Preaching Master Class

Preachers around the globe have come to rely on Will Willimon for insight and advice on the craft of preaching. For over a decade, Willimon has published his reflections in the ""Five-Minute Preaching Workshop,"" a quarterly column he writes as editor of Pulpit Resource. Here the best selections from that column have been brought together into a single volume for the first time. Drawing on years of experience, study, and careful observation of the current state of preaching, Willimon offers candid thoughts on a wide range of homiletical issues-from theological to pastoral, cultural, and stylistic. Readers will find challenge and inspiration from a few hours spent in the studio of this master preacher.""Will Willimon is a master preacher who is eminently qualified to teach a ''master class'' on preaching. Paradoxically, he refuses to master the text or the awesome responsibility of preaching the gospel. Instead, he shows us how to listen for God''s word and to experience it in every moment of the pastoral life. In Willimon''s reading, preaching is not an onerous burden but a lively exercise of the theological and biblical imagination. He really can''t help himself! He loves words, but he loves the Word even more. The outcome of this book is something we could all use--a newfound joy in the art of preaching.""--Richard LischerDuke Divinity Schoolauthor of The End of Words ""What a wonderful collection of insightful essays that invite us preachers to learn from the homiletic wisdom of Bishop Will Willimon. Arguably, what is best about this little book is that the teacher of this wisdom has been a faithful preacher of the gospel for more than thirty years. I hope many readers will take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their growth in the art of preaching for building up the faith and life of the church.""--Michael Pasquarello IIIGranger E. and Anna A. Fisher Professor of PreachingAsbury Theological SeminaryWilliam H. Willimon is Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church and former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. He is the author of over fifty books and is widely recognized as one of America''s best preachers.