I read for entirely selfish reasons. I read because I love to read. In this activity of undisciplined self-gratification, I attempt to benefit from the discipline of reading by having direction in what I read.
I read books on preaching because I love to preach, and reading about preaching pleases me, much like one who loves to play golf is pleased by reading about golf and one who loves to race motorcycles is pleased by reading about racing motorcycles. I read about preaching in the hope that I might learn something and perhaps be a better preacher, again much like one would read about golf technique to learn something about being a better golfer and one would read about motorcycle racing technique to learn something about being a better motorcycle racer.
I’m not denying the work of the Holy Spirit in the preacher in preparing to preach and in preaching, that is a given; if the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up the preacher shouldn’t either. At the same time, we need to invest in our preaching and work to improve our craft. One way we do this is by reading about preaching as well as theology, doctrine, history, biography, culture, literature, etc.
Recently, I read a book about preaching by T. David Gordon entitled Why Johnny Can’t Preach. His premise is that we can’t preach because we don’t read and can’t write. We can read, but we don’t read texts. We read like we use the phone book, mining the fact or quote we need without engaging the text as a whole. We don’t engage the train of thought of the writer because we don’t read it. Because we do not read in this way we cannot write, and because we do not read and cannot write, we cannot put our thoughts together in a way that our people can follow as we preach.
When a young man comes to Dr. Gordon with a desire to pursue the preaching ministry, he recommends that they major in English literature before they study to be preachers. For those of us who are years past the university and the seminary, Dr. Gordon tells us that we can benefit by learning to read poetry and other classic literature on our own.
This book has certainly broadened my reading, and I believe that it will be of benefit to you who preach. It will also be of benefit to you who listen to preachers and to you who communicate belief and ideas, and all of us are in the latter category.
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