The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching

This ethics of preaching text identifies vices of irresponsible preaching practices. Preachers who fail to develop deep respect for their listeners or drift into a lack faithfulness to the Gospel can end up

· The Pretender (The Problem of In-authenticity)

· The Egoist (The Problem of Self-absorption)

· The Manipulator (The Problem of Greediness)

· The Panderer (The Problem of Trendiness)

· The Crusader (The Problem of Exploitation)

· The Demagogue (The Problem of Self-righteousness)

Just as the church historically derived its Seven Holy Virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, & humility) by naming Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, & pride), Reid and Hogan call preachers to turn away from pulpit vices and strive to realize the homiletic virtues of

· Authentic (The Call to Be Genuine)

· Altruistic (The Call to Be Selfless)

· Careful (The Call to Exercise Self-Control)

· Passionate (The Call to Be Honest to God)

· Courteous (The Call to Woo a Reasoned Reception)

· A ‘Namer’ of God (The Call to Reveal an Ineffable God)

The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching explores the difference between the irresponsible practices, unfortunate missteps, and mere unthinking mistakes in preaching. A chapter is devoted to Preaching Missteps (problems that do not rise to the level of being irresponsible) that

· Short Changing the Process

· Waving a Red Flag

· Thou Shall Not Bore the Congregation

· Through the Looking Glass Darkly

· The Mumbler

· TMI―Too Much Information

· Your Cup Do Runneth Over

· Where’s This Sermon Going, Anyway?