For more than a decade, I’ve been preaching almost every weekend. In preacher terms, that qualifies me as a relative noob. In that time a number of questions have stuck in my mind concerning what I’m doing when I attempt to preach. Here are a few.
- When does speaking become preaching?
- What is preaching trying to achieve?
- Is the intent of speech what defines it as preaching?
- Is the content of speech what makes it preaching?
- Is a particular method or approach what defines preaching?
- Are preaching and teaching synonymous?
- Does preaching need to be public speech?
- How large an audience is required to define speaking as preaching?
- Does preaching need to be spoken words?
- Is recorded speech preaching?
- Is recorded speech preaching only if it was originally live, public, speech?
- Is the role of a public herald the archetype for a preacher?
- Is ‘street preaching’ the purest form of preaching?
- Is teaching the Bible in the Christian community preaching?
- Is teaching the Bible in small groups preaching?
- Is preaching defined by the person who preaches?
- Does ordination make the speaker a preacher?
- Does specific training make the speaker a preacher?
- Are sermons preaching?
- Is every part of a sermon preaching?
- Can written words be preaching?
- Is the Bible preaching?
The Foolishness of Preaching 