Christian Books

Friday, September 30, 2011

Doing Time in the Pulpit by Eugene L. Lowry



Who might this book interest? This book would most likely interest the preacher who already has a basic knowledge of Narrative Preaching and desires to deepen their understanding of it. In addition, it may interest those who are skeptical of Narrative Preaching by providing the philosophical rationale to consider it.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Doing Time in the Pulpit is the fourth book by Eugene L. Lowry that I have reviewed. My other reviews can be found here on the Christian Book Revue.

In my previous reviews (The Homiletical Plot, How to Preach a Parable, and Living with the Lectionary), I mentioned that Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships.

This work is about time in the pulpit: preaching. It is a verb, not a noun; an action. From the Introduction, Lowry says, “The phrase ‘Doing TIME in the Pulpit’ refers not to a jail sentence, although preachers may wonder from time to time! The phrase refers to the connection between time and the sermon” (7). What is a sermon? He states, “A sermon is an ordered form of moving time” (8).