Thursday, November 29, 2007

Frustrated Hearers

The following snippet fell out of a file folder recently. (It is amazing what you find when you clean out your office files.) I found the author's observation very helpful. I was more surprised when I found out who and written it. And I wondered if he would have the same observation today.

In a recent book-review article, I came across this quote. "The modern preacher might be comforted to hear that at the prime of the Reformation in 1529, Luther the preacher and the Wittenberg congregation had reached a crisis, because his preaching seemed to have no effect. Parishioners especially dreaded sermons on the Catechism, and Luther dreaded having to preach on the vices that the Reform did little to slow." As one whose sermons often leave a lot to be desired (do you ever feel that way, too?), I take some comfort in knowing that even Martin Luther had problems with his preaching once in a while. (Ralph Bohlmann, "Letter to Pastors," Reformation 1991, p. 11)

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