Preaching

by Fred B. Craddock

A standard textbook on the art and craft of preaching. Craddock weaves history, theology, and hermeneutics into an exhaustive text on sermon preparation and preaching. Painstakingly prepared for seminary students and clergy, this book answers the fundamental How does one prepare and deliver a sermon? Craddock's approach is practical, but also allows for concentrated study of any particular dimension of the process. "Filled with practical wisdom. . . . A liberating book."--Richard Lischer, Duke University.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1984

Reviews

[Will Waller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preaching was the kind of book that stands the test of time as a textbook on a subject. However, perhaps it would be better served if I first understood its goal rather than coming in with preconceived notions about what it would be and to find myself dissatisfied at the end. I believed it to be a textbook on preaching with the goal of teaching preachers how to get up on Sunday morning and preach. Instead, it is about grounding yourself in the way to preach. Little information does Craddock provide of how to preach, what to preach, or when to preach. Instead, he’s concerned with why we preach and where our foundation for preaching comes.

For instance, his writing is beautiful like the following: “the sermon will awaken undercurrents of fear and desire, hope and dread, which belong to all human beings. Once awakened, they will be addressed firmly and graciously.” That’s beautiful, but it’s not exactly practical. I loved the book, but I read it like it would be a how-to rather than why-we book.

Throughout, he reminds the reader that our goal is not our self-glorification but that of God’s. We are really just a means to His end. True that, tru dat.

[Adam Callis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely gets dry in the middle, but it's a strong and helpful book on preaching if one has the endurance to press on. The last two chapters were very rich and encouraging, and I wish I had known to jump to those while I was stuck in the middle, to appreciate them more. I'll return to them after a time.

One great point he makes and re-references later is the ability of the Word to create its own listeners. So much of sermon preparation deals with prepping the Word for the listeners, almost as if we are cracking shells from peanuts to deliver them in a neat, clean bowl, ready-to-eat. But we're robbing people of the joy of doing all that themselves. Often in our prep, we end up subliminally dealing with people's issues for them, answering questions for them, etc., and by the time we deliver the sermon, we neglect to allow people to truly encounter the living, life-changing Word in its fullness. Great reminder.

He also talks about how form shapes a congregations faith, meaning the sermon form. Meaning, if every sermon is delivered in the form of an argument, the people will gradually interpret faith in that way. The same is true of other forms when overused.

Lastly, at the end, he encourages preachers to remind themselves that there is always one person in the room who is actively listening and who, because of the sermon, "may have a clearer vision, a brighter hope, a deeper faith, a fuller love. That person is the preacher" (222). So in other words, study and preach your way into passion and change from your own encounter with the Word, and then let God shine through you and bring the increase in his own way as you passionately preach your guts out!

[Nicholas Meriwether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craddock is certainly a preaching visionary from the last century, and this book contains many of his reflections. This book is strong on other aspects of preaching that other introductory homiletics textbooks are not, especially the way the preacher engages with the congregation and the life of the preacher. It however leads some to be desired in the sermon writing process methodology; in this regard he focuses more on hermeneutics in general. He is absolutely right in that the biblical message carries the preacher, and the preacher has to believe that God’s word is truly powerful, transforming both the lives of the preacher and the congregation for God’s glory.

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книгата съдържа много добър материал. Част от него е специфичен и изразява характерните особености на автора, което го прави още по-ценен понеже не е рециклирано повтаряне на често срещани идеи, а нещо напълно автентично.
Иска ми се някои идеи да бяха изказани малко по-ясно - на няколко пъти не бях сигурен какво точно иска да каже авторът.
Като цяло, макар и не нова, добра книга, която все още може да бъде доста полезна.

[Bledar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book promises to be a book for the scholar and the practitioner. I think it does well the first part, but not the second. One of the highlights of the book is the emphasis on preaching as an oral communication. As such, he has spent considerable time in talking about the "listener" and his/her role in the active participation of preaching. There are some worthy ideas to explore more, but at times I felt that it was at a more advanced level.

[Bill Mcfadden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foundational for preachers -- recomended from a preacher who says read it every few years as a refresher -- TOTALLY AGREE!

[Ronnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for far too long and finally decided to read it. For the life of me I do not know why this is not required to read in seminaries. Much of it is common sense but Fred Craddock goes into detail with the creative flourish of a preacher. I learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to any preacher.

The only caveat is that if one reads this book seriously they will come under conviction. On several different occasions I felt like Rev. Craddock was speaking directly to me regarding certain dispositions or practices that should be employed when writing sermons. On the other hand I found myself wondering whether this book was written for preachers with large churches that are able to free up the preacher for study and sermon writing. My experience has been that time for sermon preparation is precious due to the bevy of responsibilities I have. So, I found myself both inspired and discouraged but in the end bringing a word from the Lord to the people is worth making time for such a sacred task.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the publisher: A standard textbook on the art and craft of preaching. Craddock weaves history, theology, and hermeneutics into an exhaustive text on sermon preparation and preaching.
Painstakingly prepared for seminary students and clergy, this book answers the fundamental question: How does one prepare and deliver a sermon? Craddock's approach is practical, but also allows for concentrated study of any particular dimension of the process.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Standard in Homiletics

Craddock is well known in Methodist circles as a great preacher and teacher. The principles in this book - if properly applied - open a door to making a preacher out of us all. Of particular note is his emphasis on the preacher intentionally preparing sermons in the center of sacred tradition and theology while an existential experience for the congregation at worship.

[Anders Holmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. As someone who is just learning to enter the pulpit, I was assigned this reading during my first church internship for Duke Divinity School. What I found essential to Craddock's method is his ability to recognize the need for empathy as well as how he points to how much empathy I already have. Further, he tries to meet different traditions preaching, such as someone who is or isn't following the lectionary.
Overall, I highly recommend it for any fellow beginners.

[Jake Thurston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the majority of Craddock's content may not be entirely new in the realm of preaching, he articulates it all in such a poetic and reverent and fresh manner that just left me in awe time and time again. Absolutely one of the most timeless works on preaching to date, and will be one of the most formative texts for my own preaching ministry.

[Will Dole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wisdom aplenty, and a fun read to boot.

Did I agree with all of it? Not even close. But what I’m looking for in a preaching book is a seasoned and thoughtful veteran of the craft who has strong opinions about what a sermon is for, has clear ideas about how best to accomplish those ends, and expresses those ideas and opinions with verve and wit. On this, Craddock delivers.

[Michael Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best that I have read in the production of a sermon from beginning to end. I will be taking some of these ideas and putting them to work!

[Janet Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these pages are a great analysis of the art of preaching.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to think about this for the rest of my life. 10/10, should be required reading for pastors & preachers IMO. Timeless ideals

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard a sermon that Craddock delivered for Truett Seminary students at Baylor University. I was impressed with his style, format, and delivery. That said, I found his book titled Preaching and thought that it would unveil his unique method. As I read through each chapter and turned to the next, I kept expecting him to unveil his method for composing the unique sermon structure that I heard him use. I was quite disappointed that he never revealed anything beyond what the typical book on preaching would reveal. The advice was the general advice that any professor of homiletics/preaching would give in an introductory preaching class. Granted, there were some decent insights, but nothing that I would consider unique to Craddock.

[Tanja Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was assigned a couple chapters in this book back in seminary, but I hadn't read beyond that at the time. As a chaplain, I don't regularly spend time in the pulpit. I decided to read the whole book now, in the wake of Fred Craddock's recent passing. Glad I did! There's a lot here that covers the whole spectrum of sermon preparation, from forming a theology of preaching to the actual delivery. I'll bet we could have gotten nearly all we needed in intro to preaching, just in this book!

Thank you, Fred Craddock, for all you did to further the art of preaching, especially in the mainline churches!

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preaching = shouting a whisper

I appreciated this book although it was hard to get through. Preaching as an oral exercise is emphasized, which is good because I tend to preach written sermons. I find preaching from notes/outline to be very difficult, so I probably won't change my tac anytime soon. However, I do see a need to give time to making each sermon as oral in nature as possible. For Luther, it was a very sad day in the past when the Bible was written down...interesting to keep in mind.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can understand how this book would be helpful in a seminary setting. It could be used to inspire class discussion, and serve as a reference for critiques of student sermons. To be useful, a professor of homiletics would be needed to sort through a lot of extraneous rhetoric, and prioritize a great deal of vague theory. Despite wanting to like this book and actively looking for the positive as I read, found it to be something to wade through. Perhaps I just like clearer points and practical information.

[Danny Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

"And who can conceive of any greater motivation for preaching our very best than this: there is at least one person in the sanctuary, one person who, because of the sermon, may have a clearer vision, a brighter hope, a deeper faith, a fuller love. That person is the preacher."

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for a Preaching and Worship class at ONU. It had some pretty useful material on preparation and delivery, but I find it to be shallow at times. Craddock is known for his turn of phrase and homiletical skills, but there are definitely better books on preaching out there.

[Scott Masters · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic on Homiletics. Feels outdated at times but with the read on the subject.

(CS214W-Homelitics/Practice of Preaching)

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading after 20+ yrs of regular preaching. Truly inspiring!

[Dustin Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several very helpful chapters.

[Pat Dunbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful, timeless resource from one of America's greatest teachers for preachers!

[Mikecook2158]

My seminary text got better with age.

[Joseph]

School book