Contradicting the Preacher

The sermon is not popular with many church-goers. All too often it consists of a religious professional, whose experience of life is apparently completely different from that of the majority of the congregation, talking at, rather than engaging with, worshippers. Very rarely does a congregation in the author’s church tradition get the chance to answer back. This book does precisely that: it answers back, with reference to the most commonly treated topics, Sunday by Sunday, from the start of Advent (late November) to the end of Eastertide (in early summer), following the Revised Common Lectionary (Anglican). All the examples of preaching and worship are drawn from a lifetime’s experience of church-going. Here they are set in the context of a fictional parish church, which is a (very) average Church of England establishment. Characteristic flaws in the content and logic of sermons are gently exposed – with some humour – and alternative ways of exploring the various topics suggested.