I used to believe that exegetical preaching was the faithful way to proclaim God’s word. Over the years I’ve preached through most books of the Bible this way. I’ll never forget the first time my view was challenged: “The apostles never preached an exegetical sermon.” Sure, I thought, but they’re special. They were inspired in a way that we are not. But is that true? Did they have some sort of special Spirit-power that we miss out on?

Since those first cracks appeared in my exegetical armor, I’ve expanded my preaching style. Lately, my sermon preparation has leaned more toward narrative and topical. I’ve learned that, as Malcolm Gill writes, preaching “is not primarily about teaching facts to produce smarter sinners,” but that it “should aim to bring about transformation as the Spirit of God takes biblical truth and refashions the listener’s mind to bring about conformity to Christ” (23). Now, good exegetical preaching should acknowledge this just as much as good topical preaching—but it’s easier to lose sight of this truth when buried in the fascinating details of exegetical preparation.

For people looking to expand their preaching repertoire beyond the exegetical, Sam Chan and Malcolm Gill’s book is a rich guide. The greatest strength of this book is Chan and Gill’s emphasis on contextualization. Cultural intelligence is required in order to faithfully connect a topic from scripture with the audience. Without first interpreting culture, the sermon can miss the mark, or worse, be understood in a way that even contradicts the gospel.

Topical Preaching is full of practical wisdom from two preachers who write alternating chapters of the book. The personality of each author is on display which actually reinforces the contextual emphasis of the work. I would recommend this book to preachers who, like me, have decided to expand their horizons beyond the exegetical sermon.

Chan, Sam and Malcolm Gill. Topical Preaching in a Complex World: How to Proclaim Truth and Relevance at the Same Time. Zondervan Academic, 2021.