Deep Preaching Book Review

There have been many a book on preaching, but one like this has not come along in a long time. While most preaching books spend a lot time on exegetical work or why preaching is so important and why expository preaching is better than another type Dr. Edwards book goes somewhere most books do not.  Few too many preaching books will only give a cursory taste of the topic that "Deep Preaching" dives so deeply into.  At most a preaching book may give a chapter, Dr. Edwards devotes an entire book.  What is that most under-appreciated topic, yet is so necessary?  Prayer, fasting, and meditation over a text to be preached! 

For four chapters "Deep Preaching" explores some reasons why preaching is important and why a need to preach deeply is mandatory.  Then the book explodes in the last six chapters on this deep topic of prayer.  Dr. Edwards expands on how to use the classic spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and meditation to strengthen one's sermon.  He calls this aspect, "Closet Work."  This is a great way to describe this necessary aspect.  An aspect that goes between the exegetical work and the homoletical work. 

Once the author's intent is discovered, the exegetical work, then the preacher must go and wrestle with the Lord until he comes out of that closet with that text having done devastating reformation to the preachers soul.  Only then should the preacher stand before a congregation and expound the text. 

Every preacher MUST read this book.  We know how to parse and we know how to collect illustrations, but do we really know how to stay in the closet until we come out with a piping hot meal that Jesus would be proud to serve?  I propose most preachers do not, and this book will call us back to the vital ingredient of preaching.