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 becoming:  

·        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 becoming:  

·        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 includes: 

·        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?