BOOK SUMMARY: WHY JOHNNY CAN'T PREACH - INTRODUCTION

The author believes that less than 30% of ordained evangelical ministers can preach a mediocre sermon.

He will argue that most sermons lack unity.  He will argue that most sermons have no recognizable order to them--that is, why the first point precedes the second point and so on. 

Robert L. Dabney's 7 Cardinal Requisites for preaching include:

(1).  Textual Fidelity - The sermon must be faithful to the point and meaning of the text. 

(2).  Unity - The sermon must one main subject referenced throughout the sermon which is impressed on the soul of the listener. 

(3).  Evangelical Tone - The sermon should be majestic yet intimate; Severity tempered with grace

(4).  Instructiveness - The mind of the hearer must be informed.

(5).  Movement - The hearer must be urged towards the practical implication of the text.  A sermon must not just be teaching but pleading and urging to believe and do.

(6).  Point - The hearer must agree or disagree with the weight being placed on his soul that flows from the unity, movement and order of the sermon.

(7).  Order - The arranging of s sermon in a way that the earlier parts prepare for the latter parts. 
 
The author is concerned for the average Christian family in the average pew in the average church on the average Sunday. They are not being fed. 

The author believes that a decline in the ability to read and write has led to a decline in the ability for pastors to preach.  The problem, therefore, is not laziness or a character flaw. The author believes that shifts in culturally dominant media have affected the sensibilities of individuals. Thus the subtitle of the books is The Media Have Shaped The Messengers.

Dominant Media - refers to the practices and products that are usually distributed by mass or mainstream media and consumed by a large portion of the general population.

Media Ecology - refers to how changes in dominant media alter the human and social environment. Media ecology is not so much concerned with content but rather its effect on individual consciousness, social structures or cultural habits and sensibilities. 

This book is geared towards a media ecology question: How has the movement from language-based media to image-based media altered and changed the preacher? If proper sensibilities are not developed, then one will not be able to preach effectively.