Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World
Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World
Podcast Description
Originally taught as a Doctor of Ministry course, “Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World” is the lecture series that shaped a generation of Reformed preachers and teachers.In this course, Tim Keller (1950–2023) and Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) ask, “Is Jesus made visible in every sermon or only talked about?” After critiquing other models of preaching that either exhort on moral levels or merely attempt to evoke an emotional response, Keller and Clowney articulate a model of preaching that is Christocentric.This model of preaching focuses on three aspects to guide the listener and preacher: First, how does this text tell me about Christ? Second, how does this text show that the listener’s life is poor without Christ. Third, how to lead the listener to worship and adore Christ.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Focuses on Christ-centered preaching and theology with episodes exploring critiques of conventional preaching methods, the significance of Christ in sermons, and the importance of leading listeners to worship, including specific sessions on engaging postmodern audiences and practical applications of the Christocentric model.
Welcome to Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World, a transformative lecture series led by the late Dr. Tim Keller (1950–2023) and Dr. Edmund Clowney (1917–2005).
Originally taught as a Doctor of Ministry course, this foundational series has shaped an entire generation of preachers, teachers, and ministry leaders. Throughout the episodes, Keller and Clowney pose a critical and challenging question: Is Jesus actually made visible in every sermon, or is He merely talked about?
Moving beyond popular models of preaching that merely exhort on a moral level or attempt to evoke a fleeting emotional response, this course equips you with a robust, Christocentric approach to biblical exposition. Listeners will learn a profound model of preaching focused on three essential aspects to guide both the communicator and the congregation:
1. Expounding Christ: How does this specific text point to and reveal the person and work of Jesus Christ?
2. Applying Christ: How does this text demonstrate that the listener’s life is spiritually impoverished without Him?
3. Adoring Christ: How can we use this text to lead the listener beyond mere intellectual understanding into genuine worship and adoration?
Whether you are a pastor, a church planter, a theological student, or simply a believer who wants to read and communicate the Bible with Jesus at the center, this lecture series will fundamentally shift how you approach the Word of God.
How do you preach the fierce wrath of God in the Old Testament without losing the message of grace? And is finding Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures politically incorrect?
In this Q&A follow-up, Dr. Edmund Clowney and Dr. Tim Keller tackle some of the most challenging practical and theological questions that arise when preaching from the Old Testament. They address the profound tension between God's judgment and His mercy, reminding us that even Jesus spoke boldly about the reality of judgment.
The instructors also share practical advice on sermon preparation, explaining why New Testament scholars are often bolder at pointing to Christ than Old Testament commentators. Finally, Dr. Keller shares his pastoral experience in New York City, offering a brilliant apologetic response to those who claim that preaching Christ from the Old Testament is ”Christian imperialism” or racially insensitive.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Wrath and Grace: How to properly preach God's judgment and why faithful preaching must both ”draw” and ”drive” people to Christ.
- The Commentary Hack: Why the best Christocentric insights for Old Testament passages are often found in the indexes of New Testament commentaries.
- The Apostolic Method: How the New Testament writers didn’t just give us the right theological answers, but actually taught us how to read the Old Testament.
- Handling Criticism: How to lovingly respond to the postmodern charge that reading Jesus into the Hebrew Scriptures is culturally insensitive.
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