Who’s your favorite preacher?
December 14th, 2006The question is simple enough. Maybe you can’t list just one, but who are some of your favorites? Why?
37 Responses to “Who’s your favorite preacher?”
Tim Ellsworth
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Favorite Preacher: Lee Tankersley.
Why?: Listen (and read) for yourself.
j razz
Assuming it doesn’t have to be someone living I will say Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Decades later how many Christian ministers and laypeople have been and continue to be fed the deep things of God’s Word by his sermons in book form?
How many modern preachers are preaching sermons that could prove that useful to the church generations later?
Long Dead: Spurgeon - Seriously! He was simply amazing.
Recently-ish Dead: J. Vernon McGee - Yeah, he’s a rabbit-chaser, but he’s the anti-Piper/anti-MacArthur in his simplicity. In a day where high-Theology shows your intellectual ability, McGee is simply brilliant.
Not Quite Dead Yet: John Piper - ‘though I don’t agree 100% with 100% of what he says, his passion is refreshing.
Dead: Spurgeon
Alive: Tim Keller
In no particular order, because they’re all great….
Roger Ellsworth
Charles Spurgeon
John MacArthur
David Miller
Why? Godliness, scholarship, and they can all “bring it”!
In Glory- D. L. Moody - His single-minded approach to the gospel is something we all need today
Not quite to Glory - Alister Begg - With a brogue like that I could listen to him read the phone book - but he’s as solid as they come.
I may be banned for this BUT…
Tony Campolo - cause he refuses to be labeled. The right hates him, the left hates him and he doesn’t care!
Adrian Rogers
Jerry Vines
Johnny Hunt
David Jeremiah
Haven’t heard but read: Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd-Jones
Have heard: Mark Dever, Lee Tankersley, Ligon Duncan, Ray van Neste, Bill Ascol, Wade Burleson
If you aren’t sleepy and can concentrate on every word: Tom Nettles (He’ll make your brain HURT!)
From across the pond I enjoy Geoff Thomas and Peter Lewis.
My heart is always stirred by Steve Lawson and the late S. Lewis Johnson.
I cut my ministerial teeth under John MacArthur so he’s a given.
From the really dead category I like John Calvin who was the consummate expositor and theologian.
Tom Harrison.
www.asburytulsa.org
He pastors one of the fastest growing churches in America, yet is a regular guy who just really loves Jesus.
He’s a huge Cardinals fan, but I can’t hold that against him.
Adrian Rogers - oh how I miss my sweet pastor
Ken Whitten
Roe
Southern Girl,
Adrian Rogers was a sweet man. I will never forget the attention he gave to me as a young man. Who would have ever thought that a man of his stature would have taken the time to visit with me? Whenever I teach Sunday School, I try to remember what he taught me, the importance of being practical.
And were he alive today, he would be ashamed and embarrassed at the behavior his many of his flock, and the way they are treating his successor.
Hard to choose just one, so here are some:
Adrian Rogers - skill, voice, gracious spirit
John Piper - content AND passion
C.J. Mahaney - presentation
Herschel York - content and style
Jerry Vines - skill, style, and exposition
Tom Hayes - depth of exposition
Junior Hill - humility and humor
Chuck Swindoll - simplicity/practicality
Jim McGuiggan
He confronts seroius questions with grace and humility. And, between writing books and articles as well as speaking engagements, he always seems to have time for my questions.
http://www.jimmcguiggan.com/
Tony,
Do you mean Davy Miller? If so, I would have to second that.
At one of the chapels here, Dr. Robert Smith Jr. delivered a message on Jeremiah that I thought was amazing. His style and passion immediately placed him as one of my favorites.
Mine are going to be those I “grew up” as a Christian listening and learning from in southern Illinois.
Tim Sadler
Paul Sadler
Chad Ozee
Danny Miller
David (Davy) Miller
My dad, Gene Fant Sr., for his fierce ability to link his flock with a text and its ramifications for their lives and to live it out himself before he ever brought it up in the sermon.
Frank Pollard for his spirit and unbelievable memory / love of Scripture
Adrian Rogers for voice, dogged dedication to the text, and for the way he made you feel like the only person in the room when he talked to you.
John Donne (yes, the poet) for the unbelievable way his sermons found fresh angles on thinking about life in this world.
R. G. Lee for reading voraciously and for getting the word “toad” into his greatest sermon.
Not the same one I had in mind, Leland. But he is a great man!
I’d have to concur that you have constructed a very fine list there, my friend.
Adrian Rogers- I swear he could read Cat And The Hat and people would come to Christ.
Chris Connelly- My pastor at Highpoint
Rob Bell
Check out Paul Washer if you ever get a chance.
And a guy you may never have heard of but should get to know - Dennis Williams.
I’m assuming question is based upon reading or listening to their sermons as opposed to enjoying their books.
Favorites:
Roger Ellsworth (Immanuel, Benton, IL)
Mike Fabarez (Compass Bible, So. California)
Tom Nelson (Denton Bible, TX)
John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist, Minneapolis)
Others:
Alistair Begg (Parkside, Cleveland)
Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill, Seattle)
John MacArthur (Grace Community, L.A.)
James MacDonald (Harvest Bible, Chicago)
Dead:
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
A. W. Tozer
I would echo many of those already listed escpecially some those on Bill’s list. But I want to add a name no one has yet mentioned: Jim Orrick at Boyce College. He is an outstanding expositor of the Scriptures. Then two younger guys who continue to climb up my list: Jeremy Rhoton in Kentucky and Barry Maxwell in Texas (www.shbccove.net)
Scott, how do you know B.J.?
j razz
Brett chose my pastor:
James MacDonald (Harvest Bible, Chicago)
You can here him at http://www.walkintheword.com/ and across the moody radio network.
Favorite Pastors I know personally:
William Marshall (my pastor, and my husband)
Lee Tankersley (my former pastor)
Favorite Pastors I’ve listened to/read:
John Piper
Mark Dever
CJ Mahaney (I hope I spelled his name correctly)
Lots of good ones mentioned, but I have to add
Robert Murray M’Cheyne
The more I’ve read and studied from him the more he becomes my favorite preacher from any era.
All of my favorites have been mentioned already, but I still have to give them some love:
Steve Lawson
John MacArthur
John Piper
Mark Dever
My list, for what its worth,
* Alistair Begg
* CJ Mahaney
* John Piper
* Voddie Baucham
* Jim Britt, our pastor at Grace Covenant, is quickly climbing this list as well. Really digs into the meat and lays it out there for us, and is so wise in application.
J Vernon Mcgee contradicts himself on the same page in his commentaries, God is sovereign but yet man has free-will.How can this be?(Pg.714vol.4) Also the body in Ephesians 4:4 according to him, refers to believers from pentecost to the rapture.(Pg.251 vol. 5) I guess Moses does not belong to the body! My favorite teacher is Jesus Christ. nowadays R.C. Sproul is pretty good,yet I do not agreee with him in areas of reason/logic and philosophy. Paul
…God is sovereign but yet man has free-will.How can this be?
Paul, I would not say we have free will, but free agency. It is a paradox, not a contradiction. Jonathan Edwards claimed to have figured out the paradox as does John Piper and Don Carson. Carson has a chapter that he devotes to this in one of his books called, How Long, O Lord.
Also, John Piper writes a refutation to J. I. Packer on this very subject in short rebuking him for a statement he made as well as the short treatment he gave this issue in one of his books that he wrote back in the 70’s. The link to the article is here- it is a short read, and definitely worth it. It took me a few times to grasp, but it does make sense- good sense. Read it and see for yourself.
j razz
We have free will. God is sovereign. “God knows the future of what the free will creatures choose. Free will does not stop becoming free because God knows what will happen.” http://www.carm.org/questions/free_will.htm
A sovereign God created man with a free will. Man in his free will is still subject to the sovereignty of God because he is accountable to God for how he exercises his free will.
It is not a paradox, nor a mystery, it really isn’t all that complicated.
I think we have to define our terms when we’re talking about “free will.” Do I have free will to choose whether to have pizza or hamburgers for supper tonight? Sure.
Do I have free will to trust Christ for my salvation? I’d say no. I agree with Luther, that when Adam sinned, our wills became enslaved to sin and were no longer free.
When it comes to salvation, I believe Adam and Eve were the only two people who had free will.
Only God has a completely free will. Period.
I agree with Tim, with a minor qualification. Jesus also had a free will.
For those of you who believe in free will, instead of talking about mystery and paradox, etc., how about producing chapter and verse? Show me where the Bible explicitly teaches universal free will.
Luther was in good company because Augustine, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Knox, and still later, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones and multitudes of others did/do not believe in free will.
Before we trust Christ, we are predisposed to reject everything holy and good - we are at enmity with God. After we trust Christ we are predisposed to obedience, having the Spirit of God indwelling us. At no time is our will “free”, that is neutral from any influence, demonic or deity.
That sounds nice T Miles, but I don’t agree. I don’t believe that we’re predisposed to obedience after we place our trust in Christ. Look at the struggles Paul complains of and instructs others on. It’s certainly the case in my life. I WISH I was predisposed to obeying Christ.
What I will say is that trust in Christ created a “struggle” that may not have existed without Christ. Just like the Law was given to identify sin (not provide a way to God), without Christ, many just go through life without the conflict of striving to obey God’s will.
…not that any of this is on-topic for this thread.
Paul’s struggle, my struggle, your struggle, does not mean we are not predisposed to obedience. If anything, it supports my contention that our will isn’t free. When our “new man” is at war with the flesh (some say old or sin nature) it is evidence that two forces are trying to sway our will. Before we trust Christ, there is really only one - the sin nature. At no time is our will completely in a vacuum - which is what would be required in order for it to be absolutely free.