Ministry of the word - Taylor - III - Lecture 3

Required reading
Ministry of the word by William Taylor (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Lecture III (The preparation of the preacher continued).

My summary
In Lecture III Taylor continues to teach us about the preparation of the preacher.

Firstly we are encouraged to give an important place to the study of the works of standard authors by:
(i) reading the great books;
(ii) reading with care and attention;
(iii) reading with meditation;
(iv) comparing notes on your reading with a brother;
(v) talking to yourself about the subject with your pen.

Secondly Taylor insists on the free and constant use of the pen in the work of original composition by:
(i) aiming at a style which will present your thoughts forcibly, clearly and eloquently to the minds of your hearers;
(ii) seeking the best words and putting them in the best places;
(iii) not being allured by high-sounding adjectives;
(iv) taking heed of circumlocution.

Thirdly Taylor encourages the acquirement of facility and distinctness in public speaking by;
(i) seeking distinctness of articulation;
(ii) not being too rapid in your utterance;
(iii) cultivating the art of appropriate emphasis;
(iv) reading frequently aloud.

Fourthly we are told that we must have common sense.  That is, an intuitive perception of the fitness of things so that he who is endowed with it will always do that which is appropriate to the circumstances.

What grabbed me
Again, I liked the encouragement to read widely: 'If the minister is to be a leader of men, he must keep ahead of them, or at least abreast with them in ordinary intelligence, for, if they detect him blundering in matters of history, philosophy, or literature, or if they discover that he is comparatively ignorant in these departments, they will have little respect for his opinions and small confidence in his judgment, even when he is speaking to them of things that lie within his proper province.

But, over and above this negative advantage, the effort to master the writings of great thinkers will strengthen your own minds, while the truths which they proclaim, will suggest to you trains of thought which otherwise might never have occurred to you. Absolute originality, nowadays, is all but an impossibility. The most we can hope for is that we shall be able to give freshness and point to our own thinking, as we go over the subjects on which men have exercised their intellects from the beginning until now; and, for my part, I know no method by which that can be secured more thoroughly than by the wise use of good books.'

Don't know where to start?  I have been steadily working my way through the Great Books of the Western World published by Britannica (Available from Amazon) and finding them most helpful.

Next week's reading
Read Lecture IV (The theme and range of the pulpit).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.