Speaking God, Listening Church
Kimlyn Bender
Episode One of Preaching and the Pastor Theologian –
Hosts Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim introduce a ten-part exploration of the theology of preaching, launched through the CPT’s Compelling Preaching Initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment. Their guest, theologian Kimlyn Bender of Truett Seminary, discusses the theme “Preaching God, Listening Church,” emphasizing that God—not the preacher—is the primary speaker in the sermon and that Christ is present through the Spirit whenever the Word is proclaimed. Bender urges pastors to see themselves as “first listeners,” conduits through whom God addresses his people, and calls congregations to come expectantly as active, prayerful hearers. The conversation explores how preaching fits within God’s ongoing communication, the mystery of divine and human agency in proclamation, and the need for both humility and confidence in the pulpit. It concludes with Bender’s reminder that the church often “expects too little of God” and that true preaching rests on faith in God’s living presence and faithfulness to speak again.
Kimlyn Bender is Professor of Theology at Truett Seminary of Baylor University. He is a Karl Barth scholar and received his PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of multiple books, including a recent commentary on 1 Corinthians (Brazos, 2022) and Reading Karl Barth for the Church (Baker, 2019).
