Pitfalls in Preaching

Description

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. This informal yet substantive guidebook is designed to help clergy and pastors identify and avoid the major pitfalls that plague the preaching task. Richard Eslinger discusses with insight, humor, and concision what he sees as the most critical pitfalls in the various contexts of preaching and offers practical strategies for avoiding them. His book is also studded with highlighted quotations, pertinent references to a wide range of homiletical thinkers and concepts, boxed hints and suggestions, and brief bibliographies. David G. Buttrick —Vanderbilt Divinity School
"If every preacher read Richard Eslinger's book, the pulpit could be an exciting place again. The book is practical, truly helpful, yet theologically smart. Pitfalls in Preaching is a must for anyone who would speak the gospel!"
David Greenhaw —Lancaster Theological Seminary
"Preachers beware! In this book you will recognize mistakes you have made and make still. You will find yourself saying, 'Hey, I do that. That's not so bad, or is it?' In struggling with pitfalls in your preaching you will also discover strengths in your preaching. After all is said and done, it is strengthening the preaching of the church that has led Richard Eslinger to write this helpful book."
Eugene L. Lowry —Saint Paul School of Theology
"Richard Eslinger has done it again. This careful reviewer of current theories of preaching here reviews our practice of preaching in a quite perceptive and user-friendly way. Eslinger's A New Hearing named the shapes of the 'new homiletic.' His Narrative and Imagination provided an in-depth scholarly treatment of the current scene in North American homiletics. And now Pitfalls in Preaching — quick, clear, and telling. This is not just a list of negatives. It should be called 'Pitfalls and Pathways' for its positive contributions for the practicing preacher. This book will be particularly helpful to seasoned pastors who need someone to help them identify points of needed progress. Perceptive. Easy to swallow. Wonderful humor. I plan to use it in my word." Richard L. Eslinger is pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church of Brandywine in Niles, Michigan, and is an adjunct member of the faculty at Loyola University's Institute of Pastoral Studies, Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of A New Hearing: Living Options in Homiletic Method and Narrative and Imagination: Preaching the Worlds That Shape Us and the editor of Intersections: Post-Critical Studies in Preaching