Description
The Old Testament prophets do not get much airtime on Sunday mornings. Preachers tend to leave the books at the end of the Old Testament unexplored, treading the safe waters of Gospels, epistles, and the occasional psalm or proverb. While prophetic oracles do contain pitfalls, they also hold unique promise for the pulpit. This book explores both, offering a series of preaching strategies based on the literary and theological techniques the prophets employed. Designed for theological students and preachers, its goal is to prepare readers to preach biblically faithful, theologically sound, and rhetorically effective sermons from prophetic oracles. By the end, readers will feel both challenged and equipped to preach the prophets.
Endorsements
“Some years ago, Andrew Thompson presented a paper—“Community Oracles; A Model for Applying and Preaching the Prophets”—at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Homiletic Society. The paper was so good I’ve been assigning it in my doctoral classes ever since. Needless to say, I’m delighted to see his full-orbed development of this subject in this book, How to Preach the Prophets. Now I’ll have something even better to assign! Thompson’s aim is to help readers deliver biblically faithful, theologically sound, and rhetorically effective sermons from prophetic oracles. And he succeeds. With readable text (and scholarly footnotes) Thompson takes the reader through the literary and theological features of the prophets that guide sermon construction and delivery. Biblical explanations and sermonic snippets abound. Each chapter ends with exercises and resources for further reading, and two Appendix messages fully illustrate his concepts. In every way, this is a solid, helpful and interesting book.”
— Donald R. Sunukjian, Professor of Preaching, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
“Preaching the prophets is a much more difficult task than most preachers want to admit. And resources on preaching the prophets are few and far between. That is, until now. In his book, How to Preach the Prophets, Drew Thompson provides a timely resource to help preachers faithfully preach the prophets accurately and effectively. From hermeneutical approaches regarding covenantal context to recognizing one’s body language and imagery in preaching, Thompson helps the reader approach the oracles of the prophets with confidence. If you want to preach the whole counsel of God and have been avoiding the prophets, this is the book for you.
— John C. Richards Jr., M.Div., J.D., Connections Pastor, Saint Mark Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas
“Many preachers aren’t making beelines toward the prophetical books when preparing their sermon calendars—and for legitimate reasons. In our cultural moment, however, How to Preach the Prophets is just what the world needs. As a seasoned and skilled pastor, preacher, teacher, and scholar, I can’t think of a better guide than Andrew Thompson. He not only identifies the formidable factors and, at times, the foot-dragging of God’s prophets who communicated the Word to idolatrous people long ago, but he’s also given us salient tools for lovingly engaging wayward listeners today. Like the prophets of yesteryear, we need courageous preachers who will preach the prophets now. This book is a biblical, theological, pastoral, and homiletical gem that all preachers need in their library!”
— Matthew D. Kim, Professor of Practical Theology and holder of the Hubert H. and Gladys S. Raborn Chair of Pastoral Leadership, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University; author of Preaching to People in Pain
“Drew has created an excellent resource for preachers who are looking to bring the words of the prophets to new life within their congregations. This book has all the scholarly rigor necessitated by its topic paired with the everyday wisdom of a trusted practitioner. It is Drew’s admiration for the prophets and the craft of preaching that makes this book such a welcomed and trustworthy guide.”
— Ashley Mathews, Rector at Christ the King, Fayetteville, AR
About the Author
Andrew Thompson (MDiv, ThM, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; PhD, London School of Theology) is Pastor of Union City Church in Brunswick, Georgia, and Adjunct Faculty at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is married to Mandy and father to Ava and Eva.
