The Preaching Life (Dan Josselyn Memorial Publication (Paperback))

It became immediately clear in the opening pages of "The Preaching Life" that Barbara Brown Taylor is a wonderful story-teller. In fact, much of the first half of the book consists of anecdotes from her life as a child, a new Christian, a seminary student, and a pastor. But she weaves an engaging tapestry of stories that kept my attention without ever seeming self-indulgent or trivial. Instead, those stories helped to frame the points that she was making about a host of important topics.However, the breadth of her conclusions and assertions in the first half of the book, though interesting and compelling, were also a source of some frustration. Because she covered such a wide swath of issues like her theology of calling, her understanding of corporate worship, and her approach to handling the Scriptures, it just didn't seem to me that she was dealing very specifically with the topic of preaching. And that's why I read the book, to learn about preaching. I wanted to know how she prepares her messages, how she handles her notes, what she focuses on during delivery, and other nuts and bolts about preaching. And she never even scratched the surface on those sorts of topics. Instead, she danced around at 30,000 feet and spent literally just a few pages talking in rather abstract terms about her philosophy of preaching. And the second half of the book is simply a collection of sermons, presumably some of her favorites.To be fair, there's nothing wrong with a general overview of pastoral ministry and some of its major themes and responsibilities. And what she offers is most helpful. She offers some decidedly non-evangelical ideas about the Bible that challenged my evangelical thinking. Her call to honesty in the pulpit and in pastoral ministry, in general, was refreshing. Just as William Willimon says on the front cover, "Her insight, poetic style, and good humor are a delight to read." That's totally true. But I felt like I was fooled by the title, since she didn't deal much at all with the specific act and art of preaching, beyond offering 13 examples of her messages. I wish the book had been titled "The Pastoring Life," in which case I would have been more prepared for what she had to offer.With this disappointment notwithstanding, it's still a good book. I don't necessarily agree with all of her theology (her notion of salvation seemed to be especially open-ended), and we certainly minister in different faith traditions of the American Protestant church (hers of the liturgical, Episcopal stream, mine of a more contemporary, evangelical stream). But she was sufficiently winsome in spirit and captivating in style that those differences seemed irrelevant. She challenged my thinking and assumptions in numerous ways and caused me to step back and reflect on how I approach pastoral ministry. Though I'll probably never preach sermons like hers (they are so short!!) and I didn't learn a lot of particulars about preaching, I suspect that I will ponder this book for quite some time and hope to revisit it somewhere down the road.

Loved it!

A used book in great condition for a class I need to take. Thank you. Very quick shipping

If there's one preacher I adore, it's BBT. I started reading her books in the mid `90s, but somehow missed this one until now. It has the feel of someone rising to the challenges of middle age: too wise to be written by a 20-something, but not world-weary enough to come from the pen of a 60-something. The book is roughly divided into two halves: part one a collection of essays, and part two a series of sermons. The opening essay, entitled "A Church in Ruins," expresses the dilemma of living in a post-Christian culture, and does it better in ten short pages than I have in ten sermons. "The Tenth Leper" - the fourth sermon in the book's second half - demonstrates the author's amazing ability to support scriptural interpretation by sharing an unsentimental analysis of personal memories, and articulating an empathetic description of life experiences far different than her own. If you're a fan of BBT, don't neglect to read this text, which was her first book.

"The Preaching Life" takes the reader inside the life of one woman who found her calling in serving God as an Episcopal priest. Her autobiography shimmers with the radiance of knowing her life has been held, through several challenging and difficult periods, by One greater than she. Barbara Brown Taylor also tells it like it is in this post-Christian era, and she issues a clarion call that should be heeded by all who care about the Church. Her sermons, which follow her life story, radiate with the grace that is there for all God's children. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know why Christianity matters and the difference God's love can make in all our lives.

Taylor's writing style of story and encouragement invites readers to consider how life proclaims OUR gospel. She informs and provokes each of us toward self-awareness and a sense of being part of the whole family of God.

Taylor's book is one of the most compelling books on preaching I have ever read. The vivid imagery she uses, drawn from everyday things yet brought to life in such a way as to give the reader a vision of what she is saying, is presented masterfully. I quickly realized how dull and drab my own preaching has been by comparison. Her writing has fired my imagination toward what I hope will be a transformation of my preaching.

I would recommend this to lay people and pastors alike. Rev. Taylor makes it clear we who call ourselves Christians are all called to ministry. I really enjoyed her sermons at the end of the book. I particularly liked the prodigal son sermon. Easy to read too!

A beautiful book, page for page.

Required for a course. Enjoyable reading. Passed course.

Barbra Brown Taylor's "Preaching Life " is a well written and easy to understand book, I have enjoyed reading it. It kind of fits in in my belief of an ordained pastor