Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 12:1 (Spring 2008)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

SBJT 12:1 (Spring 2008) p. 114

Book Reviews

Preaching with Integrity. By Kenton C. Anderson. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003, 144 pp., $11.99 paper.

Kenton C. Anderson is Assistant Professor of Preaching at ACTS Seminaries Northwest in Canada. Preaching With Integrity is a sequel to his book Preaching with Conviction (2001), which presented a way for preachers to write their sermons in light of this postmodern age. Like its predecessor, Preaching With Integrity is written as a narrative centered on a fictional pastor, Jack Newman. It also expands upon the integrative preaching model that was first presented in Preaching With Conviction. The purpose of the book is not only to present Anderson’s integrative model for preaching, however, but to provide hope for those struggling to maintain integrity in the midst of ministry by explaining the place of one’s humanity in the practice of preaching.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part of the book is a narrative in which Anderson explains the principles of the integrative method of preaching. The reader goes through a week with Jack Newman, an evangelical pastor. Jack finds out that his best friend in the ministry has had an affair. As he begins to deal with this event an earthquake hits his city, injuring his wife and destroying his church’s building. In the midst of these catastrophes, Jack also has to deal with his attraction to a young woman who works for his brother. Throughout the week Jack struggles with his own humanity and integrity in his preaching. He also has to struggle with preaching a sermon that week, which is where the preaching principles enter the picture. Jack works through the four steps in integrative preaching as he writes a sermon on Heb 12:28-29: telling the story, making the point, responding to problems, and imagining the difference.

The second part explicitly presents the integrative model of preaching and then ends with a chapter on an anthropology of preaching. Anderson calls his model the “integrative” model because it brings together, or integrates, the message of Scripture and the felt needs of listeners without compromising either. Preachers must first engage listeners by explaining the story behind the text and connecting it to their story in the present day. This should be followed by a proclamation of the text’s point. After explaining what the text is saying, the preacher should help the listeners work through their own natural objections to the text. Finally, preachers must help their listeners see what practical difference the Scriptures’ message will make in their lives. Anderson gives a concrete example of his model by explaining how he applied it to his own sermon on You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe