The Last Pulpit Prince: Gardner C. Taylor

Last updated on: July 7, 2014 at 9:13 am by Guest Contributor

The Last Pulpit Prince: Gardner C. Taylor 2014-07-07T09:13:00-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

He is the last pulpit prince. At 96 years old, Gardner C. Taylor has outlived almost all his contemporaries. The closest equivalent is Billy Graham, who (though better known than Taylor) self-identified as an itinerant evangelist.

In Taylor’s heyday as senior pastor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y. (1948-1990), his name was synonymous with preaching excellence. In fact, in 1996, Baylor University named him one of the 12 “most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.”1

The age of the pulpit princes is gone, but the lessons we can learn from preachers of that era are like treasures on the ocean floor awaiting our discovery. Preachers such as Taylor have much to teach us about the task of preaching.

Taylor’s preaching teaches today’s preachers to elevate three values in particular: apprenticeship, language and gospel-centricity. Certainly much more can be gleaned from Taylor’s preaching such as his Christological focus, his commitment to lifting up the gospel’s relevance to the modern situation, and his insistence on crossing boundaries of racial and ethnic difference. However, this article focuses on these three values, highlighted as lessons we can learn from America’s last living pulpit prince.

Read the rest here

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 7, 2014

Unlearning the Lies from the Theologians of Slavery-Part 1

Next Post

July 7, 2014 Pastoral Care of the Queer Person: Questions for the Synod

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz