What makes a good preacher?
On a Q&A panel at our recent Truth Matters conference, Phil Johnson and John MacArthur dismissed the common notion that skilled oratory alone validates a preacher. John clarified, “The question is never, ‘Do you have the ability to talk?’ The question is ‘Are you faithful to the message of God?’”
During the discussion, John recalled a description of his own preaching provided in Hughes Oliphant Old’s seven-volume history of preaching titled The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church.
Though John and Old have some significant doctrinal disagreements, Old’s description of John’s preaching is helpful—and pays him a backhanded compliment in the process. Old recognizes that the power of John’s preaching is not found in rhetorical skill or magnetic personality. Instead, the strength of his preaching is that he presents the Bible with the conviction that it is the authoritative Word of God. As John stated at the Q&A, “There will never be a question of whether it was my oratory or the Word of God that had the power.”
Linked below, you can find Old’s evaluation of John on Phil Johnson’s personal blog. We hope that this review of John’s preaching from an unlikely source will be a blessing to you.
Old’s vignette on John: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2010/04/preaching-of-john-macarthur.html
The Truth Matters Q&A panel: https://youtu.be/JjjnyJ8iLsQ?t=22742
