Preaching about Racism: Three Tools (A Guest Post)
What do preachers need to preach a faithful sermon that names the depth of sin known as racism that is experienced across the United States and elsewhere? And how do I, as a white person, talk about something that I’m complicit in?
Finding Courage to Preach in "The Purple Zone" (A Guest Post)
Here’s the truth many clergy have shared with me: they are afraid to preach about issues of public concern. They know their sermons should in some way address things like racism, homophobia, climate change, sexism, economic issues, or hatred of foreigners, for example. But fear holds them back, keeps them quiet, and muzzles their prophetic voice. How can you preach when you are afraid?
How Jesus Confronts Scapegoating
One of the most foundational truths about scapegoating is that the people with power—those in the center of society—single out people on the periphery in order to lay unsubstantiated blame on them. It is a hidden, even unconscious ritual that focuses the violence of a society onto a singular victim. When a community accuses that victim, turns against him, and eventually kills or expels him, it brings peace. More often than not, scapegoats are innocent of the crimes they are accused of but the community does not realize it. They believe the guilt of the scapegoat because to accept the victim’s innocence would make them face the evil and violence in their own hearts, at the heart even of human society. So what can we do when recognize scapegoating in our midst? Jesus offers an effective example.
A Rule of Life for Preachers: The Preacher's Trust
At Backstory Preaching, we encourage preachers to develop and practice a type of rule of life specific to our vocation: The Preacher’s Trust. The Trust is a grace-filled structure upon which to grow as a child of God who happens to be called to preach, transforming our lives to reflect the Good News we preach. Discover the beauty of this spiritual practice for preachers.
Preaching Advice Roundup: 16 Backstory Preaching mentors share strategies to make preaching easier, more effective, and more fun!
Sometimes, one small tip is powerful enough to unlock a new competency or significantly improve a skill or process. That’s why today's blog is all tips, tips, and nothing but preaching tips. As the 2023-2024 Mentorship class wraps up their program and celebrates graduation, I asked current Backstory Preaching mentors to offer some of their favorite preaching strategies to help you craft more effective sermons in less time—while loving the process!
How to make your learning "stick": Ensuring your professional development isn't wasted
What have you done to improve your preaching?
If you’re like most of us, you have:
- bought books
- read some of them
- discovered a couple tips you incorporated in your next sermon
Mostly, though, you got fired up about preaching your next few sermons, and then the books started to gather dust.
The Power of Comparison: How to bring abstract concepts to life with effective metaphors & similes
Crafting effective comparisons is one of the life-bloods of preaching that engages listeners and holds their attention. These comparisons do the heavy lifting of explanation so listeners grasp the strange, unfamiliar, otherworldly reality of God within the reality we know.
Pentecost Quote Collection for Your Preaching and Reflections
We tune our awareness to God our Creator. We speak often about Jesus our Redeemer. But we give short shrift to the Spirit our Sanctifier, even though she offers what we most long for on a given day. Perhaps these quotations will help us pay more attention to the gifts the Spirit offers each day so we reflect her fruit.
Sacred Imagination: Preaching a Picture of God's Vision
Even though Jesus gave us these and many more concrete examples of what the reign of God is in real life, as preachers we often struggle to imagine God’s reign as concretely, today or in the future. I want to raise up an exercise and offer an example to help us imagine the concrete manifestation of God’s hopes for us so we can easily preach God’s vision revealed in a text.
See Yourself as Beloved—and Change the World
I learned a journaling practice that has changed my life. I think it could change yours, too.