[Broadus'] textbook...is the most widely used text on preaching ever published; more than a century later, it is still used in many colleges and seminaries.
-- Michael Duduit, Handbook of Contemporary Preaching (1993)
Broadus was a master of clarity in communication and sympathy with his audience. In these three books you will discover not only his instructions for effective preaching, but also the text of 21 sermons and addresses he delivered. His History of Preaching is a fascinating guided tour of preaching practices, trends, highlights, and low points, from Old Testament figures through his own contemporaries. This is a real gem!
If you preach, teach, or otherwise present the Gospel publicly...this collection is for you. The textbook alone carries a list price of $29 today, which makes the collection an excellent value!
Electronic Books Included
- A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (23rd ed), edited by Rev. Edwin Charles Dargan, copyright 1898, 562 pages
- Lectures on the History of Preaching, copyright 1876, 241 pages
- Sermons and Addresses (7th ed), copyright 1886, 445 pages
In his book Rediscovering Expository Preaching, John MacArthur references Broadus' On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons and recommends it as a valuable resource. He also states that, "Subsequent revisions of this book have reduced its original thrust and value." The Logos Bible Software edition of this classic work will reflect Broadus' original work (including the revisions he made during his lifetime), rather than a later revision.
Nelson's Annual Preacher's Sourcebook, 2004 Edition contains this fascinating story about the origins of On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons which in itself would make a great sermon illustration:
"After the Civil War, John Broadus was burdened for more preachers to heal the nation's wounds. He prepared a seminary course on homiletics. To his dismay, only one student, a blind man, enrolled in the class. Broadus decided to do his very best anyway, and he taught that one student, conversationally, as earnestly and as thoroughly as if there had been a hundred students enrolled. The lectures were so powerful they later became the classic book, The Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, which has been training preachers for over 100 years."
About the Author
Excerpted from "John Albert Broadus: Preacher Extraordinary"
During the last half of the nineteenth century in America, no Baptist preacher enjoyed greater popular fame than did John Albert Broadus. By his Seminary colleagues, by denominational leaders, by competent critics of preaching, and by appreciative congregations, he was ranked as one of the leading preachers of his time.
...One factor which contributed to Broadus' power in preaching came from his devotion to God's message. His commission to preach was a commission to speak for God. He had a 'profound personal belief in the divine inspiration and authority of the Bible. . . . His reverence for the word of God was one of the deepest feelings of his nature.' So eager was he to know the meaning of the Scripture that he began independently the study of Greek and Hebrew. It was not unusual for him in the midst of a sermon to make a plea for the Bible-its worth, its spiritual guidance, its help in attaining holiness. He felt that the Bible was the source of the most potent and precious truth, and in discussing spiritual matters he would say, 'We can learn about such a subject as this only from the Bible.' One could not do a nobler deed, he believed, than to share the truth of the Bible. In a sermon on the 'Holy Scriptures' he said:
The greatest privilege of earthly life is to give some fellow creature the blessed word of God, and then try by loving speech and example, to bring home to the heart and conscience...the truths it contains.
Having this high regard for the Bible, he desired to interpret it rightly. In his textbook, he devoted a brief section to hermeneutics, suggesting ways and means by which the preacher can interpret correctly. One of his favorite injunctions to his class was, 'If you forget everything else I have told you, don't forget to treat the Scripture in a common-sense way.' Even in a sermon, Dr. Broadus would leave his main idea to make a plea for correct interpretation. In discussing Romans 9:3, 'For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren,' a text which he said was difficult to interpret, he gave these three rules of interpretation:
- Be willing to let the Scripture mean what it wants to mean...
- Take good account of the connection.
- Take good account of the state of the writer's mind.
In his last New Testament class, in which he had lectured on Apollos, he appealed to his students to be 'mighty in the Scriptures.'
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