Your Way with God's Word: Discovering Your Distinctive Preaching Voice

David Schlafer will already be a familiar name to readers. . . . For the uninitiated who have not yet had the pleasure of listening to him, he is an Episcopal priest with a passion for preaching and the gift of being able to explore its theological dimensions with pastoral sensitivity and intellectual subtlety. . . . “This is a book to plunder then and to ponder. . .; In some important respects the book is as much about good liturgy and the cultivation of the imagination as about pertinent preaching. It should be kept close to the desk rather than on the book shelves and consulted when (but preferably before) our wells run dry. Recommended.

Some say preaching can’t be taught. There is some truth in that. . . . Learning to preach is a process of self-discovery, and the role of the professor in homiletics is something like mentor, coach, facilitator, and counselor. . . . Schlafer is well acquainted with the reticence prevaling among seasoned preachers to look critically at their own sermons and their own pulpit selves. He recognizes as well the trepidation of theological students confronting the teaching task for the first time. He knows how to guide preachers through these apprehensions. . . . “I confess that I was among the reticent and the skeptical. Then I realized that license to speak about the book cannot come from merely reading it in preparation for describing its contents. So I entered my own homiletical self-inquiry. After a short time in the process, I was completely engaged, and at its end, I felt refreshed, challenged, and cared for. This is a unique kind of writing of value to all those who want to look critically and creatively at their preaching and at themselves as preachers. It is also a worthy starting point for any group of preachers who are ready to brave mutual conversation, insight, and growth.