The Hope of the Gospel is one great selection of the more importants sermons of the George Macdonald. George Macdonald's literature inspired authors such as CS Lewis and others important names in world Christian literature. This work presents the most important Christian sermons.

Returning evangelicalism to its core commitments Evangelicalism in the United States is fracturing along social, political, and ethical fault lines, to the extent that the very meaning of “evangelicalism” is in dispute. Having surrendered its theological character and missional heritage to partisan political activism and cultural conservatism, the movement has lost its unifying identity and undermined its own testimony in an increasingly diverse society. Mark Young believes a revitalization of the evangelical movement must happen in our seminaries, where the shepherds of the next evangelicalism are being formed. Young argues that if these leaders of tomorrow are instilled with true gospel values, they will go on to form churches and missional organizations that offer a credible and compelling Christlike witness for the sake of the world. The Hope of the Gospel takes readers through the history of evangelicalism and back to the present to make the case for how this can happen through a renewed vision of theological education.

How can a preacher best address suicide from the pulpit? Pastors face many challenges. Suicide in a congregation is amongst the most heart-rending and intimidating. However, the preacher has a unique capacity to engender gospel hope for preparing the congregation and comforting the bereaved. To do so, preachers need help understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by addressing suicide from the pulpit. In Preaching Hope in Darkness, two practitioners in fields that do not typically interact--homiletics (Scott M. Gibson) and psychology (Karen Mason)--work together to support the preacher in this difficult task. Gibson and Mason offer wise advice on a range of topics such as suicide prevention, post-crisis care, and funeral sermon preparation. With an appendix of sample sermons and a sample funeral liturgy, Preaching Hope in Darkness is an essential go-to guide for this difficult topic.

In our highly sensory and interactive age, how might drawing upon various arts—music, film, architecture, dramatic performance, painting, fashion, and more—expand the aesthetic experience and mode of preaching? This book presents a critical, practical answer to the question. As our society becomes more visually oriented, art-seeking, and body-positive, the practice of preaching is likewise challenged to demonstrate the mind-body, word-visual, and artistic proclamation of the Sacred (after all, isn’t the writing of the Bible itself highly art-full and aesthetic?). In this book, Sunggu A. Yang, a seasoned preacher and experienced teacher of preaching, encourages preachers to utilize their unique artistic talents as critical sources of theological and homiletical imagination and as hermeneutical-perspectival tools to aid their rigorous exegetical process of interpreting Scripture, eventually toward artistic-holistic sermon composition and delivery. A sample syllabus, included in the appendix, will greatly assist any preaching instructor who wants to offer a creative course on arts and preaching.

""Wimberly's latest work presents pastors, church lay leaders and scholars with a new lens to think critically and joyously about how Christian education undergirds and supports the worship experience in nurturing faith and hope in black parishioners."" --David L. Wallace, Sr., Dean, Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary The Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia ""This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework of the black Christian worshipping community as the context where faith and hope are nurtured."" --Marsha Snulligan Haney, Associate Professor of Missiology and Religions of the World, The Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia ""This is a must read for all pastors and worship designers who desire to make worship relevant for African American Congregations."" --Cecelia M. Long, former General Secretariat of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the United Methodist Church ""Innovative, dynamic, thought provoking, and inspiring. A must read for pastors, church leaders, Christian educators, and anyone interested in revitalizing Christian education in the 21st Century."" --Yolanda Y. Smith, Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Yale University Divinity School, and author of Reclaiming the Spirituals: New Possibilities for African American Christian Education ""Dr. Wimberly has seized upon the, heretofore, unspoken wisdom of the black church . . . Local church laity and clergy will easily access this fine work for local churches."" --Lynne Westfield, Assistant Professor of Christian Education, Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey ""Wimberly understands comprehensively the ways education is embodied in congregational life. Indeed, she invites us to nurture faith and hope."" --Jack L. Seymour, Professor of Religious Education and Academic Dean, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston. Illinois Anne E. Streaty Wimberly is Professor of Christian Education at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of several books including Soul Stories: African American Christian Education (1994).

Preaching and music are both regular elements of Christian worship, yet they often don't interact or inform each other in meaningful ways. Theologian, pastor, and musician Noel A. Snyder considers how preaching that seeks to engage hearts and minds might be helpfully informed by musical theory—so that preachers might craft sermons that sing.

This book challenges Christian communities to engage in lament—a mode of existence characterized by impassioned expression, witnessing, and personal or social protest in the face of evil and injustice, reflecting a profound yearning for God’s saving presence. Divine lament responds to, and expresses solidarity with, human suffering, unveiling multiple facets of God’s image and demonstrating a profound sense of divine compassion. Drawing on the Book of Lamentations, Korean concepts related to suffering (han and hanpuri), the Paschal Triduum narratives, and recent homiletic discourses on suffering, the author investigates how complex issues related to grief and hope can be addressed in preaching without diminishing the harsh reality of affliction. Designed to assist preachers, this book encourages a more intentional approach to addressing suffering, specifically by advocating for lament as a transitional space between affliction and hope. Furthermore, readers are invited to contemplate the significance of the church, which, within a world in decline, embodies the body of Christ, manifesting both the demise and resurrection of God.

Paradoxes have become characteristic of the world we live in - poverty and privilege, empire and oppression, migration and enclaveseeking, war and peace, justice and injustice, reconciliation and revenge. During the 2016 Societas Homiletica annual conference held in South Africa, these paradoxes served as a rediscovery of the calling of preachers to deliver the promise that lies within life's contradictions. A divine promise brought forth by the grace of God and the gospel of Christ - embodied in and through us by the Spirit of Christ. This promise may take many forms and calls for discernment and often interrupts the status quos in surprising, shocking ways. It is a promise that interrupts, in order to comfort.