Preaching the Word: Contemporary Approaches to the Bible for the Pulpit

The question of what to do with the biblical text in the sermon is perennial. Biblical scholarship constantly evolves and grows, making it hard even for biblical scholars themselves to apply the latest insights in their preaching. The average pastor doesn’t have time to keep up with the changes in biblical studies and, as a result, often defaults to interpretive methods learned in (increasingly distant) seminary years. Preaching the Word addresses those needs by surveying recent developments in biblical studies with an eye to applying them in preaching the Gospel of John. Noted New Testament Scholar and homiletician Karoline Lewis lays out these recent interpretive tools and methods, demonstrating their application to preaching using specific passages in the Fourth Gospel.

About the Author :
Karoline M. Lewis is the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lewis is the author of A Lay Preacher’s Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon, Embody: Five Keys to Leading with Integrity, SHE: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry (including an accompanying facilitator guide, participant guide, and DVD), and John: Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries, as well as numerous articles and book chapters. She was one of the one hundred religious scholars in the United States to contribute to the Values and Voices campaign.

Review :
"Karoline Lewis once again demonstrates why she is one of the nation's preeminent preachers and professors of the craft we call "preaching." Lewis's book beautifully frames diverse approaches to homiletics with sensitivity and passion, expanding the reader's knowledge, the practitioner's depth, and the layperson's understanding of this often-misunderstood art form. This text is a welcome addition to the canon of homiletics and rhetoric." - Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, and Professor of Homiletics, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University "Try to find another book like this. Ever the teacher, Lewis introduces preachers to a range of life-giving interpretive practices few mainline preachers know what to do with while modeling their usefulness. This book can bring joy and power to your preaching.” - Greg Carey, Professor of New Testament, Lancaster Theological Seminary "Just as diverse as the historical, cultural, and linguistic sources of the Bible are, so are the ways to interpret it. Karoline Lewis, the homiletical hermeneut, is an expert guide to the various approaches to biblical interpretation for the purpose of preaching. More than a summary of each approach and exploring its homiletical impact, Lewis offers readers a generous, humble reading of how 'the other' interprets Scripture to humanize those who have often been dehumanized in the wider society. I can think of no other better biblical scholar-preacher to invite us on this liberating tour of love for God, neighbor, and the pulpit." - Luke A. Powery, Dean, Duke University Chapel, and Associate Professor of Homiletics, Duke Divinity School "Karoline Lewis’s clarity and warmth shine in her careful mapping of urgent conversations in the homiletic field. That alone is worth the price of admission. But the real treasure of Preaching the Word is the delight it takes in John’s Gospel. Lewis turns the biblical text like a prism, showing us the value of the approaches that she describes through scriptural engagement. Her insights will keep me turning to this book again and again." - Jerusha Matsen Neal, Assistant Professor of Homiletics, Duke Divinity School "As methods and approaches in biblical studies have proliferated, keeping up with all these developments is a full-time job! Karoline Lewis does not just summarize these emerging approaches for busy preachers. Instead, she models how preachers can learn from and be formed by these diverse approaches with care, thought, and respect. In these ways, preachers will find in this book a transformative path toward richer and more faithful proclamation of the gospel." - Eric Barreto, Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary "This timely book by seasoned preacher and homiletics professor (and Johannine scholar) Karoline Lewis will help preachers and seminary professors alike. The format of the book makes it easy to use. Each chapter introduces the reader to a particular approach in biblical interpretation that has arisen in the past fifteen years, uses a passage from John to illustrate the power of the approach to yield fresh insights, and connects it all with proclamation for those of us living in real bodies in the real world, a world marked by divinely designed diversity and the possibility of healing and hope. I especially appreciated her attention to trauma-informed interpretation and preaching, one of the newest approaches. Lewis invites us into a conversation marked by humility and curiosity; she hopes that the first question asked when we finish the book is "Who else?" Whose voice is not reflected in the book? Rather than pronouncing the authoritative last word on the subject, she is cultivating in us a habit of always seeking to move beyond our own limited view and experience. Lewis’s book will energize those who are weary, curious, or both." - Jaime Clark-Soles, Professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, SMU