Ronald J. Allen

Advantages: Concise, well-written, very accessible
Disadvantages: None

...One of Ron Allen’s colleagues once described him in terms of being the Isaac Asimov of preaching and homiletics – ‘he never has an unpublished thought,’ the statement went. Allen himself recently told me in jest that his philosophy is ‘write first, think later.’ To anyone who reads Allen’s works, this statement is obviously false. Such is true with his latest volume, ‘Preaching: The Essential Guide.’ This text is a mere 125 pages, but encapsulates much of Allen’s decades of preaching and teaching experience. The purposes of the book reflect this duality of Allen’s experience. One purpose is to teach new preachers the basics of preaching. A second purpose is to help students – the book can be used as a text in a course. The book is useful for more than just beginning preachers. Rare is the preacher who does not benefit from a review... Read review

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Advantages: A good framework, full of considerations for modern times
Disadvantages: -

...throughout the book, where the contributions of the three authors are often distinctly recognised, rather than blended together 'anonymously' as many collaborative works choose to do. One author will put forth an argument or issue, and the others will respond. There are sample sermons with commentary included at various points in the text. The authors are scholars and preachers. The lead author, Ronald Allen, is a friend and professor of mine, who has published so extensively in the field, I dubbed him the Isaac Asimov of homiletics. The authors first trace a brief history, analysing why postmodernism is important for a preaching task. Examining constructivism and deconstructivism, they show how the divergent strands of postmodern thought lead to radically different emphases and conclusions. However, beyond the academic postmodernism... Read review

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Advantages: Useful in structure and examples
Disadvantages: For a narrow audience range

...Ronald J. Allen is the senior professor of preaching at my seminary, Christian Theological Seminary. Allen is also one of the most prolific writers on faculty at this (or any) seminary. I have a shelf full of books by Allen, and the volumes on the shelf seem to keep multiplying. I have reviewed several of Allen's works here, and will be adding further reviews of his work in the future. This particular book is a fairly recent text, growing out of Allen's experience of training new preachers and observing preachers in congregational and other settings for many years. The book is divided into the following sections: - Thoughts and Issues for Beginning Preachers - Three Contexts for Preaching Today - Preaching as Theological Interpretation - Establishing and Developing a Direction for the Sermon - Putting the Sermon Together - From... Read review

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