aBeLOG
Welcome to the aBeLOG, a series of (hopefully!) fortnightly posts on all matters homiletical. I intend to touch on whatever grabs my attention regarding preaching—issues contemporary and ancient, ideas hermeneutical and rhetorical, personalities conservative and liberal, publications antiquarian and avant-garde. Essentially, I’m going to follow my own homiletical olfactory instincts up rabbit trails and after red herrings. Comments are always invited and appreciated.
Livestream!
Livestream of my Griffith-Thomas Lectures at Dallas Seminary …
When:
Each day, February 3–6, 2015.
At 10:30–11:30 am US Central Time.
Where:
More info on the lectures:
See this blogpost.
Hope y’all tune in!
Prayers appreciated!
Thanks!
Genesis 10:1−11:26
Mankind’s hubris—the making of a name for itself—prevents its experiencing God’s blessings.
There are two genealogies (Gen 10:21–31 and 11:10–32) surrounding the Tower of Babel narrative (11:1–9). While the first five in the series are paralleled in both genealogies, 10:25 breaks away after the mention of Peleg (which means “division”). The resumption of the genealogy through Peleg and onwards occurs at 11:10, after an exposition of the division and how
Lectureship!
Dr. Mark Bailey, President of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), described W. H. Griffith Thomas (1861–1924) as “one of the founding minds and hearts of Dallas Theological Seminary … with a passion of a new approach to theological education, where the central text of study would be the scriptures, and where Christ especially would be honored.” You might be surprised to know the man was an Anglican; but, then again, the two other co-founders of DTS were a Presbyterian
Bryan Chapell: How I Preach
Bryan Chapell: And this is How I Preach …
[Few preachers have been in the forefront of homiletics as the thought-leader of the field featured in this post—Bryan Chapell. His books, blogs, sermons, and talks have all had a great influence on preaching and how preaching is thought of and taught. We shared a speaking engagement together at the Evangelical Homiletics Society’s Annual Meeting recently, and, of course, I tried to snag him in for How I Preach.
Genesis 6:9−9:29
The intercession of the righteous, who themselves escape God’s judgment for sin, precludes further judgment on the world, and the empowerment of mankind to act on God’s behalf keeps ongoing sin under check.
Thus far, while God’s reaction to sin had been somewhat muted, here sin is punished and retribution visited upon all sinners with full intensity—for the first time in Scripture. This narrative, also for the first time, depicts divine choice and the salvation
Ray Pritchard: How I Preach
Ray Pritchard: And this is How I Preach …
[Ray Pritchard is a fellow-preacher who has been in the ministry for well over three decades. Author and reputed pulpiteer, Ray is great to listen to, whether on radio, in Dallas Seminary’s chapels, at Bible conferences, and in venues all around the globe. One of his three sons goes to the same church I do, and another was a student of mine. Let me tell you, Ray and his wife, Marlene, have left a grand legacy, both pastoral
Genesis 5:1−6:8
Loss of godliness is an ever-present danger that has consequences, yet for those who “walk with God” there is the reward of intimacy with him.
So far in Genesis, sin has been on the increase. That momentum does not abate here; indeed, this passage culminates in God’s intent to destroy all mankind, except for Noah and his family—the consequence of human wickedness.
The ten paragraphs dealing with ten patriarchs in 5:1–32 follow a formulaic structure providing the
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.