Proclaiming the Gospel in Its Context and Ours

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.

About the Author :
Craig G. Bartholomew is the H. Evan Runner Professor of Philosophy and professor of religion and theology at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, and the dean of the St. George's Centre for Biblical and Public Theology. He is an associate editor of the Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible and the coauthor, with Michael W. Goheen, of The Drama of Scripture. He has a PhD from Bristol University.

Review :
In this masterful little book, Craig Bartholomew provides a view of preaching in which the preacher proclaims God's living and authoritative word in a manner appropriate to a specific cultural context. Along the way he teaches the reader how to view a biblical text within the context of the whole biblical narrative, preach it in a way that draws hearers closer to God and at the same time sends them out into the world, and apply it to the prevalent idolatries of our time. --Bruce Riley Ashford Bartholomew's thoughts on preaching should be read by every preacher. Our congregation is richly blessed when he opens God's word to us. His singular focus on the glory of Christ in all of scripture has been inspiring to me in our friendship and partnership in preaching the gospel. This book challenges us to take our task seriously, offering practical guidance and instruction for every preacher from the recently ordained and to the seasoned pastor. --The Rev R.D. Glenn, Rector (Senior Pastor) St. George's Anglican Church, Burlington In this serious and, at times, deeply challenging book Craig Bartholomew brings together many of his passions: the Bible as the story of the world, the richness of Christian spirituality, the best of Reformed theology, hermeneutics and Christian philosophy. All these are put to work on the place of preaching in the life of the Church. Flying a plane works as a powerful metaphor for this foundational task and reminds us of the most important thing in the life of a believer: arriving at the destination of God himself ... an awesome, intimate, personal and transforming encounter. Such is the accumulated Christian wisdom of Bartholomew's own life of discipleship that almost every page of this small book is full of good things, things that invite us into deeper fellowship with the Trinity. I recommend this carefully distilled wisdom without hesitation to every person who is engaged in the preaching ministry. --Rev Dr William Olhausen, Church of Ireland priest and theological adviser to the Archbishop of Dublin Standing in the tradition of John Stott, with his passion for preaching that was both faithful to the biblical text and relevantly applied to the contemporary context, Craig Bartholomew argues persuasively and passionately for a revival of exactly that quality of preaching in today's church. In a short space he combines deep biblical scholarship with acute cultural analysis. Pastors who long to be effective in their primary calling - to preach the Word of God - will find encouragement, vindication and ongoing challenge in this book. --Christopher J.H. Wright, Langham Partnership