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Don’t preach to me

Very many people object to being preached at. Indeed! Good training should teach preachers not to preach at people, nor beyond people, nor above people's heads, nor beating around the bush, but to people in a manner designed to engage their attention. However, many people do not want even this. So they cannot complain if …

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Failings in the Christian church

Thankfully, the Christian church acts as salt and light throughout the world but it could be more effective. The primary failure is in its leadership Eph 4:11-16, which fails primarily because of the lack of exegetical preaching. Nationally: the failure to witness to the nation Isa 56:10. The national churches have failed the UK nations. …

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View from the Pew

In the 1980s I edited View from Farr and in the 1990s Auldcastle View. The past two decades have given me another perspective and so I am beginning a new series in my blog called View from the Pew. It is specifically aimed at preachers, preaching and congregations. The reason for this is that whereas …

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What should we expect from preachers?

Most people watch television, so public speakers including preachers should thereby learn some presentational skills. This being so, preachers who cannot read the Scripture clearly and intelligibly are without excuse.  It is sometimes evident from the wrong emphasis they use in their reading of Scripture that they do not understand what they are reading. What …

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Two significant deaths

There have been two significant deaths in the past three months - Christopher Hitchens and Steve Jobs. I feel sorry for Christopher Hitchens, an intelligent atheist, who died yesterday.  He had a powerful intellect, like Richard Dawkins, but this does not help if one is spiritually blind.  The smallest child can see the sun which …

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