Praise for ‘homegrown’ book on preaching
A new book Perspectives on Preaching: A Witness of the Irish Church, published by Church of Ireland Publishing (CIP) in conjunction with the Church of Ireland Theological Institute (CITI), has been praised by the Rt Revd Ken Good, Bishop of Derry & Raphoe. The bishop launched the book in Dublin on 22 January 2018.
The publication, featuring contributions from a wide range of notable preachers and thinkers, including a chapter by Bishop Harold, has been edited by Canon Dr Maurice Elliott (Director of CITI) and the Revd Dr Patrick McGlinchey (Lecturer in Missiology and Pastoral Studies at CITI).
It has been produced with, in the words of Dr Elliott, ‘the underlying conviction that biblically–grounded, Spirit–filled and culturally–relevant preaching is a sine qua non for the health of any local church’.
Bishop Ken Good praised Dr Elliott and Dr McGlinchey for taking the initiative and seeing the book through to fruition. He particularly praised the volume for being ‘homegrown’ – ‘drawing on experts from this island who are earthed and interested in contemporary Ireland’. Bishop Good went on to observe that the book is ‘both contemporary and local’ and is ‘free range’ – ‘not controlled, arguing for one point but offering twelve distinctive, separate contributions which show that there is not just one way to do preaching well.’ ‘Such a healthy diversity of approach,’ he said, ‘opens up questions rather than closing them down. However, all the contributors advocate preaching and promote a high view of preaching.’
Bishop Good said that he found the book both ‘heart–warming and revitalising’ in that ‘it captures what preaching can be like – the deep places of our lives can be reached and transformed by preaching and it can be awesome when God present.’ He drew on the various contributors by pointing out that Jesus’s primary medium was preaching and by saying that it is ‘a lofty privilege to be allowed to preach … preachers need to be impacted and moved by the Lord of the message, and to be people of credibility, authenticity and character’. Finally, Bishop Good praised the book for being ‘forward–looking in a serious way’. Posing the question, ‘What is the Spirit saying to the church?’, he said, ‘traditional churches are in a serious state in reaching out to an increasingly de–churched Ireland but communicating the gospel in a way that is transformational can draw people to hear the message of Christ in dynamic ways’.
The new publication, which is an accessible and easy read, engages with the themes of preaching Scripture, denominational charisms and preaching to the culture, across twelve different chapters. In addition to the editors, the contributors are: Archbishop Richard Clarke; the Revd Canon Patrick Comerford; the Revd Dr Shane Crombie; the Revd Dr Brian Fletcher; the Revd Barry Forde; Bishop Ferran Glenfield; Dr Katie Heffelfinger; Bishop Harold Miller; the Rt Revd Dr Trevor Morrow and the Revd Dr Robin Stockitt.
Perspectives on Preaching: A Witness of the Irish Church is available from the Church of Ireland online store here, priced £10/€11.
L–R: Canon Dr Maurice Elliott, Bishop Ken Good, Revd Dr Paddy McGlinchey and Archbishop Richard Clarke