This is an excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in a letter he wrote to his brother-in-law Rudiger Schleicher, who was as liberal theologically as Bonhoeffer was conservative: “First of all I will confess quite simply — I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we need only to ask … More Bonhoeffer on Reading Scripture
Another excerpt from Will Willimon’s book “Pastor.” In this section, Willimon addresses a mindset common among Baby Boomers (and passed down to their children, I might add): “A few years ago, three sociologists, noting the huge decline in memberships being suffered by mainline (now fast becoming the old-line or sidelined) denominations, described what they termed … More Pastor 9 – Baby Boomers’ Bondage to Self
More reflections on Willimon’s book called “Pastor.” Today some insights on preaching: “Whereas classical rhetoricians such as Aristotle spent much of their energies concerned with the limitations and desires of the listeners, urging speakers to take care to tailer their speeches to the disposition of their listeners, Christian speaking is first concerned with the disposition … More Pastor 8 – Pastors as Preachers
More insights from Willimon’s book “Pastor”: “One of the challenges of biblical interpretation is that the Bible contains a wide array of genre. We contemporary preachers of the Word marvel at the resourcefulness of these early communicators of the faith. They use poetry, myth, parable, genealogy, invective, hyperbole, and a host of other literary devices … More Pastor 6 – More on the Scriptures
More from Bishop Willimon’s book on vocational ministry called “Pastor.” “The priest is the one who keeps pointing the congregation to the presence of Christ in our midst; keeps narrating our lives in a manner quite different from that of the world. The world tells us that we are our own creations, that we are … More Pastor 4 – Recollecting the Mighty Acts of God
I’m sharing highlights from my reading of William Willimon’s definitive book on pastoral ministry called “Pastor.” Today, I share a quote from a section discussing Acts 4 and every pastor’s favorite topic — inviting people to give their money away! 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that … More Pastor 3 – A Revolutionary Offering
I’m reading through William Willimon’s definitive book on ministry called “Pastor.” Allow me to share some highlights as I go. “We live in a capitalist, consumptive culture where there is no purpose to our society other than “meeting our needs.” The culture gives us the maximum amount of room and encouragement to “meet our needs” … More Pastor 1 – More Than Meeting Needs
Pastor Ed Young knows how to grab your attention! Out Of Ur blog introduces Ed Young and his video saying: “Ed Young Jr., the eccentric pastor from Fellowship Church in Dallas (remember the “7 Day Sex Challenge” sermon he preached from a bed rather than a pulpit?), is reaching out to other pastors with a … More VIDEO: Pastor Ed Young Raps – U.B.U.
Jeremy L. Berg 