The Witness of Preaching, Second Edition

I'll keep it short. Get the book. Read the book. Reread the book. Reread the book. Reread the book. Learn what it says. Reflect upon what it says. Keep it on your desk for easy consultation. It will help immeasureably. This book is one of those rare jewels that the busy preacher, if it wasn't used in seminary, needs to get and imbibe from deeply and even more deeply still!

This book is outstanding for anyone planning to preach and anyone interested in good preaching. The subtlety of this book is fascinating. But, also see Craddock's.

The first edition of Witness has become the standard text in intro to preaching classes, much as Broadus was at the beginning of the 20th century. Like countless others, I was guided into preaching with Witness. This second edition presents several improvements. The most notable of these are the inclusion of more concrete examples that illustrate the process of sermon preparation and the addition of some "homiletical lore," addressing everything from filing illustrative material to Power Point. Simultaneously, all the brilliant insights and clear presentation that made the first edition such a success are present in this volume. As a student, colleague, and friend of Tom's for the last few years, I can say that this book truly does represent his great passions: preaching, and teaching others to preach. I cannot reccommend it highly enough.

Reading Thomas G. Long's book has given me new inspiration as a preacher and pastor. I wish I had this book as a student! I especially enjoyed the two first chapters, where he gives a solid theolgical basis for the sermon AND for the preacher. Pastors and preachers do not, as we tend to think, come to the church from the outside, but are witnesses to The Word coming form within the church itself. He then goes on providing the reader with theoretical and practical advice for building the sermon. Preachers from all denominations will benefit from this book!