Helm, David, Expository Preaching: How We Speak God's Word Today (Wheaton: Crossway, 2014)
David Helm has written this text on expositional preaching inspired by Charles Simeon. Simeon was a English preacher who died in 1836. According to Helm, Simeon, "returned the Bible to the center of church life in England" (11). Helm introduces Simeon to a new generation of preachers who need to be reminded that biblical preaching should be rooted in the Scripture text.
This book is an overview of Helm's sermon preparation process. He introduces the reader to the concept of inebriated preaching as he discusses the premature use of contextualization in sermon preparation. This idea is that preachers get lazy with the texts and uses them for their own purposes. Helm pivots from this observation to introduce a simple way to approach preaching. This way will help guard against laziness in approaching a text. His three step approach moves the student from exegesis to theological reflection then contextualization. He method puts contextualization in its proper place int eh process.
It is always good to see behind the curtain into the preparation process of a master preacher. Helm freely shares his insights for those willing to engage with a Scripture text. However, the brevity of the book leaves some questions unanswered. Walking through his handling of a biblical text is helpful. He encourages theological reflection as part of his sermon process, thus opening the door to application of the textual ideas.
