Julius Kim on Teaching for Attention and Retention

When I read Julius Kim’s Preaching the Whole Counsel of God: Design and Deliver Gospel-Centered Sermons, I read things that confirmed many of the things I do in communicating the Bible. But I also read a number of things that challenged me to make significant changes in regard to cherished ways of communicating.

I was just getting ready to leap away from working from a full manuscript in my teaching to working from an outline when I sat down with Kim at his office at Westminster Seminary California, where he teaches courses in homiletics, cross-cultural missions, pastoral ministry, and the history of preaching. If I wasn’t convinced before our conversation about the importance of being more listener-focused in my presentation of the Scriptures, I certainly was afterward.

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Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Julius Kim (MDiv, Westminster Seminary California; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) served as president of The Gospel Coalition from 2020 to 2023. Julius also serves as associate pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church and visiting professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary California, where he previously served as dean of students. He is the author of Preaching the Whole Counsel of God and numerous articles. Julius and his wife, Ji Hee, have two daughters and live in Escondido, California.