Russell Moore

Russell Moore is becoming one of my favorite preachers and cultural observers. In this week's skills article, Moore builds his case for why preachers need to tackle those tough R-rated texts. Moore writes, "God has called us to be ambassadors of his gospel; he has not called us to be his defense attorneys. And, actually, if we learn to preach the 'R-rated' texts, we are well on our way to knowing how to preach the whole Bible." And Moore also brilliantly shows that preaching the violent texts ultimately points us to the key to the entire Bible—the violence and glory of the Cross.

Then Moore offers us a model sermon on how to preach on one of those disturbing Old Testament passages. Check out his sermon—"Cut Up Your Rebellion"—based on 1 Samuel 15. It's the passage where Samuel hacks King Agag to pieces because Saul wouldn't obey God. Moore says, "When God commands the destruction of enemy nations, we ought to prompt our congregations to ask why—and to see the answer in the gospel."

Also, check out these new resources:

• Featured Illustration: Our Ever-increasing Need for Wonder
• Featured Video: Not Who I Was: Freedom Stories - Enjoy these 4 great small-group videos as a collection from notwhoiwas.com.
• Featured Sermon: "Cut Up Your Rebellion" by Russell Moore
• Featured Skills Article: "The Importance of Preaching R-Rated Texts" by Russell Moore

Matt Woodley
Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.