The Pulpit Leads the World
November 7, 2008
Charles Spurgeon preaching in London.
For the last several weeks I’ve been reading Preach the Word, a collection of essays on expository preaching in honor of Kent Hughes who served for many served as the senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Leland Ryken (professor of English at Wheaton College) and Todd Wilson (senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL) served as editors of this very fine set of essays. Preach the Word is the best book on preaching I’ve read in many years. The writers call for preaching in the historic tradition of Luther, Calvin, Whitefield, Spurgeon and the Puritans. But that does not mean a dry, stodgy, boring, “three verses and a cloud of dust” sermon. It means preaching that brings God’s Word to bear with great power on the issues of modern life.
The title of this entry comes from the introduction by Todd Wilson in which he argues that when preaching is what it ought to be, “the pulpit leads the world.”
Rather than review the book in detail, let me simply list ten of my favorite quotes:
"The Bible is not provided to answer the spiritual whims and fancies of the twenty-first century” (David Jackman).
"We are required to conform to the Scriptures. They are not required to conform to us” (Paul House).
"True success is faithfulness, not popularity” (John MacArthur).
"This is an age of great thoughts about man and small, sentimental thoughts about God” (J. I. Packer).
"The boring sermon is a deadly thing” (Peter Jensen).
"Preaching is more often caught than taught” (Jon Dennis).
"Every sermon should be evangelistic, for every sermon should make the gospel clear” (Phillip Jensen).
"Christian preachers are not authorized to duck important issues” (D. A. Carson).
"It takes an entire seminary to produce a preacher” (Peter Jensen).
"The pulpit is ever the earth’s foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world” (Todd Wilson).