Preachers Dare is adapted from Will Willimon’s Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale and is inspired by a quote from the great theologian Karl Barth. In a world in which sermons too often become hackneyed conventional wisdom or tame common sense, preachers dare to speak about the God who speaks to us as Jesus Christ. Willimon draws upon his decades of preaching, as well as his many books on the practice of homiletics, to present a bold theology of preaching. This work emphasizes preaching as a distinctively theological endeavor that begins with and is enabled by God. God speaks, preachers dare to speak the speech of God, and the church dares to listen. By moving from the biblical text to the contemporary context, preachers dare to speak up for God so that God might speak today. With fresh biblical insights, creativity and pointed humor, Willimon gives today’s preachers and congregations encouragement to speak with the God who has so graciously and effusively spoken to us.

Phillips Brooks, a veteran minister with years of experience at the pulpit, shares guidance on preaching and serving in the ministry in these lectures delivered at Yale University. The nineteenth century was a time of great expansion in the United States, and by extension the churches and Christian movements. Demand for new preachers and ministers burgeoned, that the many new communities founded had God in the hearts and minds of their inhabitants. Having lived in what was an environment of upheaval, Brooks felt it appropriate to pass on the wisdom and advice to prospective new ministers looking to found or join parishes around the country. Making and delivering fine sermons, the messages of which stay with the congregation, is at the heart of what a good minister does. Yet the work is not confined to merely this; the preacher must be a support to the communal and spiritual life of his locality, that his congregation be kept in good health, and that their souls be shepherded toward a life of virtue and good conduct. The preacher must also turn his attention inward: his character must be examined for flaws or bad habits, with virtues cultivated, that he stand as a model for the wider community.

John Claypool is one of this country's foremost preachers. In "The Preaching Event, the text of the Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching, delivered by Claypool in 1979, he talks about the what, why, how, and when of preaching. What are the basic objectives of the preacher? Why do we preach? How should we preach? When is it done? Claypool's book is an excellent companion for new or seasoned preachers.