Can "pre-modern" proclamation reach contemporary minds? To communicate God's Word effectively in the 21st century, pastors must connect with---and confront---today's listener. Discover ways to adapt your methods without compromising your message, take advantage of new opportunities provided by recent cultural shifts, and show an increasingly inattentive society the relevance of revealed truth. 192 pages, softcover from Baker.

While growing churches dot our urban centers and country landscapes, church-goers and students today are actually less likely to maintain a Christian worldview than in the past. In fact, the majority of society does not even believe in objective truth. A minister out of touch with this culture is like an uninformed missionary trying to teach in a foreign country. To communicate God's Word effectively in the twenty-first century, teachers need to know how to connect with and confront an audience of postmodern listeners.

In Preaching to a Postmodern World, Johnston shows pastors, seminary students, professors, lay teachers, and church leaders can reach the present age without selling out to it. The book discusses how to:
• distinguish between modernism and postmodernism
• understand postmodern worldviews
• change the style of preaching without compromising the substance
• take advantage of new opportunities provided by the cultural shift
• show an inattentive society the relevance of God's truth

The author's keen insights into contemporary pop and media culture also help equip speakers to address today's listeners with clarity and relevance.

Graham MacPherson Johnston is senior pastor of Subiaco Church of Christ in Western Australia and an adjunct lecturer in homiletics at Perth Bible College. He holds degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary.

http://www.christianbook.com/preaching-to-a-postmodern-world/graham-johnston/9780801063671/pd/63671

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Author: Graham Johnston
Located in: Perth, Australia
Submitted: March 26, 2003

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I've spent the last 14 years pastoring and ministering in Perth, Western Australia. I continue to train leaders and preach evangelistically throughout Southeast Asia and this region. For fun, I golf, read history, and go to the movies.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  I felt there was a generation of young preachers like myself committed to God's Word but also committed to seriously engaging this world. Our preaching should reflect a depth of God's Word yet also a grasp of contemporary people and their issues.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  For some, this book will bring a sense of affirmation that it is possible to share what I call "two burdens": the burden to teach God's Word as the burden to love people as they are. For others, this book may serve to inspire them to reconsider their own teaching style to be more relevant without compromising God's truth. Whatever the case, Romans 1:16 remains my personal motto, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation".

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  As a young man, Francis Schaeffer's writings opened my eyes to understanding the contemporary worldview. Schaeffer challenged Christians to consider the art, music, and literature of contemporary people as an expression of their condition, life in a world without Christ. That was the beginning for me not only of a greater sense of understanding but of a deeper compassion for people as well.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  My approach to preaching is anchored in an evangelist's heart. My first ministry after graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary was with Leighton Ford's team, then a part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I love the message of Christ and I believe that our preaching can have a profound effect upon the twenty-first century world.

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