{New Post} Do you have ethos?

What is ethos? Joe Carter and John Coleman in their book, How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion From History’s Greatest Communicator write, Ethos is the persuasive appeal of one’s character, and especially how this character is established by means of the speech or discourse. To put it more simply, ethos is argument by character. Against the views…

22 Rules of Thumb in preaching or communication

Your basic message should contain good news. Start with your audience’s needs. Start with examples your audience will understand. Speak your audience’s language. Never speak about your speech. Use witnesses. Communicate with confidence. Get it right. Do not boast; act with humility. Know when to speak and when to be silent. Be enigmatic. Listen. Ask…

Jesus started with His audience’s needs and so should you.

Heuristics is a fancy name for “rules of thumb.” Joe Carter and John Coleman share several heuristics in their book How To Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion From History’s Greatest Communicator that “illuminate more fully the character of Christ’s communication and can have an enormous impact on the ways in which you communication with others” (124). One…

Timothy Keller on Romans 12

In the Bible, the very definition of passion – think of Christ’s Passion – is to sacrifice your freedom for someone else. Romans 12 addresses this truth at a practical level. Paul starts this way: ‘I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifice’ (Romans 12:).…

Practice Self-Critique in Preaching

Preach. Put simply, “you learn to preach any preaching” (111) so preach. Study Preaching. A preacher should become a student of preaching, which means read books on preaching, perhaps take a class on preaching and listen to good preachers and ask the question, “what makes them good”? Focus on the message. H. B. says, “it…