This issue of Preaching will be published just prior to the 19th annual edition of the National Conference on Preaching, which will be held April 7-9 in suburban Washington, DC. (In fact, conference participants will be receiving a copy of this issue when they register.) The theme of this year’s conference is “Preaching and the Public Square: Where Do Pulpit and Culture Meet?”
At the conference, speakers and panelists will be exploring the intersections of preaching and culture. Should preaching speak to political issues – and if so, how? Is there a place for preaching to engage the secular culture – and if so, how? What about entertainment and the arts – does preaching have a word for these influential areas of our culture? As you can see, it’s going to be a lively and provocative time together. (And if you are reading this before April 7, you still have time to join us!)
In this issue, we take up that related theme of preaching and culture. Michael Milton – a long-time pastor who has just become a seminary president – uses his experience as a military chaplain to address the issue of biblical preaching in a pluralistic culture. And Daniel Wong helps us think about the challenge of preaching in an increasingly multicultural world. Since that world is getting smaller all the time, we even have an article on how to more effectively preach using an interpreter when you are in another language setting.
This is one of my favorite issues of the year because it includes our annual survey of the year’s best books for preachers. Since the beginning, this feature has been written by R. Albert Mohler, now President of Southern Baptist Seminary (who long ago served as an associate editor of Preaching). He’s still the most widely-read person I know – getting by on four hours of sleep each night has to provide some benefit – and he always guides us to the top prospects for productive reading. (Don’t miss his top ten list, always a reader favorite!)
A bit less comprehensive in scale is my contribution: a survey of the past year’s top books about preaching. Though I write reviews and book notes throughout the year for our Preacher’s Bookshelf column, it’s nice to look back over recent months and recall the best in our field – including our annual Preaching Book of the Year.
On a personal note: I’d like to share some good news … and some good news. Beginning June 1, I have accepted an appointment as the founding dean of a new Graduate School of Ministry at Anderson University, a Christian university in Anderson, SC. In addition to my responsibilities as a Professor of Christian Ministry, I’ll have the pleasure of working with many friends and colleagues in designing and building a graduate program to help prepare future generations of effective pastoral leaders. This is a unique opportunity, and one for which I am deeply grateful. (We’ll be inviting our first class to begin in the fall of 2009, in case you are looking ahead!)
The other good news is that I will continue to have the privilege of serving as executive editor of Preaching, which I began in 1985 and which is now a part of the Salem Communications family. I’ll still guide the editorial direction of the publication, still produce our weekly email newsletter Preaching Now, and continue to lead the National Conference on Preaching. (By the way, next year’s event is April 20-22, 2009, in Tampa, Florida. Mark your calendar!)
Thanks for being part of the Preaching family. As always, our goal is to be a partner with you in enhancing the preaching of God’s Word, to the glory of God.
Michael Duduit
Editor
If you’d like to learn more about this year’s National Conference on Preaching or sign up to receive Preaching Now, you can do it all at our website, https://www.preaching.com/