How My Preaching Has Changed (Rev. Dr. David H. Petersen)

There is a false idea, often repeated, that there is a great distinction between preaching “about” the Gospel and preaching the Gospel. There is a sliver of truth in it, but also some easy misunderstandings. If it is misunderstood it can denigrate the actual preaching of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels which is blasphemous. It can also lead to cliched preaching rather than textual preaching which denigrates the Bible. Finally, it can fail to see doctrinal richness and precision deepening and nuancing the Gospel in ways that give deeper comfort and hope in difficulty to the faithful.

Biography

Rev. Dr. David H. Petersen became Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in 2000. He has earned a Master of Divinity degree, a Master of Sacred Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne. He and his wife Jacqui have three grown children and seven grandchildren. He is a regular guest on Issues, Etc, a contributing editor to Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy, where he writes both for the print journal and the blog, and occasionally writes for the Lutheran Witness. In 2023 he was elected to the CTCR.