From Justin Taylor of Gospel Coalition: It seems like a good week to highlight wisdom from D.A. Carson. As I looked to the “vault” I found a helpful article from Leadership journal (Summer 1996) entitled, “Accept No Substitutes: 6 Reasons Not to Abandon Expository Preaching.”
After distinguishing expository preaching from textual preaching and topical preaching (”Expository preaching emerges directly and demonstrably from a passage or passages of Scripture.”), Carson outlines his 6 reasons not to abandon it:
- It is the method least likely to stray from Scripture.
- It teaches people how to read their Bibles.
- It gives confidence to the preacher and authorizes the sermon.
- It meets the need for relevance without letting the clamor for relevance dictate the message.
- It forces the preacher to handle the tough questions.
- It allows the preacher to expound systematically the whole counsel of God.
Read the whole thing for more details on each point. And if for no other reason, you can see D.A. Carson with a mustache.