Ethical preaching

Shalom!

Here's an Alban link about preaching:

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=5604

I think it offers some excellent points about the integrity of preaching.

As I reflect on responses to my preaching, I think folks valued what might be called my transparency, my willingness to offer testimony from my own experience. Not because my experience or my insights were so wonderful, but because I was speaking from experience, not the commentaries or somebody's essay. And, as the article points out, we are pretty limited in our context. Hence, my preaching, I hope, was also characterized by a great deal of humility.

As I get older, I understand how little I know. And it doesn't bother me much. A friend has a cap which offers this advice: "Question authority!" I agree. If I were to wear an advice cap these days, it would probably offer this advice: "Embrace ambiguity!"

Shalom!
dave