You’ve probably read different kinds of preaching books, but most of them likely fell into one of two categories. Some focus on how to go from the biblical text to the sermon (emphasis on exegetics), while others focus on the mechanics of delivery (emphasis on homiletics).

This book is not one of those. If you’re expecting to learn something about exegesis or homiletics, you’ll be surprised when you read Timothy Keller’s Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism*. It does very little of either, but it’s probably the best book I’ve ever read on exegeting one’s culture. We’re well-aware of shifts in our culture in recent decades. America is no longer a Christian nation in any meaningful sense (if it ever was). Many Americans no longer have positive feelings about conservative expressions of Christianity, and most 20-somethings and younger don’t have anything resembling a Christian worldview.

And this is true even for those of us who live and preach in the Bible Belt. Because of the ease of travel and the rapidity with which information is shared, there’s an increasing homogeneity in the way people look at their world. People in Manhattan where Keller preaches and the South where many of us preach are not as different as you might expect. In neither place can we assume that our audiences—especially those who didn’t grow up in Christian homes—share many of our assumptions about God’s existence, the Bible’s inspiration, or Jesus’ deity.

This is where I found Keller’s book on preaching to be helpful. He has an amazing insight into our culture and the way people think.

I’d recommend that you add this book to your reading list—I believe it’ll change the way you preach.

Here’s a review of the book that’s helpful as well: “Communicating Truth in Our Late-Modern Movement: How Tim Keller’s New Book Is Helping Me Minister in Rural America.”

Other good stuff I’ve read this last week:

  • “Christian Virtue in the Age of Authenticity” by Kevin DeYoung. I strongly encourage you to read this article. Here’s an excerpt: “In a day where people disdain hypocrisy more than any other vice and prize transparency more than any other virtue, you can be as obnoxious as you want to be, fail spectacularly, and sin repeatedly, as long as you never pretend to be any better than you really are. It makes no difference what errors you say, think, or do, if only you are true to yourself. This is life in the Age of Authenticity.” DeYoung is an excellent writer and thinker, and he always helps me think more clearly.
  • “Extemporaneous Preaching” by Nicholas T. Batzig. This article makes me want to do a better job of preparing in a way that enables me to do this effectively.
  • “How Making Time for Books Made Me Feel Less Busy” by Hugh McGuire (Harvard Business Review). Don’t have time to read as much as you’d like? Think again.
  • “You’ve Ruined My Life, Professor Craig!!” – Email from an atheist to Christian philosopher and apologist, William Lane Craig. Very interesting correspondence. Craig is an effective apologist who debates atheists all over the world.
  • “Kevin Vanhoozer’s 55 Theses on Pastors as Public Theologians” – Vanhoozer helps us realize that our role as preachers necessarily makes us public theologians (i.e., in many ways we are the interpreters of Scripture for the people who hear us). Obviously, this heavily influences the people in our congregations, so it’s an incredible responsibility.
  • “The Public Reading of Scripture” by Tim Challies. At my home congregation we begin our Sunday morning worship assembly by having everyone stand for the public reading of Scripture, and this article helps me think about how to do this better. It’s not enough to grab someone at the last minute and ask him to come up front and read a text. God’s Word deserves better than that.
  • “The Line Between Rule of Law and Civil Disobedience” – We’ve all got thoughts about the situation in Kentucky with Kim Davis (the county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples). This article is a short summary of some of the issues involved, and it includes a few links that are helpful.

*As you would with anything that’s not inspired, please read with discernment. Keller’s denominational perspective is Reformed, though his Calvinism doesn’t come through in this book as much as some of his other works. Please also read the articles that are linked with the same spirit—they contain much good but also some things you’ll disagree with.