Many scholars have tended to take African Christianity as a given, and study its social, political, economic or ecological implications, without coming to terms with the nature and character of African Christian faith A knowledge of how faith is understood at the popular level and how it functions in personal, domestic, and communal life is essential to this task. In this context a significant contemporary Christian movement which has received little attention is studied in depth - revival meetings or crusades which are a regular and popular feature of urban life in Malawi.

Given the current zeitgeist, the actualization of 21st Century ministry has increasingly become a daunting enterprise.The confluence of the intellectual, moral, and cultural tenor of the times causes us to examine the assessment of ministry motives. We must ask ourselves What is our priority? Style or substance? Conviction or compromise? Have too many preachers augmented their authenticity, gyped themselves of their genuineness, and become maligned by misguided motives? Such is the delineation and discourse so denoted and unearthed by the dynamism of Dr. Aaron Chapman. Pastor. Preacher. Professor. Proclaimer. Prognosticator. Par Excellence. His keen insight into the very heart and soul of the 21st Century preacher arrests our attention and mandates a new set of marching orders. Dr. Chapman is a bonafide scholar who didactically leads us into a new dimension of legitimacy. Ethics are no longer situational. Commitment is no longer in question. The preacher is challenged, not just in skill, but in will; not just in the art, but in the heart. Dr. Chapman reminds us that mere theological technique and ontological expository without lifestyle application may sound sweet to the itching ear, but woefully inadequate for the credence of the craft. Simply put, the preacher must have a transparent authenticity. The preacher must have a spirit of sincerity. It is that passion, that zest, that sense of purpose that must personify the 21st Century preacher.Pulpit-Ready, yet personally grounded.The hope of this comprehensive work is that the challenge to the called and chosen remains a high and spiritual standard. This book will be a benchmark for this generation and the next. Dr. Aaron Chapman has set the bar. Bishop Edgar L. Vann II, Second Ebenezer Church Presiding Prelate, Kingdom Alliance Covenant Fellowship

A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Christian Communicators. This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology, including: Sermon structure and “the big idea.” The art of introductions, transitions, and conclusions. Methods for sermon prep, from outlining to exercising. Approaches to different types of preaching: topical, expository, evangelistic, and more. Best practices for sermon delivery, speaking with authority, and using humor. Leveraging effective illustrations and stories. Understanding audience. and much more. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who’s Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson—two of today’s most respected voices in preaching—provide editorial oversight. Includes audio CD with preaching technique examples from the book.

Transformational Preaching: Theory and practice is a comprehensive textbook for the beginning student of preaching, the graduate student in pulpit discourse, or the seasoned preacher. Seeking to reclaim the pulpit for biblical preaching, the book counteracts the popular "teaching" approach that is common today, and argues that preaching must be persuasive rather than informative, that the preacher is central to the act of preaching, and that through the preaching event, both preacher and listener together fashion the "message" and its meaning. Both theoretical and highly practical, the book offers a challenging look at all aspects of the preaching ministry. It contextualizes preaching in pastoral ministry and congregational worship, but, most significantly, argues that the practice of preaching must be informed and driven by theory. As such, the book draws from a wide perspective of disciplines, including biblical theology, classical rhetoric, contemporary human communication, public discourse, persuasion, linguistics, performance, and orality. The book's wealth of practical guidelines for every step of sermon development encourages students to apply general principles within their own contexts of ministry.

God is looking for the kind of person he can use. Thankfully, he isn't put off very easily in his search. When Samson failed, he found Samuel. When Saul failed, he found David. When David failed, he lovingly restored him and used him again. God is still looking for the kind of person he can use. This book will help you become the kind of person he is looking for. God inspired the Bible for a reason. He wants you read it and let it change your life. If you are willing to take this challenge seriously, then you will love Phil Moore’s devotional commentaries. Their bite-sized chapters are punchy and relevant, yet crammed with fascinating scholarship. Welcome to a new way of reading the Bible. Welcome to the Straight to the Heart series.

Sermons from Mind and Heart attempts to show the week-by-week theological work that a pastor does. The combining of the intellectual with the emotional is rooted in the categories of logos and pathos from Aristotle's Rhetoric. Some of the sermons have substantive theological reflections with multiple sources and are thus heavily footnoted; other sermons have no footnotes. This doesn't mean that any sermon lacks logos or pathos but that there is an interplay, a back-and-forth, of a pastor struggling to communicate the Gospel in a "this is that" way that honors both the "then" of Scripture and the "now" of contemporary life. Rhetorical scholarship and methodology are important in understanding the content and the structure of the sermons. What matters most is the sense that these sermons are an ongoing theological conversation between the pastor and his congregation. Sermons, after all, are meant to be heard, and they exist in the moment as authentic rhetorical acts. All other versions of the sermon, including this written form, are only echoes of the primal sermonic experience.

The His famous mountaintop motivational speech, Jesus reveals the secrets of human happiness--timeless principles that bring freedom from the burdens of pride, pretense, and fear.

Learn to infuse biblical principles into narrative preaching resulting in sermons that hearers can immediately put into practice in their daily life.

Blogs. Here and there and everywhere. Yet. Mark Millers Voice of my Heart, blogs hes written since October of 2010, are timeless. Yes, they are truths written on certain dates, but not in any instance or word contained or controlled by the calendar. He takes the common and brings new understanding, provocative thought and more than once in a while, a smile. But, down deep his reflections are neither shallow nor mirthful. Through this book Mark touches each of us with grace and encouragement. And when we least expect it, our souls are touched, hearts quickened and the new day more than abundant in hopeful expectancy. Mark prompts the possibilities of living more fully; its our chance to birth it.