Interview with David Allen on Text-Driven Preaching

Yesterday I introduced a forthcoming volume on expository preaching entitled Text-Driven Preaching. Today I have an interview with David Allen, one of the editors of the book, and also a table of contents for the book.

David Allen is the Dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and an outstanding preacher in his own right.

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Question: How did Text-Driven Preaching come about?

The idea for the book came about as a result of the preaching lectures I delivered at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in January of 2004. Dr. David Black and I were talking and he suggested the possibility. I immediately agreed and we began to work on the project from there. Originally, Dr. Black and I had planned to serve as co-editors of the book, but due to pressing engagements, he had to drop out. Drs. Akin and Matthews and I teamed up to serve as co-editors.

Question: Why did you write Text-Driven Preaching?

We wrote the book because we see a dearth of genuine expository preaching in many pulpits today. Even among those who do or who attempt to do exposition, many do not know how best to go about the task. We wanted to write a book that would give something of the history, methodology and practice of expository preaching that would be practical for all interested pastors and students.

Question: What is the main thesis of the book?

The main thesis of the book is that all genuine preaching should be text-driven preaching for theological reasons. The Bible is the Word of God. We believe in verbal-plenary inspiration. Consequently, what better to preach on to the people in our churches than the very words of God himself? We believe that all sermons should stay true to the structure, the substance and the spirit of the text of Scripture. Topical preaching fails to do this. We do not believe that expository preaching confines the preacher to a strait-jacket of three points and a poem. Sermons may appear in a variety of forms, as long as they clearly expound the meaning of the text.

Question: Who should read this book?

We would hope every pastor and student who plans to preach or teach the Bible would read it.

Question: What do you hope to accomplish through this book?

We hope to foster genuine biblical preaching that handles the text accurately and creatively at the same time. We hope to encourage pastors to consider preaching through books of the Bible as a part of their preaching ministry. We hope to encourage pastors out there on the front lines to realize that the best thing they can do for their people in the long run is to feed them the Word of God week by week. Nothing short of that will build strong disciples and great churches. Here is the

Table of Contents:

Introduction – David L. Allen

Part I
1. Ancient Rhetoric, A Model for Text-driven Preachers – Paige Patterson
2. A History of Text-driven Preaching – Jim Shaddix
3. The Secret of Preaching with Power – Bill Bennett
4. The Disciplines of a Text-driven Preacher – Ned Matthews

Part II
5. Preparing a Text-driven Sermon – David L. Allen
6. Exegesis for the Text-driven Sermon – David Alan Black
7. Biblical Genres and the Text-driven Sermon – Robert Vogel
8. Biblical Theology and Preaching – James M. Hamilton Jr.
9. Communication Theory and Text-driven Preaching – Hershael W. York
10. Delivering a Text-driven Sermon – Adam B. Dooley and Jerry Vines
11. Applying a Text-driven Sermon – Daniel L. Akin

Conclusion – Ned L. Mathews