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Showing posts from July, 2015

Book Review: Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

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Wow!   Timothy Keller is really intelligent.  Now, that I have that out of the way. Keller's book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism ,  is a wonderful combination of drawing wisdom deep out of the well and making it accessible to someone of average intelligence (like me.)  I think he does a great job of drawing on the collective work on the modern-day sermon.  He, surprisingly, disagrees with both Fred Craddock (my favorite preacher) and Andy Stanley (many Pastor's favorite preacher).  I think he has valid concern with each of those guy's approaches to what a sermon is and what is to be accomplished within the sermon.  His main difference in opinion with them revolves around the debate of Expository Preaching vs. Topical Preaching.  (Expository starts with the Bible and works out to daily life, whereas Topical starts with daily life and goes into the Bible.  I agree completely with Keller's assessment in the book.) I also enjoyed the book becaus

Katy Perry's Parents & "Spiritual Parenting"

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Katy Perry's parents came to a church in Bradenton. Here's a link to the whole article in the Bradenton Herald.   It's a good article.  The reporter does a good job of just telling us what happened when they were at that particular church.  Here's just a piece of the article: "They don't want you to be spiritual mom and dad?"  If you, as parents, are not supposed to teach your own children about faith how are they supposed to learn it?  That philosophy probably doesn't work in other areas: Don't teach your kids about sex, they'll find out on their own...uh.... Don't teach your kids about traffic laws, they'll find out on their own....uh.... Don't teach your kids about healthy eating or exercise.... Don't teach your kids how to read.... Don't teach your kids how to be kind.... Don't teach your kids how to...etc... If "kid's finding it out on their own" doesn't work in other areas