Reviews for Better Children's Sermons: 54 Visual Lessons, Dialogues, and Demonstrations

The average rating for Better Children's Sermons: 54 Visual Lessons, Dialogues, and Demonstrations based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-12-01 00:00:00 Elvis Greer This is not a dictionary, although the similarities are clear. 144 terms are stated and defined succinctly. Then explanation with quotes from key figures in the area follow in anything from one paragraph to four page explanations of the definition, and then a brief bibliography. For the author, these terms make up the "building blocks of homiletics" (p.xii) However, the extent to which you resonate with his confidence will depend on your theological stance. The words chosen reflect the diversity of 'key' concerns in the broader realm of homiletics - from feminist preaching and gender, via deconstruction or Nommo, to kinesics and embodiment. There is a good amount of helpful content mixed in to this volume, including some helpful summaries of various writer's works. If your preaching library already includes several good texts on expository preaching, Biblical interpretation/hermeneutics and so on, then this book would offer a helpful introduction to homiletics beyond the more evangelical sphere. If you want an introduction to preaching, despite McClure's confident introduction, this is not the book for you. A collection of building blocks for preaching? No. When key blocks like "hermeneutics" do not even include the possibility of interpreting the Bible as we would affirm, a building constructed with this block would be at risk of crumbling under any weight. These are not building blocks, but windows - helpful and easy to see through, some of which open into areas of homiletical study many of us seldom consider, or even know exist. This succinct book is very helpful, if you are looking for an introduction to homiletics in its broader forms. There is real benefit here, but look carefully, you would not want to fall through some of these windows. Originally posted on www.biblicalpreaching.net

Review # 2 was written on 2011-09-01 00:00:00 Efstratios Perentes This is probably the most helpful collection of Smith's essays. He provides an autobiographical intro charting his interests and research questions over the course of his career, and many of the treatment provided here are indicative of some of his major works. So, if you want to know how Smith understands his own argument in "To Take Place" or his obsession with the dictum "Map is not Territory," this is the place to start. There is a lot of repetition in this collection; he occasionally uses the same few paragraphs at the same points in his argument... but overall the collected essays are helpful, coherent, and provide interesting forays into history of religions, comparative methodology, and Smith's own distinctive approach.