Structure

The book’s structure is one of its more notable qualities, and functions on several levels. The first, and most apparent, level relates to the order in which the author’s various perspectives, analyses, and arguments are presented – that is, in the order of the various elements of a Christian church service. In that situation, as in the book, the centerpiece, or primary focus, is on the sermon, with earlier elements preparing the mind and the spirit for the sermon’s teachings, and subsequent elements offering a kind of spiritual release, as well as a preparation to take what is spoken of in the sermon out into the world.

This, in turn, leads to the second level of meaning to the book’s structure. Traditionally, sermons are offerings of interpretation or explanation of the Word and Teachings of God. in this case, the sermon is an offering...