In his book The Evangelism Mandate (Kregel), David Larsen argues that the effective evangelistic sermon needs to be doctrinal. He says, “One denominational director of evangelism urged preachers to ‘preach Christ and not doctrine.’ But to preach Christ is to preach doctrine. It is not a question of whether we will present doctrine or not, but of what kind of doctrine we will present.
“J.H. Jowett contended. ‘We must preach on those tremendous passages whose vastness almost terrifies us as we approach them.’ The grand themes of redemption, sin, salvation and much more are necessary themes. People are tired of trifles; they hunger for life-changing truth. T.S Eliot’s J. Alfred Prufrock lamented, ‘I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.’ We have the privilege of preaching texts with Grand Canyonesque dynamics of infinity and eternity.”