Preaching and Ethics by
Preaching ethics : introducing the questions and a model for ethical reflection -- Faith : preaching a gospel perspective -- Moral character : preaching Christian discipleship -- Norms : preaching that clarifies gospel requirements -- Situation and context : preaching that engages particularity -- Authority : to what do preachers appeal? -- Preacher, sermon, and congregation : preacher as proclaimer of ethics, sermon as ethical communication, and congregation as ethical community.
Practice What You Preach by
Calling for accountability, Practice What You Preach discusses ethical questions that arise in congregations and pastoral leadership. Formation of pastors, empowering leaders, resolving power struggles between clergy and laity--these and other critical pastoral issues are addressed by an ecumenical group of contributors.
Preaching Justice by
The principal concern of this book is not complex theoretical discussions of justice so common to the discipline of ethics, but how working for justice fits into the church "s mission and especially into its preaching. An opening chapter sets forth a biblical and theological basis for the conviction that justice is at the heart of the church "s mission and witness. Then follows a chapter on preaching that distinguishes between merely moralizing about justice and genuinely preaching it.The remaining chapters in the book speak of preaching justice in dialogue with current contextual realities such as: (1) the racism of our American context, (2) the church "s pentecostal heritage of communicating in and through all cultures, (3) the fact that much of the injustice in our society is a by-product of greed in its individual and enculturated manifestations, and (4) the need to deal appropriately and faithfully with the multicultural context of today. A concluding chapter brings the preacher back into the context of the church and its gospel foundations, that is, the source of preaching justice and walking together with the people of God in quest of it.James M. Childs is the Joseph A. Sittler Professor of Theology and Ethics and Academic Dean at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Faith, Formation, and Decision: Ethics in the Community of Promise (1991) and Ethics in Business: Faith at Work (1995).For: Clergy, seminarians, homileticians, ethicists, peace-and-justice readerships, students of mission and modern culture>
Should We Use Someone Else's Sermon? by
With easy access to sermons on the Internet, plus pressure to deliver the next sermon with little time to prepare, no wonder some pastors have resorted to plagiarizing other people's sermons, passing them off as their own.This growing epidemic has received coverage in the Wall Street Journal, on National Public Radio, and elsewhere. Some pastors have been caught in the act and dismissed from their churches. Is this fair? Is this stealing? How can you recognize it? How can it be prevented? This book not only helps explain the problem, but it also explores the ethical implications and gives advice on how to avoid it or deal with it if the problem surfaces in your church. It includes study questions at the end of chapters and a concluding case study.
What Does the Lord Require? by
How applicable is the Bible's moral standard to the complex issues we face today--like stem cell research, euthanasia, gambling, and environmental care? How does a person use Scripture to make ethical decisions? And how do we teach people to think biblically about ethics? Experienced Bible teacher Walter Kaiser answers these questions by demonstrating how, connecting eighteen key teaching Scriptures to eighteen tough ethical issues. Some examples include connecting poverty and orphans with Isaiah 58:1-12, genetic engineering with Genesis 1:26-39 and 2:15-25, and cohabitation and adultery with 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. The result is a stimulating resource and guide for preaching and a solid foundation for developing Bible studies. Each chapter also includes concluding points, bibliography, and discussion questions.