Preach Magazine Issue 5 - Preaching to the unconverted | Page 21

FEATURE

THE JOY OF “EUREKA!”
BECOMES, IN THE SERMON, THE
DULL THUD OF “MY THESIS FOR
THIS MORNING IS…”

any cultural plotline
have a happy ending; he
alone supplies the final
“but yes” that consummates
the biblical text and reaches
people deep in their hearts.’9 The
preacher has nothing to fear from
contemporary culture. We need to
listen and learn from culture as we
make the case for the faith.
In his usual crude style, Richard
Dawkins dismisses public faith in
these words: ‘The nineteenth century
is the last time when it was possible
for an educated person to admit to
believing in miracles like the virgin
birth without embarrassment.’10
Preachers need a robust response.
Why not imagine your polite Sunday
morning congregation were a
lunchtime gathering of secular
colleagues in the workplace and
make your case accordingly? May
they hear logic on fire!

1. Wright, NT (1992), The New Testament and the People
of God, London: SPCK, p 125.
2. Spurgeon, C, Lectures to my Students, pages 138–139.
3. L
 loyd-Jones, M (1972), Preaching and Preachers,
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, p 97.
4. L
 loyd-Jones, M (1972), Preaching and Preachers,
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, p 97.
5. Long, T, 1989, The Witness of Preaching, Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, p 102.
6. I recommend using snopes.com to provide some
background information to stories that circulate on
the internet. If dramatic claims about archaeological
discoveries are nowhere to be found in mainstream
sites like biblicalarchaeology.org then I would tread
very carefully.
7. Pascal, B, Pensees, Project Gutenberg Edition, no
277–278.
8. P
 ascal, B, Pensees, Project Gutenberg Edition, no 187.
9. Keller, T (2015), Preaching: Communicating Faith in
an Age of Scepticism, London: Hodder & Stoughton,
p 117.
10. Dawkins, R (2006) The God Delusion, London:
Bantam Press, p 187.

Rev Dr Chris Sinkinson
Rev Dr Chris Sinkinson has been involved in
Christian ministry with UCCF and in a local church
pastoral leadership. Having
been pastor of Alderholt
Chapel for twelve years
he is now the DL Moody
lecturer in evangelism and
apologetics at Moorlands
College in Dorset. He has
written a textbook on
apologetics, Confident
Christianity, published
by IVP, and will also
be speaking at
Spring Harvest in
Minehead in 2016.

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