Chorus of Witnesses

by Thomas G. Long, Cornelius Plantinga Jr.

Overview

Wanting to make model sermons more accessible to students, teachers, and pastors, Long and Plantinga have compiled this anthology of mostly contemporary sermons that display excellence in form, aim, style, and content, Developed and delivered by renowned pastors, theologians, and homileticians, the thirty-six superb entries in this volume include sermons that make artful use of their sources, that pursue classic aims, that exhibit particular homiletic forms, and that are suited to special occasions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802801326
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/01/1994
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Thomas G. Long is Bandy Professor of Preaching and coordinator of the Initiative in Religious Practices and Practical Theology at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. His other books include The Witness of Preaching and Accompany Them with Singing — The Christian Funeral.

Cornelius Plantinga Jr. is president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Senior Research Fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship . His previous books include Beyond Doubt, Not the Way It's Supposed to Be, and Engaging God's World, and his many articles and essays have appeared in such periodicals as Books & Culture, Christianity Today, and The Christian Century.

Table of Contents

Editors' Preface
Introduction

THE SOURCES OF THE SERMON

Frederick Buechner
The Magnificent Defeat

Barbara Brown Taylor
Beginning at the End

Jürgen Moltmann
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Fred B. Craddock
Have You Ever Heard John Preach?

Douglas E. Nelson
Raging Faith

Susan Plocher Thomas
Parables and Children's Sermons

Charles L. Rice
From the Sixteenth Floor

Elizabeth Achtemeier
Of Children and Streets and the Kingdom

THE AIMS OF THE SERMON

Karl Barth
Jesus Is Victor

C. S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory

Paul Tillich
You Are Accepted

William H. Willimon
What Time Is It?

Harry Emerson Fosdick
The Importance of Doubting Our Doubts

John Claypool
Life Is a Gift

Allan Boesak
The Reuben Option

John R. Fry
Blindness

William Muehl
The Cult of the Publican

Lewis B. Smedes
The Power of Promises

THE FORMS AND DYNAMICS OF THE SERMON

Ernest T. Campbell
Follow Me

Anna Carter Florence
At the River's Edge

Eugene H. Peterson
My Eyes Are Not Raised Too High

George A. Buttrick
God and Laughter

Herbert O. Edwards, Sr.
Things Are Not Always What They Seem

John Vannorsdall
The Elder Son's Defense

Walter J. Burghardt, S.J.
Do We Deserve Peace?

David G. Buttrick
Up Against the Powers That Be

Frederick Buechner
A Sprig of Hope

THE OCCASIONS OF THE SERMON

Edmund A. Steimle
The Eye of the Storm

Harry Emerson Fosdick
Shall the Fundamentalists Win?

Friedrich Schleiermacher
Sermon at Nathanael's Grave

William Sloane Coffin
Alex's Death

Joanna Adams
The Only Question

Austin Farrer
Holy Angels

John Timmer
Owning Up to Baptism

Gardner C. Taylor
His Own Clothes

Frederick Buechner
The End Is Life

For Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

Christianity Today
"Here is a collection of sermons so delightful, so engrossing, so beautifully crafted, so moving that it begs to be savored in thoughtful bits and consumed in craving gulps. . . Rarely does a book so concretely go about its business with such a clear focus and then deliver exactly what it promises."

Navy Chaplain
"Looking for a good collection of sermons? Who can lose with a collection such as A Chorus of Witnesses edited by Tom Long and Cornelius Plantinga? . . . An exceptional collection of some of the best sermons ever preached, as well as some of the best sermons that ever needed to be preached. It is a 'must have' for every preacher's library and an invaluable tool for devotional use."

Reformed Review
"Anyone who has occasion to preach, or who enjoys hearing or reading a finely crafted message will take delight in this book. . . Those who preach will find themselves returning to these pages for inspiration, encouragement, refreshment, or to be reminded of the value of a well-crafted message."

The Christian Ministry
"An impressive collection of three-dozen sermons from 20th-century preachers including Frederick Buechner, Barbara Brown Taylor, Elizabeth Achtemeier, Karl Barth, JC.S. Lewis, William Willimon, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Paul Tillich, William Sloane Coffin, Lewis Smedes and Jürgen Moltmann. Reading one of these sermons a day should greatly inspire your preaching."

From the Publisher

An impressive collection of three-dozen sermons from 20th-century preachers including Frederick Buechner, Barbara Brown Taylor, Elizabeth Achtemeier, Karl Barth, JC.S. Lewis, William Willimon, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Paul Tillich, William Sloane Coffin, Lewis Smedes and Jürgen Moltmann. Reading one of these sermons a day should greatly inspire your preaching.

Christian Ministry

"Anyone who has occasion to preach, or who enjoys hearing or reading a finely crafted message will take delight in this book.... Those who preach will find themselves returning to these pages for inspiration, encouragement, refreshment, or to be reminded of the value of a well-crafted message."

Reformed Review

"Looking for a good collection of sermons? Who can lose with a collection such as A Chorus of Witnesses edited by Tom Long and Cornelius Plantinga?... An exceptional collection of some of the best sermons ever preached, as well as some of the best sermons that ever needed to be preached. It is a "must have" for every preacher's library and an invaluable tool for devotional use."

Navy Chaplain

"Here is a collection of sermons so delightful, so engrossing, so beautifully crafted, so moving that it begs to be savored in thoughtful bits and consumed in craving gulps.... Rarely does a book so concretely go about its business with such a clear focus and then deliver exactly what it promises."

Christianity Today