What's Right with Preaching Today?

In 1928 when Riverside Church (NYC) pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick asked the question in Harpers Magazine “What’s the Matter with Preaching Today?” he did not know that one response to that question had just entered the world in Humboldt Tennessee. Fred B. Craddock revolutionized preaching theory and practice by flipping pulpit logic from deductive to inductive—often called the preaching-as-storytelling revolution—and in so doing brought renewed interest and impact to the practice of preaching effectively rescuing it from an often tedious and moralizing fate. With Fred preaching was anything but boring. Rather it was an exciting and enlightening ride that led to the renewal of faith. To honor Craddock’s legacy Mike Graves and André Resner invited ten leading voices in homiletics to identify something that is right about preaching today. In addition they issued a call to a wide variety of people to contribute stories about Fred’s impact on their lives and ministries. Twenty-seven remembrances of Fred are included here throughout the book. If you appreciate effective and engaging preaching—as either a preacher or listener—the essays and remembrances here will speak to you and provide encouragement about preaching’s present and future. With contributions from: Ronald J. Allen Barbara K. Lundblad Alyce McKenzie Debra J. Mumford Luke Powery André Resner Richard Ward Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm Paul Scott Wilson