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I'm still reflecting on the implications of one particular item from last Friday's pop culture roundup. I pointed out that on Friday morning, January 19, 2009, the top search item on Google was "John 3:16." (By day's end, it ended up being the sixth highest searched-for item of the day.) Why all the attention for one of the most beloved verses of the Bible? Because of the BCS Championship football game that took place Thursday night between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners. Florida's quarterback, Tim Tebow, a Christian, came out to play the game with "John 3:16" written on his eye black. People saw it. People wondered what it meant. People Googled it. In my commentary for the roundup, I noted that, stretching beyond the typical issues of "does this sort of thing actually work/should we do this sort of thing," this event exposes a deeper concern about biblical literacy. In short, perhaps this shows that we've reached a new low. I want to talk a little more about that - and one other thought I'd like to hear from you about.

But first.

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Marley & Me (PG)
2. Bedtime Stories (PG-13)
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (PG-13)
4. Valkyrie (PG-13)
5. Yes Man (PG-13)

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about. But this week we're looking at the year that was - what people watched, read, listened to, and learned about the most in 2008.

Top Ten Movies of 2008 (according to IMDB.com)
1. The Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4. Hancock
5. WALL?E
6. Kung Fu Panda
7. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
8. Horton Hears a Who!
9. Sex and the City
10. Quantum of Solace

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
4. Four Christmases (PG-13)
2. Bolt (PG)
3. Twilight (PG-13)
4. Quantum of Solace (PG-13)
5. Australia (PG-13)

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Quantum of Solace (PG-13)
2. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG)
3. Role Models (R)
4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (G)
5. The Changeling (R)

In this episode of PT Talk, the editors of PreachingToday.com two new articles on the site.

And now for the latest round of Yea or Nay?. Andy Stanley does it. So does Mark Driscoll. Ever heard of Craig Groeschel? Yep - he does it. Ed Young, Jr. Check! Countless others are doing it, too. But should they be doing it? That's the question.

I think it's time to play another round of Yea or Nay?. We've already covered preaching notes, politics, and pulpits. Let's go ahead and continue the ridiculous tongue twister I have going and tackle PowerPoint.

In part two of a two-part PT Talk session, Brian Larson, chief editor of PreachingToday.com, chats with pastor and author Steve Mathewson about the challenge of preaching the gospel from the Old Testament. To listen to part one, click here.

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG)
2. Quarantine (R)
3. Body of Lies (R)
4. Eagle Eye (PG-13)
5. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (PG-13)

In the latest episode of PT Talk, Brian Larson, chief editor of PreachingToday.com, chats with pastor and author Steve Mathewson about the challenge of preaching the gospel from the Old Testament.

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG)
2. Eagle Eye (PG-13)
3. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (PG-13)
4. Nights in Rodanthe (PG-13)
5. Appaloosa (R)

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Eagle Eye (PG-13)
2. Nights in Rodanthe (PG-13)
3. Lakeview Terrace (PG-13)
4. Fireproof (PG)
5. Burn After Reading (R)

Let's jump back into our new blog series Yea or Nay? We've already covered preaching with notes and preaching politics. Let's take aim at something else.

When I was a kid, every church building I ever visited had at least one thing in common: a pulpit. Some were made of wood, some were made of marble, some were made of a thick plastic that seemed like glass. But the essential fact remained: there was a pulpit.

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Lakeview Terrace (PG-13)
2. Burn After Reading (R)
3. My Best Friend's Girl (R)
4. Igor (PG)
5. Righteous Kill (R)

Once more, let's continue our conversation about finding preaching opportunities in the current elevation of the antihero in the world of television?

If you ever catch my Dad in a particularly nostalgic mood, you can bet he'll talk about two childhood heroes that cleaned up the streets and kept the world safe: Superman and Roy Rogers. You might even get him to quote the stirring introduction of the former ("Faster than a speeding bullet?") and sing the sign-off of the latter ("Happy Trails, to you?"). After that you'll inevitably have to endure a running commentary on all the collectibles in his study. And when the hero worship comes to an end, he'll offer a sigh that says, "Those were the days."

One of the goals of Preaching Today - and one of the ever-increasing goals of this very blog - is to help the preacher engage in cultural exegesis. We agree with the likes of Tim Keller, Kevin Vanhoozer, and countless others: some pretty spectacular moments occur when the preacher allows some space for the biblical text at hand to interact appropriately with a cultural text (a movie, a television show, a song, or something that's become so normal that we've missed that fact that it's actually quite abnormal). such interaction should, at times, be contentious, while other times, playful or even supportive.

*Update: The Leadership journal article I reference in this post ("Does Your Preaching Touch Politics?") has gone live. Click here to give it a read.

The last time I checked - which was just this morning - 70 of you had responded to our recent poll. The question: Will you address politics from the pulpit in this election year? The possible answers: Yes, No, Not Sure Yet. Of the 70 who replied: 37 percent said yes; 40 percent said no; 23 percent said not sure yet.

With my bringing attention once again to the poll, perhaps those numbers will change. But for now, let's move forward into some conversation about the matter. I would love to know why you answered how you answered.

Since most who visit the site are a bit quiet, maybe this will help guide the conversation?

To use or not to use notes? That is the (homiletical) question! My preaching profs taught me to avoid using too many notes, so I don't. In fact, I don't even take an outline to the pulpit with me, save a few lines or phrases sketched here or there in the margins of my Bible. I've tried to preach from a manuscript or a detailed outline or even a general outline, but I feel I personally lose much more than I gain.

What has me talking about notes so early this morning?

Every Friday, the Preaching Today Blog takes a look at the week that was - what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about?

Top Five Movies
1. Tropic Thunder (R)
2. The House Bunny (PG-13)
5. Death Race (R)
4. The Dark Knight (PG-13)
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (PG)

In the latest episode of PT Talk, Brian Larson, chief editor of PreachingToday.com, discusses his preaching journey through the Book of Joel.

In the latest episode of PT Talk, the editors of PreachingToday.com discuss the importance of finding the intersection between gospel and culture. We admit the sound on this episode is a bit on the not-so-great side. We were trying something new, and the "something new" turned out to be "something we ought not do." But hang with us - given that our chat was so fun, we feel it's worth a listen despite a few popping "p's" and some volume control issues. We'll get it right next time!

In the latest episode of PT Talk, the editors of PreachingToday.com discuss two items worthy of your attention and reflection: a recent conference and a new column on the site.

Every week, Preaching Today offers a batch of new sermon illustrations. It's a nice little mix of stories, quotes, statistics, humor, and scenes from movies or television shows. From time to time, the editors of Preaching Today want to take a moment to talk about how they might use a particular illustration in their own preaching.

In "Preaching to a Tempting Choir" - an article for GetReligion.org - Terry Mattingly reflects on a controversial sermon that Father Michael Pfleger preached at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois, in late May 2008. Pfleger pretended to be a tearful Hillary Clinton, angry over Obama stealing what she felt was "entitled" her: the U.S. presidency. If you've seen the video of the sermon, you know that his words were met with wild applause, much laughter, and hearty amen's, pushing him to keep the shtick up just a few moments more (which he was more than happy to do).

In parts two, three, and four, Leighton Ford shared how the gospel can be shared in fresh, visible, and credible ways. In this final entry in our blog series, Ford shares how the gospel can be made most accessible.

In parts two and three of this blog series, Leighton Ford shared how the gospel can be shared in fresh and visible ways. In this entry, he shares how the gospel can be made credible, winsome, and strong.

In part two of this blog series, Leighton Ford shared how the gospel can be shared in fresh ways. In this entry, he shares how the gospel can be made visible in every sermon.

In part one in this series of blog entries, Leighton Ford shared how every sermon should have the gospel at its core and an invitational edge. This invitational edge means the gospel must be presented in a manner that is clear and fresh, visible, winsome and strong, and urgent and compelling. But what does that look like? In this entry, Ford begins to unpack his convictions with a look at how we can preach the gospel in clear and fresh ways.

The late Henri Nouwen in Preaching and Ministry wrote that practically no one comes to church expecting to hear something they did not already know. "The last thing they expect to come from a pulpit is any news."

Every sermon should have the gospel at its core and an invitational edge. This is not to say that every sermon should aim at not-yet-believers. Most sermons will be heard by people who already have some knowledge of Jesus. But every sermon needs a spirit that invites people to follow Jesus.

How could George Buttrick have known one Advent Sunday morning at Madison Avenue Presbyterian in New York that a struggling young novelist would be present, or that a single question ("Are you going home for Christmas?") would be the spiritual pivot point for Frederick Buechner?

Our sister site, Outreach and Evangelism Today, has posted an article on Preaching Evangelistically.

As a part of our current theme of Getting the Gospel Right, we asked a few preachers to share their personal journey in preaching the gospel. Pastor and author Mark Buchanan is up to bat first with The Gospel & Me & You. Mark shares how his "sense of what the gospel is has deepened, enlarged, and in places, changed." Here's an excerpt from his work for you to reflect on in the comments section:

In a recent interview with PreachingToday.com, Haddon Robinson had this to say about preaching the gospel.

Every week, Preaching Today posts new illustrations - a mixture of stories, statistics, quotes, humor, and scenes from popular movies or TV shows. As a regular part of our PT Talk sessions, Brian Larson and I would like to take a moment to talk about how we might use some of our illustrations in a sermon. We decided to try this out on a classic: Master Violinist Goes Unrecognized. We felt it was the best illustration of 2007.

To hear us talk about specific and more abstract ways to use this illustration, click "Play" on the audio player below to listen to PT Talk via audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

PreachingToday.com recently ran an illustration that was the unfortunate victim of embellishment. We've posted the corrected version for your records. These retractions don't happen often for us, but when they do, they often happen because of the very issue just mentioned: embellishment. For this episode of PT Talk, we discuss what happened, why it happened, and how to make sure it doesn't happen.

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

PreachingToday.com is currently running "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize", an article by Thomas G. Long about the necessity of citation and the damage of deceit in preaching. The editors of Preaching Today wanted to use our new weekly audio feature - PT Talk - to chime in with a few thoughts on this controversial topic. Please use the comments section to share your own reflections.

Click "Play" on the audio player below, and you can listen to PT Talk via an audio stream. If you'd rather download the audio file so you can have it on the run, there is a link just below the player.

To download this episode of PT Talk, click here.

PreachingToday.com is currently running "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize", an article by Thomas G. Long about the necessity of citation and the damage of deceit in preaching. If you're a member of Preaching Today, you can read it at any time by clicking on the link. Brian Larson (chief editor) and I will be discussing the article and its implications in the next episode of PT Talk (to be posted very soon). In the meantime, here are a few juicy quotes from Long's work:

Scot McKnight recently reviewed Anthony Thiselton's The Hermeneutics of Doctrine for the folks at Christianity Today. McKnight offers this synopsis of Thiselton's thoughts on doctrine and belief:

Here's what people are watching, reading, listening to, and learning about...

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Horton Hears a Who (Rated G)
2. Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Rated PG-13)
3. Shutter (Rated PG-13)
4. Drillbit Taylor (Rated PG-13)
5. 10,000 B.C. (Rated R)

PreachingToday.com has posted part three of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. In part three, Bob Hyatt, paints a picture of what a dialogical approach to the sermon event looks like at The Evergreen Community and offers a few ideas for any who would like to introduce dialogue into their preaching

PreachingToday.com has posted part two of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. In part two, Bob Hyatt addresses some of the concerns people have with dialogical preaching. In part three - to be posted next Monday, March 24 - Hyatt will paint a picture of what a dialogical approach to the sermon event looks like at The Evergreen Community and offers a few ideas for any who would like to introduce dialogue into their preaching

PreachingToday.com has posted part one of a three-part article on dialogical preaching. For the first quarter of 2008, Preaching Today has focused on the idea of group sermon preparation. More and more preachers are putting together their messages in community, allowing for insightful, idea-producing dialogue with others. For more about this process, check out our interview with Dave Ferguson on "Group Sermon Preparation" (part one and part two) and an observational piece entitled "Loosening My Grip." For the final stretch of our quarter's theme, we decided to add a twist to the concept: What happens when a preacher engages in a similar type of dialogue - but during the Sunday sermon itself?

Our sister site, Out of Ur, recently initiated a conversation about the potential dangers of pursuing excellence in ministry. The conversation is built upon an article that was written by Daniel Schantz for Christian Standard magazine. You can find the full article by Schantz here.

The conversation on Ur mostly focuses on big picture issues (i.e. excellence in overall programming). I'd like to hear from you all about something specific: excellence in preaching. What do you perceive are the dangers in pursuing excellence in preaching?

I recently heard the most powerful sermon I've heard in a long time. In just a few minutes, the speaker filled an overly familiar phrase - Merry Christmas - with profound meaning and left me awestruck by the Word of God.

My refuge from the musical monotony of the Christmas season has been Sufjan Stevens' five-disc set, Songs for Christmas. I wanted to buy it when it came out last year because I think Sufjan is one of the more exciting artists out there these days. But a certain lack of cash snowed on my parade. This year I finally got my hands on it, and I'm not sure what else to say except that which is clich?: I can't stop listening to it.

Take a look at this article from copyblogger.com. The idea of confident feet is obviously couched in terms of blogging in this particular article, but I'm curious about your thoughts on the importance and necessity of confident feet in preaching. The author of the article writes:

What I would like to talk about is healthy motion. Like many things, motion when speaking in front of people is a case of balancing extremes. No motion is boring, and too much movement gives off a nervous vibe. Check out this quote from Lin Sexton in a recent column for Worship Leader Magazine:

Hopefully you've been able to check out the Preaching Today interview with Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken on preaching for spiritual formation. Mark your calendars: the second part comes out this Friday. In the meantime here's something from the cutting room floor...

How did the topic of spiritual formation in preaching become important to you?

Kent: Our interest in preaching for spiritual formation is directly related to the story of our church. We were a seeker-targeted church that had experienced rather rapid growth in our area. We were having great fun and, in terms of attendance and decisions for Christ, were experiencing great success. By 2000, we were finally in our first permanent, large building, so we no longer had facility demands. This gave us flexibility to evaluate where we were and listen more carefully to what God was saying.

Clark Cothern, a regular contributor to our weekly batch of illustrations, shared this short, but intriguing story. Take a moment to read it, and I'd like to offer just a few words on the other side:

Would you consider yourself successful if you had written a novel a year for 52 straight years? Would you feel successful if you had written shelves of books on mythology, biography, folklore, theology, and travel? One man did all of the above - and in only one lifetime. I kid you not! This one man wrote 85 books in his 89 years on Earth. And get this: the same man even once rescued a young girl from drowning!

But I doubt seriously that you know his name.

FaithVisuals has just posted a provocative interview with Shane Hipps (author of The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church). The conversation is guided by this centering question: "Is video technology in church manipulative?" At the midway point, Hipps ? who has a history in the world of marketing and advertising ? makes this observation about the use of media:

Visual multimedia are probably the favorite medium of the greatest manipulators in world history: advertisers. And I know because I was one! One of the things we discovered was that the absolute best way to move people against their better judgment was through emotion, not reason. Everything we did was to try and give emotional experiences, evoke emotional impressions, and basically ignore the nuts and bolts of the superiority of our product.

In our two-part interview with Wayne Shaw, "The Dire Need for Doctrine" (Part 1 and Part 2), Shaw shared his concern over today's preaching being void of doctrine. Near the end of part one, Shaw offered this interesting insight:

If we're going to form a Christian community into what the Bible calls the church, we're going to have to deal with the major tenets biblically - what we're to believe and what we're to do. In other words, "What marks us as Christians? What marks us as a community of faith?" If we don't know that faith, then we're just joining another organization. That's how serious it is to me.