CM210 Preaching Biblical Narrative
Overview
In this course Dr. J. Kent Edwards helps you make the stories of the Bible come alive for your congregation. Most of the Bible is comprised of narrative—of stories about God working in and through people. These stories can be confusing and can be a challenge to communicate to a congregation from the pulpit. This course begins by explaining why it’s important to preach through the biblical narratives. Dr. Edwards then provides guidance in understanding the individual stories by pointing to the big idea of the biblical story, and he walks you through the steps of crafting a narrative sermon.
Top Highlights
“know when I travel in Africa and some other continents that there’s issues of polygamy still going” (source)
“I want to know what the biblical author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, what he intended to communicate to the original audience. That’s what I want to hear. And as I look at and study a passage, I know that every biblical story, like all stories, is artistically created to communicate a single point. So narratives don’t have multiple points; they have single points. That’s very different from epistle literature.” (source)
“But in narratives, truth is being communicated indirectly, often not directly; Implied but not necessarily stated; inferred but not underlined. You need to use a different skill set. You need to become an expert in literature in order to understand the literature of the Bible.” (source)
“The fact is, the Bible is not about giving us a history of the world; it’s about telling us about God. The purpose of the Bible is to tell us who God is and how to live in response to Him. That’s the purpose of the Bible, and it uses history to communicate theological truth. It’s not trying to give us comprehensive history.” (source)
“It’s called the curse of knowledge because the more you know, the more you’re tempted to say. You’ve got to resist the temptation to say everything you know about a narrative passage. Strip away all that is unnecessary. Instead, only tell me what will help me understand the single main idea.” (source)
- Title: CM210 Preaching Biblical Narrative
- Author: J. Kent Edwards
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2017
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Bible › Homiletical use; Education › Bible--Homiletical use; Education › Narrative preaching; Education › Preaching; Narrative preaching; Preaching
- Resource ID: LLS:CM210EDWARDS
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2019-06-21T18:14:02Z
Dr. Kent Edwards’ ambition is to change people’s lives with the Word of God and equip others to do the same. Dr. Edwards is known for his passion for preaching, and brings over 30 years of Christian leadership experience, both as a senior pastor and a church planter. He is a popular conference and seminar speaker and regularly lectures nationally and internationally.
Dr. Edwards is the tenured professor of preaching and leadership at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; the founding pastor of Oasis Community Church in Yorba Linda, California; and the founder and president of CrossTalk Global. He directed the Doctor of Ministry programs at Talbot School of Theology and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for 13 years while serving as executive board member of the Association for Doctor of Ministry Education, as well as founder and editor of The Journal of Christian Ministry. Dr. Edwards is past president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and the author of two award-winning books: Effective First-Person Biblical Preaching (Zondervan, 2005) and Deep Preaching (Broadman & Holman, 2009).
Dr. Edwards earned his Bachelor of Theology from Ambrose University, his MDiv from Tyndale Seminary, his DMin from Denver Seminary, and his PhD in intercultural education from Biola University. His DMin dissertation focused on communicating Old Testament narrative literature, while his PhD dissertation was on effective intercultural leadership.
Dr. Edwards has been married to his wife, Nola, for 32 years. They have two sons, Nathan (25) and Jonathan (22).