrative of scripture, the various contexts of preaching, and the importance of "landing" a sermon that is as faithful to the Biblical text as it is to the real and pressing context of our world are excellent. The incorporation of 3-4 examples at the end of how Bartholomew goes about applying the earlier discussions was particularly helpful.

[Jason Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title could be misleading. This book is about contextualising application in preaching.

I found the work concise and helpful, though at times a bit too Anglican for me. I appreciated the international awareness of the author and the scholarly discipline he brought to his task. A great little read to help keep yourself growing as a preacher.

[Caleb Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have some (theological) points of disagreement with this book. However, it is still helpful when considering how to preach in our modern context.

[Joe Valenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to appreciate the small books from Lexham press. Earlier this year I reviewed the 144 page Mending a Fractured Church by Michael Bird et. al., and this latest release from Craig Bartholomew gets it done in less than 70 pages. That's right folks - a book on excellent preaching in less than 70 pages.


I note this from the beginning because I am a firm believer that the majority of popular books released by Christian publishers can be cut down by at least 100 pages. As my team and I review books, one of the most common complaints is redundancy. Thank you Lexham for these little books that pack big punch. Those of us in full-time ministry don't have time for fluff or wasted words!


I'm passionate about preaching the entirety of the Bible, preaching it in context, drawing modern application, and doing all of it very well. In this short little book, Craig Bartholomew passionately pleads with pastors to committed to excellent preaching as well.


Bartholomew begins with his primary concern, namely, that the gospel is being minimized and marginalized in our culture and, subsequently, in our churches. He proposes that one of the most significant contributors to this neutered gospel is poor preaching - preaching that is vague in its context, poor in its exegesis, and lacking in clarity of modern application. Using an aviation analogy, Bartholomew explains that he have gotten distracted and off-center in our preaching. Our goal (as captains) ought to be to deliver the Word of God (cargo), to the people of God, in order to bring them to God (destination).


He addresses each area in turn. First, he concentrates on the captain - the pastor - asking how it is possible that we can lead our congregation to Christ if we do not know the way to him ourselves.


He challenges pastors to consider the time spent in meetings and other things that might seem more tangible, but that do not produce the spiritual results that we so desire. Of specific note in this section is Bartholomew's nod to the need for the church elders, deacons, and members to utilize their gifts within the walls of the church in order to free up the teaching pastor for prayer and study. AMEN!


Next the author takes us to "arrivals". He notes that when we encounter God (arriving at the right destination) it can be hard to want to leave! However, he notes the necessity of seeing the bigger picture through the lens of the Bible. When we preach the Bible as the true story of the whole world, we see that our part is not merely to point people to God, but to point them to God so that they can then point others to God by way to cultural interaction and engagement. We must take the gospel message forward!


Bartholomew's final point is solid application - landing the plane. I meet weekly with a friend named Jim. Jim always challenges me in my application. He says things like, you're points don't met me where I am at. Bring them down lower. Explain them to me. Bartholomew follows suit charging pastors to know the culture and their congregation. Only when we are intimately involved with the people we are preaching to can we draw application that is helpful.


This little book packs big punch. I specifically think that this book might have maximum impact if read by a group of church leaders in order to evaluate and address areas of concern within their local church context. working through the points that Bartholomew brings to light will be a great benefit to both the preacher and the congregation. This is not a thorough book on hermeneutics or homiletics or theology. But what this little book does is shine a big spotlight on the importance of preaching. It might be seen as a primer to the aforementioned areas of study. Once we get our minds and hearts around the importance of the office and are committed to seeing the Bible preached well, we can move on to biblical interpretation and biblical proclamation. But too often seminarians have studied those two disciplines thoroughly and rest on their education to carry them through the task of preaching. Excellent Preaching is a sobering reminder to all of us who preach that it is a high calling and that we ought to do everything in our power to do it well!


This book comes highly recommended! Pastors, get this book and re-read it often! Church members and elders, read this book and then ask yourself how you need to put your unique gifts into action so that you might enable your pastor to dedicate the necessary time to prayer and sermon prep.

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read the full review, you can go to my Wordpress blog, "SpoiledMilks."

Why is good preaching so difficult to accomplish, and why is excellent preaching so herculean a feat?

In this short book, Craig G. Bartholomew explains how to land a plane. Every Sunday you might feel like you’re on a repeat viewing of “Airplane!” It’s like you’re speaking jive and no one understands you. You have a message, it’s based on the text of the Bible, but now you need to land the plane and get God’s truth to sit in the lives of your congregation. How do you impact their hearts and thoughts? You do you penetrate their lives and get them to think about how to live in a transformed way?

And often times, even when you do land the plane, you either land it upside down or two engines blow and you have to land in the water. Can this really be so difficult?

Just as on Mt. Sinai, our ultimate destination is Godward. He is our home. He is the destination. The pastor always needs to have that in mind when preaching to his congregation. The pastor is the one who preaches. The pastor cannot neglect his own spiritual life either. A rich prayer life must be in order so that the pastor can lead God’s people “ever more deeply into the very life of God” (13).

Scripture provides us with a hermeneutic for understanding our world. But it narrows down from there. God’s people are scattered throughout the nations, and the age we live in is one of missions. We live in the 21st century AD which is a far cry from the 1st century AD (and even the 19th century!). Then there is your own culture, whether it be western or eastern. Do you know what your culture is like? Bartholomew goes through an explanation of modernity and postmodernity, even showing how much his discussion has to do with preaching and understanding our own congregations.

Preaching is not the only thing the pastor does, but time must be carved out and effort must be put in. Pastors must get to know and become familiar with research done in other areas of life, such as cultural studies, sociology, and media. Prayer, the Word, and discipleship and mission must be a focus, along with the recognition that spiritual warfare is going on all the time, all around you. Preaching is costly.

Recommended?
This short book will not give you a chapter called “Three Tips on How to Structure Your Sermon and Grow Your Church.” Instead, Bartholomew, who has many years of experience in preaching and teaching, gives a more holistic view of what preaching entails, and what the preacher must keep in mind. It is imperative. We can’t let our sermons fall flat and settle for that. We need to learn to land the plane, and to land it right-side up with our passengers intact, engaged, and reaching their destination (of course, what they do with the information is up to them). This would be good to read alongside of Keller’s Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism.