There are many good books on preaching. This is one of them. It does not have anything particularly new to say; nor does it say it in a particularly new or striking manner.
It is distinct from other books on the subject, because it brings together excellent instruction on all aspects of preaching, in a concise, easy-to-follow manner. It does not deal with topics at length, so preachers would need to supplement this with other material.
Palmer Robertson has divided his book into seven sections: the nature of a sermon, the person of the preacher, the form of the sermon, the parts of a sermon, composition, preparing for delivery and delivery itself.
There are two supplements: on knowing God’s will, in which the vexed question of the call to preach is discussed with much biblical wisdom; and on worship, overviewing a biblical approach to the subject in contrast to some of the excesses currently practised in churches.
All of this fits into just about 200 pages. It is a masterpiece of precise, concise and substance-filled writing.
Some important emphases include a focus on preaching Christ, the importance of the qualifications necessary to make a preacher, the careful explanation of how a believer may know God’s will, the insistence on prayer, the helpful method for composing a sermon, and wise advice concerning delivery and the congregation.
To introduce students to the subject, or remind experienced men of things they should know, this volume is difficult to better.
Robert Strivens
London Theological Seminary
