Preaching Christian Doctrine

Teaching preaching, and preaching to people— “Carl’s book is one of those very few books that can also give birth to a love for preaching among students and even stir up some flames from those burned out in the parish. . . .Far from being merely dazzled by the author’s erudition, the reader becomes aware of, and is placed within, a vast cloud of witnesses who have sought to proclaim the faith of the church. The experience is empowering, energizing, and exciting.” —Homiletic “This book’s strength is in its comprehensiveness; it incorporates a theology of preaching and a concept of biblical and liturgical preaching as inherent to the preaching of theology. . . . Carl brings the best of both seminary and parish to this volume.” —Word & World “This is a be-sure-you-buy-it book if you’re still trying to preach!” —Clergy Journal William J. Carl III confronts the problem of using theological language in preaching through a combination of serious theological reflection, rhetorical criticism, cultural analysis, and practical homiletical advice. He examines the approaches of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Barth, and Tillich to determine how these theologians brought life to the pulpit and what today’s preachers can learn from them. Preaching Christian Doctrine organizes and describes the various approaches to doctrinal preaching developed throughout the history of the church and across denominational lines, making this volume a unique systematic homiletics text dealing with the problem of preaching Christian doctrine today. William J. Carl III, President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, was for twenty-two years Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, and formerly taught Homiletics, Worship, and New Testament Greek at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia.