Confronting the Controversies, by Adam Hamilton

There was a time when I was willing to declare what good preaching is: "Every sermon must begin with a scripture text," I declared. "Every sermon must go by Calvary. Every good preacher holds the newspaper in one hand and the scriptures in the other." And yet the formal rules of preaching seem like hurdles which able preachers routinely surmount in the struggle to proclaim the gospel. And I've come to believe that great preaching has to do with things far more subtle and personal than rules can express.

The effectiveness of Gardner Taylor's soaring homiletical architecture and the verbal muscularity of his delivery are tied to his unique self. The rich character descriptions that light up Jeremiah Wright's biblical exposition have everything to do with what this preacher notices and values. A great deal of the power and impact of the preached Word comes from the fit between the preacher and the words being preached.

Adam Hamilton preached the series of sermons collected in this book to his megachurch congregation in Leawood, Kansas. He gives a number of more or less divisive social issues a good working-over, combining an interesting preaching style with a summary of the key ethical challenges facing our culture. Hamilton invites people to think over topics which tend to stir deep passions both inside and outside the church, topics such as the teaching of creation and evolution in the public schools, euthanasia, abortion and homosexuality.