Telling It Like It Was: Preaching in the First Person

Even though the sermon is the centerpiece of Protestant worship, preachers sometimes fail to capture the imagination of their audiences and communicate the spiritual resources that worshipers need. But David Rogne's messages in Telling It Like It Was provide the living connection that worshipers are hungering for. Rogne introduces readers to an autobiographical homiletic style in which the preacher assumes the identity of a featured character. He shares his method of preparation, describes how to overcome obstacles, and then presents twelve monologues highlighting the experiences of both biblical and more recent personalities. Each presentation is prefaced by a few paragraphs detailing considerations related to that particular individual. Some of the characters you will meet are Pharaoh, Solomon, Herod, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate, St. Francis of Assisi, and Albert Schweitzer.

This book will be invaluable for preachers and seminarians who are interested in expanding their repertoire of sermon styles, as well as for anyone who wants a concise biographical portrait of the people who have shaped our faith.

During his 39 years of pastoral service, David G. Rogne served as senior minister at several of the larger churches in the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Rogne received his M.Div. degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and his D.Min. degree from the Claremont School of Theology, where his doctoral project involved first person preaching. Rogne currently writes, lectures, and preaches on special occasions, and is a resident of South Carolina.