{"id":300,"date":"2013-01-30T12:37:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-30T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/54.225.232.228\/us\/product\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T08:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:12:52","slug":"the-imperative-of-preaching","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/","title":{"rendered":"The Imperative of Preaching"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 id=\"endorsetoggle\">Endorsements<a class=\"button\" href=\"#endorse\">Read More \u2193<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&#8216;What constitutes effective and powerful preaching? If we believe that prayer-soaked biblical preaching &#8220;in demonstration of the spirit and of power&#8221; (<em>1 Cor.<\/em>2:4) is the grand battering-ram for the demolishing of the bastions of ignorance and vice, and if we believe such preaching to be the unrivaled means ordained of God for the conversion and edification of men, then careful attention must be given to the biblical answer to the question, &#8220;what constitutes effective preaching and why is it so?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"endorse\" class=\"endorsements\">\n<p>Dr. Carrick has done great service to those of us who continually wrestle with this crucial question. in <em>The Imperative of Preaching<\/em> He approaches the Scriptures with the conviction that they are a self-interpreting body of special revelation, and that within that revelation there is clearly seen the <em>indicative-imperative<\/em> pattern of communication. He also observes the presence of the categories described as <em>exclamative<\/em> and interrogative.<\/p>\n<p>It is my prayer that these pages will be read and assimilated, and the principles articulated then implemented by every preacher who has a passion to increase his effectiveness in that noblest of all callings, to &#8220;preach the Word&#8221;.&#8217; &#8212;  ALBERT N. MARTIN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Book Description<\/h2>\n<p>Believing that preaching remains of vital importance today, John Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. He sees in the Bible a <em>sacred rhetoric<\/em> which the apostles and prophets, and Christ himself, used to awaken, move and persuade their hearers. While depending on the power of the Spirit, the preacher should not neglect any help which Scripture affords.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sacred rhetoric<\/em> is based essentially on statements and commands (called in grammar the <em>indicative<\/em> and the <em>imperative<\/em>), which, together with exclamations and questions, are of immense significance in the preaching of the Word.<\/p>\n<p>Abundant examples from Scripture and from the preaching of such men as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, Asahel Nettleton and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, demonstrate Carrick&#8217;s case in <em>The Imperative of Preaching<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Insisting on the critical importance of <em>applying<\/em>, as well as <em>explaining<\/em>, the truth of Scripture, Carrick provides an effective critique of <em>redemptive-historical<\/em> preaching, arguing<br \/>\nthat this approach seriously neglects the application of the Word of God.<\/p>\n<h2>Review<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/resources\/book-review-resources\/2018\/review-the-imperative-of-preaching\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review by D. Scott Meadows<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"toctoggle\">Table of Contents <a class=\"button\" href=\"#toc\">Expand \u2193<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"table-of-contents\" id=\"toc\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Introduction<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>The Indicative<\/td>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>The Exclamative<\/td>\n<td>30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>The Interrogative<\/td>\n<td>56<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>The Imperative \u2013 Part 1<\/td>\n<td>82<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>The Imperative \u2013 Part 2<\/td>\n<td>108<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Conclusion<\/td>\n<td>147<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td>Appendices:<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Additional Illustrations of the Exclamative<\/td>\n<td>152<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Additional Illustrations of the Interrogative<\/td>\n<td>163<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Additional Illustrations of the Imperative<\/td>\n<td>176<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td>Bibliography<\/td>\n<td>188<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td>Index<\/td>\n<td>198<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Theology of Sacred Rhetoric\u2019, showing the importance of the true Bible message being preached in the Bible\u2019s own style and language. 208pp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":35587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[1260],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-300","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-church-ministry","7":"pa_binding-paperback","8":"pa_class-bh","9":"pa_era-today","10":"pa_format-book","11":"pa_isbn-5992","12":"pa_original-pub-date-1415","13":"pa_page-count-2272","14":"pa_recent-pub-date-feb-1-2016","15":"pa_recent-pub-date-year-5991","16":"pa_short-isbn-2340","17":"pa_subtitle-a-theology-of-sacred-rhetoric","18":"pa_theauthor-carrick-john","19":"pa_topic-preaching-teaching","21":"first","22":"instock","23":"sale","24":"taxable","25":"shipping-taxable","26":"purchasable","27":"product-type-simple"},"bundled_by":[],"bundle_stock_status":"instock","bundle_stock_quantity":500,"bundle_virtual":false,"bundle_layout":"","bundle_add_to_cart_form_location":"","bundle_editable_in_cart":false,"bundle_sold_individually_context":"","bundle_item_grouping":"","bundle_min_size":"","bundle_max_size":"","bundle_price":[],"bundled_items":[],"bundle_sell_ids":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In &#039;The Imperative of Preaching&#039;, Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In &#039;The Imperative of Preaching&#039;, Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Banner of Truth USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheBannerofTruth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-04T13:12:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/01\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1639\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2619\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@banneroftruth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Price\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"&#036;14.40\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Availability\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"In stock\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2013\\\/01\\\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-30T17:37:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-04T13:12:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"In 'The Imperative of Preaching', Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2013\\\/01\\\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2013\\\/01\\\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1639,\"height\":2619,\"caption\":\"Cover image of 'Imperative of Preaching'\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/church-ministry\\\/the-imperative-of-preaching\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Store\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/store\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Imperative of Preaching\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/\",\"name\":\"Banner of Truth USA\",\"description\":\"Christian Publisher of Reformed &amp; Puritan Books\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Banner of Truth USA\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/Profile-Royal-Blue.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/Profile-Royal-Blue.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":2048,\"caption\":\"Banner of Truth USA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/banneroftruth.org\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/TheBannerofTruth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/banneroftruth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/banneroftruth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/banneroftruth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/banneroftruth\"]}]}<\/script>\n<meta property=\"product:price:amount\" content=\"14.40\" \/>\n<meta property=\"product:price:currency\" content=\"USD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:availability\" content=\"instock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"product:availability\" content=\"instock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"product:retailer_item_id\" content=\"9781848716650\" \/>\n<meta property=\"product:condition\" content=\"new\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA","description":"In 'The Imperative of Preaching', Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA","og_description":"In 'The Imperative of Preaching', Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.","og_url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/","og_site_name":"Banner of Truth USA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheBannerofTruth","article_modified_time":"2026-04-04T13:12:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1639,"height":2619,"url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/01\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@banneroftruth","twitter_misc":{"Price":"&#36;14.40","Availability":"In stock"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/","url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/","name":"The Imperative of Preaching &#8211; Banner of Truth USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/01\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2013-01-30T17:37:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-04T13:12:52+00:00","description":"In 'The Imperative of Preaching', Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. 208 pp.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/01\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/01\/Imperative-of-Preaching_cover_front-scaled.jpg","width":1639,"height":2619,"caption":"Cover image of 'Imperative of Preaching'"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/church-ministry\/the-imperative-of-preaching\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Store","item":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/store\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Imperative of Preaching"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/","name":"Banner of Truth USA","description":"Christian Publisher of Reformed &amp; Puritan Books","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#organization","name":"Banner of Truth USA","url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Profile-Royal-Blue.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Profile-Royal-Blue.png","width":2048,"height":2048,"caption":"Banner of Truth USA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheBannerofTruth","https:\/\/x.com\/banneroftruth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/banneroftruth\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/banneroftruth\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/banneroftruth"]}]},"product_price_amount":"14.40","product_price_currency":"USD","og_availability":"instock","product_availability":"instock","product_retailer_item_id":"9781848716650","product_condition":"new"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=300"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=300"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banneroftruth.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}