Preparing for Advanced Studies in Homiletics

[Ye_Olde_Heidelberger]

For the brothers here who have completed DMin degrees or advanced studies in homiletics, which books, resources, or texts would you recommend engaging with that are somewhat of a "step above" or "beyond" the classical texts assigned to MDiv students (I am thinking of staples like Chapell, Beeke, Lloyd-Jones, Greidanus, Spurgeon, Perkins, etc.)? These have all been wonderfully edifying reads, but I am looking to expand my horizons a bit. All suggestions welcome!

 

[paranymph]

Aristotle's Rhetoric and Augustine's On Christian Teaching

 

[KDD]

Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose

 

[SolaScriptura]

A thorough foundational education in homiletics should include all the best of the historical preachers, logicians, or rhetoricians.

But one of the glaring weaknesses of our tradition is that we think "advanced" can be attained by means of what and how someone did something hundreds of years ago. We consistently just go back to studying what and how the same old dead guys from hundreds of years ago did it as if the key to success right now is to imitate what they did back then.

The "success" of a speaker lies not so much in the inherent brilliance of his words or delivery, but in successfully speaking into his context. I consider how I've heard or read a great number of the speeches or sermons that were considered particularly rousing in the earlier years and I have almost always wondered how on earth those were considered rousing: my problem is that I'm not in and of the cultural context in which the comments were made originally.

An education in homiletics that doesn't help you understand the mindset of the modern listener, and how people hear and learn, how communication works, modern rhetorical devices and techniques, how to be intentional (or at least more careful) with even the non-verbal aspects of communication that are brought to bear in a sermon... I don't think that can be properly called advanced training.