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Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 2

Contents
What is preaching?..............................................................................................................................3
Preaching in the Old Testament:........................................................................................................3
Preaching through the Ages:..............................................................................................................3
John the Baptist.................................................................................................................................3
Preaching of the Apostles:...................................................................................................................4
Preaching in the Early Church:.........................................................................................................4
Preaching of Origen:..........................................................................................................................4
Christendom:.....................................................................................................................................4
Augustine:.........................................................................................................................................4
Preaching in middle Ages:..................................................................................................................4
Hildegard of Bingen..........................................................................................................................5
Thomas Aquinas................................................................................................................................5
Preaching during the renaissance:.....................................................................................................5
John Wycliffe....................................................................................................................................5
John Huss..........................................................................................................................................6
Period of Reformation.........................................................................................................................6
John Wesley:.....................................................................................................................................6
George Whitfield...............................................................................................................................6
Charles Haddon Spurgeon.................................................................................................................6
Preaching in America..........................................................................................................................7
Jonathan Edwards..............................................................................................................................7
Charles Finney...................................................................................................................................7
Henry Ward Beecher.........................................................................................................................7
Philips Brooks...................................................................................................................................7
Dwight L. Moody..............................................................................................................................7
George W. Truett...............................................................................................................................7
Harry Emerson Fosdick.....................................................................................................................8
McCartney.........................................................................................................................................8
Clovis Chapel....................................................................................................................................8
George Buttrick.................................................................................................................................8
Implementation of the Seminar in Daily Life....................................................................................9

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 3

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 4

What is preaching?
To preach is to lift up ones voice and draw people’s attention to something one has to
announce. Christian preaching is the announcement of the good news of the gospel of Christ
to the non-Christian world.

The proclamation of gospel of Christ is different from the announcements of a city crier. The
city crier can be more or less indifferent to or unsure about the news he announces but the
Christian preacher, on the contrary, is a man who has a firm belief in the gospel of Jesus
Christ (Philippians 3:12) and who, him/herself personally believes in the good news he/she is
announcing to others.

In the New Testament, there is a clear distinction between preaching and teaching. Preaching
is the announcement of the good news to those who haven’t heard it. Teaching, on the other
hand, is imploring various aspects of the Christian life to the people who already believe in
the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, preaching is proclamation, teaching is explanation.

Preaching in the Old Testament:

The writers of Old Testament have scarcely used the term preaching in the context of
describing the mission of prophet. On most occasions, the prophet is shown to be the forth
teller of message of God in Old Testament and not the foreteller. The same concept and
thought is continued in the New Testament.

Preaching through the Ages:

The institution of preaching has been in the service of mankind since long and has taken
different shapes throughout the course of time. The first preacher of Christianity was John the
Baptist who lived before the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was then followed by different
preachers and the institution of preaching was thus born. This institution still remains to this
day.

John the Baptist

It can be said that he was a part of both New and Old Testament as he was a disciple of
Judaism and was also a factor in launching Christianity. His message to the people of that
time was that the people should repent and turn back to the stricter observance of Judaism.

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 5

Preaching of the Apostles:

There is an evidence of preaching of three of these Church leaders i.e. Peter, Denial, and
Stephen. All these preached in a different manner but their destination was the same. The
preaching of another leader Paul can also be identified but his teachings are not available.

Preaching in the Early Church:

The oldest sermon belonging to early church which is available is dated around 50 A.D. and
it is believed to be Clements second letter to the Corinthians. Following are the significant
preachers of the early church:

Preaching of Origen:
He lived from 185 to about 254 A.D. He was the first preacher to establish the form of the
sermon as a discourse on a specific Biblical text. Thus, he played a vital role in shaping the
institution of preaching.

Christendom:
He was also known as the John of Antioch and plain-spoken. He cared more about pleasing
God than he did about pleasing men. He attacked every significance social and spiritual evil
of his day. He was more concerned with current issues and was not afraid to publically
criticize the evils.

Augustine:
He was born in North Africa in 354 AD. In his early age, he took to a life of sins and had a
mistress at the age of 16. His life changed for good when he happened to see a miracle
happen. He started his service in Church and was soon given the rank of Bishop. He
witnessed the fall of Rome and learned a lot from it. From here on, he started his preaching
and started talking about issues which were relevant and explosive. He is believed to match
Paul in the development of Christian thought.

Preaching in middle Ages:

There are two distinct period in the middle age period. The first period was from about 1000
to about 1200. The second period was from about 1202 to about 1500.

During the first period, monastic system helped to provide some element of order. The church
at that time was almost without preachers. The bishop was the authorized preacher while the
perished priests were permitted to preach only if the bishop was not available. When none of
Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 6

the perished priests was presents, a Deacon was allowed to read a sermon of the fathers of the
Church. This time was the time of social stratification. Under the influence of Charlemagne
emphasis was given to preaching for the nurturing of the believers. In the second period,
interest in preaching started spreading and many universities started training the clergy like
Oxford in England. The preaching was mainly based on texts. Following are the prominent
preachers of the middles ages in chronological order:

Hildegard of Bingen
It might come as shock to many that a female preacher preached at such a time when the
women were not so empowered but it is a fact that Hildegard of Bingen was a great writer, a
healer, a political activist, and a preacher with Church approval. She wrote the biographies of
saints and books on secular matters. She also undertook journeys to France and England for
religious purposes. She was very brave in her preaching and confronted the ills of the time
head-on.

Thomas Aquinas
He is considered as the greatest theologian of the middle Ages. His preaching was based on
the scriptures. In his sermons, he would start with a clearly stated idea and move on to sub
ideas for explanation and illustration.

Preaching during the renaissance:

There was a rapid increase in the interest in preaching during this period. New religious order
formed in the cities and the old remained tied to monasteries. The status of bishop was also
questioned and there was a dispute on who would preach. This question remained
unanswered for a long time. Following preachers excelled during this period:

John Wycliffe
He was born in 1324 and is called as the morning star of the Reformation. He studied at
Oxford. He was against the wealth and power of clergy and said that the people should study
Bible themselves. When the parliament rejected to pay the ecclesiastical tax to the Pope, he
agreed with their notion. He said that Bible is superior to both Pope and council and
denounced papacy. He was the first to produce the translation of the scriptures in the
language of common people. Moreover, he organized and sent out Lollards to common
places and people. For these bold and significant changes in the understanding and foretelling
of religion, he faced a great deal of criticism throughout his life.
Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 7

John Huss
Convinced by Wycliffe’s teachings, Huss started a religious revolt. He has an important
impact on the teachings of Martin Luther. In this way, Wycliffe played a significant part in
Reformation.

Period of Reformation
This period is replete with many individual leaders and many small yet significant
movements. Martin Luther was the key leader of this movement. He criticized the role of
clergy as an interruption between the relation of man and God. He was widely studied and
followed due to the help of printing press. In 1512, he rejected the supreme authority of pope.
His preaching was rigorous, blunt, and creative.

Along with the teachings of Luther, there were three other types of Protestantism in the
sixteenth century. They were

 Reform Movement
 The Anglicans
 The radical Protestant Anabaptist Movement

Roman Catholic Church also changed a lot during the Reformation period. Following
preachers played a vital role in preaching of Christian faith during this period:

John Wesley:
He changed the course of the whole nation with his religious and moral revival. He believed
that a simple faith in Jesus is enough for salvation. He took help from Bible only for his
preaching and sermons.

George Whitfield
He preached with such elegance that very few preachers have equalled. His preaching was
Christ centred. He was gifted with great voice and the ability to register gestures and feelings
in his face with supreme authority.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

He began preaching when he was 16 years of age. He was very famous among his listeners
and would preach to about 12000 people every Sunday. He believed that preaching should be
systematic and should be aimed at winning converts.

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 8

Preaching in America
Puritans were the first preachers of America. These were different from the puritans who
remained in England. Following are the popular preachers who preached in America:

Jonathan Edwards
He was born and brought up in a religious family. He was concerned about the way young
people spent their Sunday evening and formed a plan to resolve it. It was under his leadership
that the Great Awakening was inaugurated. He was not a fiery preacher but his influence was
far and wide.

Charles Finney
He got formal education very late in his life but learned many things on his own. He was able
to cause significant revivals in many villages and cities through his preaching. Later he
resigned Church service and started his career as a professor of Theology at Oberlin College.
Preaching for him had to be practical and be directly preached to people. Repentance also
held a prominent place in his preaching.

Henry Ward Beecher

During his childhood, a throat infection affected his speech. Upon treatment, he was able to
produce a unique voice. His personality became attractive with his humour and simplicity. He
understood his listeners and shaped his sermons in a way which befitted them.

Philips Brooks
He served as the Bishop of Massachusetts for two years. He used to write poetry for his
sermons. His preaching style was quite new for his time as he unified scholarly dignity and
simplicity. He was also very famous for his reading skills and keen memory.

Dwight L. Moody
He was a preacher but helped humanity in all the spheres of life he could. He spoke to
different gatherings in different positions which took the shape of revival campaigns. He
spoke in the language of common people and used his sense of humour smartly for his
purpose.

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 9

George W. Truett
He was a pastoral preacher. He focused more on biblical texts in his sermons but used
illustrations from everyday life. But he was more influential because of his voice and delivery
than his content.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

He symbolized modern preaching and theology in a time when the fundamentalist were in
power. For this reason, he is known as the father of modern theology. He spent most of his
college life in finding reconciliations between the statements of Christian faith and the
findings of science.

During his college life, Fosdick became weary of the troubles of life and tried to end his life.
His father saved and it was during his recovery that his mind turned towards preaching.
During his recovery period he realized and later on preached that God was not a mere
theological proposition but an immediate available resource. During the course of his life, he
assumed significant positions in the Church service and served the people in theological and
social matters.

McCartney
He wrote a number of books on Civil War and its history. Along with his service in local
churches, he was interested in current affairs and delivered many lectures on contemporary
issues. Due to his vast knowledge and the great art of illustration, his lectures were very much
sought after.

During his days, modernism and liberalism were taking to the centre stage which he feared a
lot and tried to stop. Much of his writings and sermons addressed the fundamental modernist
conflict. Regarding the style of preaching, he believed that content and not form should be
the focus of the sermons.

Clovis Chapel
He was born on January 8, 1882. He was a farm boy in his early years and carried this
experience into his preaching. He was not concerned with contemporary problem and for this
reason, did not face criticism and controversies. Unlike McCartney, Chapel focused more on
the form of sermons and not the content.

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630
 10

George Buttrick
He is known as the preachers’ preacher. He was English by birth but served the church in
United States. He was a writer, a preacher, and a professor at many distinctive colleges. His
sermon concerned the problems and issues of urban life. He also addressed the personal
dimensions of human existence. He combined biblical interest with intellectual thought so
skilfully that people of all sort benefitted from it.

Implementation of the Seminar in Daily Life

This seminar teaches us few very basic and important lessons to follow in our pursuit of God.
It tells us how important it is to have patience in the face of troublesome life and how things
change for good when we confront them with patience. It also highlights the fact that the
preaching of the good news is not an easy task and one has to calmly face severe criticism
and troubles to achieve this end. Moreover, we can easily see that how bad people have
turned into significant preachers in the past. Therefore, we should not judge anyone from
their past or present as they still have a chance to turn towards God.

Nic Xiong
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Leadership Degree
Course Number: PL 630