“Don’t be afraid of slang: it’s the salt of speaking. Too much of it, of course, will make your style off-putting; but just enough makes your semon sound as if you mean it” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 128).
Staying Oriented
“A good sermon is one that’s long enough to go from its beginning to its end without passing through anything but its own middle” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 106).
Preaching Clockwise
“Screw the word into the minds of your hearers. A screw is the strongest of all mechanical powers . . . when it has turned a few times, scarcely any power can pull it out” (Charles Simeon, as quoted in Murray, How Sermons Work, p. 90).
Homiletical Half Moons
“The lesson here is that when you’ve done the job you went to the pulpit to do, shut up. Don’t keep hammering on the homiletical woodwork till you put half-moons all over it — not to mention your congregation” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 82).
On Getting Your Groove Gone
“Worthy brother, excellent brother, if you could only manage to drive us sometimes over a different road, even if much less smooth, even if you do not know it very well — I am so tired of this!” (John Broadus, as quoted in Murray, How Sermons Work, p. 88).
Provided the Point is Communication
“Provided you’ve produced a carefully prepared manuscript that’s written in conversational English rather than in sociologese, psycho-babble, or academic jargon — and provided you read it to your people rather than at them — a preachment that’s read can be every bit as happy an experience for them as any other” (Capon, The Foolishness of …
And the Tallest Mountains the Best Mountaineers
“The toughest passages make the best preachers” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 71).
Half Are Always Below Average
“I want to prepare you by setting down a few home truths about preachers and preaching. The first can be put briefly. Great sermons will always be in short supply. Even in the case of first-rate preachers, the church occasionally has to settle for third-rate performances. And in the case of second-rate preachers . . …
Striving in the Wrong Direction
“As a comedian once said, ‘It’s hard to explain bad taste to people who actually have it.’ It’s even harder to persuade preachers who’ve tried all their lives to be something that they need only to be nothing — and to trust Jesus to do the rest . . . I hope you get thirsty …
And the Message Just Passes the Needle Around
“Let me say it straight out. I think the reason why there’s so much poor preaching in the church is that preachers, by and large, are as addicted to religion as their congregations are” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 32).