Is Puritan Preaching a Helpful Model for Today? With Dr. Stephen Yuille

Host Rev. Chris Gordon is joined by Dr. J. Stephen Yuille—Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary—to explore what made Puritan preaching so distinctive and enduring. From the pulpit-centered worship of the Reformation to the simplicity and power championed by William Perkins, this episode uncovers the theology, structure, and heart behind Puritan sermons.

Was Puritan preaching “effective”? How did their understanding of preaching as a sacramental act shape the church? What can modern pastors learn from their clarity, order, and Christ-centered focus? Join us as we explore how the Puritans balanced deep theology with pastoral care—and why their model still matters for the church today.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Welcome and introductions
00:02:45 - What made Puritan preaching unique
00:03:25 - The sacramental view of preaching
00:04:40 - Moving the altar: the Word at the center
00:06:00 - Was Puritan preaching “effective”?
00:07:20 - William Perkins and pastoral preaching
00:12:00 - Long sermons, long prayers
00:13:20 - Ascending the pulpit: a sacred act
00:14:20 - Ramism and ordered reasoning
00:16:50 - Not modern expository preaching
00:24:00 - Christ-centered, but not forced allegory
00:27:10 - The Puritan law and gospel hermeneutic
00:29:15 - Roman Catholic homilies vs Puritan sermons
00:29:45 - Perkins on simple vs ornate preaching
00:32:00 - Marks of faithful preaching: power and clarity
00:33:10 - John Cotton’s turn to simplicity
00:35:35 - Lessons for modern evangelical preaching
00:41:00 - Making sermons personally applicable
00:41:40 - Farewell

Guest Info:

Dr. J. Stephen Yuille - Dr. Yuille serves as Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation in the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Previously, he was Vice President of Academics and Academic Dean at Heritage Baptist College and Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario, and Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served in multiple pastoral roles, most recently at Grace Community Church (SBC) in Glen Rose, TX.

He has written extensively on Puritan theologians William Perkins, George Swinnock, and John Flavel, with articles in Themelios, Puritan Reformed Journal, and Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.

He is married to Alison, and they have two daughters, Laura and Emma.

Links:

Heritage Books: https://heritagebooks.org/
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: https://swbts.edu/staff/j-stephen-yuille/
The Works of John Cotton by Dr. J. Stephen Yuille: https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-works-of-john-cotton-5-volumes.html
The Heart Taken Up by Dr. J. Stephen Yuille: https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-heart-taken-up-volume-1-yuille.html

References:

William Perkins (1558–1602)
John Cotton (1584–1652)
Thomas Manton (1620–1677)
Thomas Watson (1620–1686)
Samuel Bolton (1606–1654)
John Calvin (1509–1564)
The Puritan Pulpit
Duties and Dignity
Rammism (Peter Ramus, 1515–1572)