Book Review on Setting Hearts on Fire by John Chapman

Introduction

Setting Hearts on Fire (1999) by John Chapman is a guide on how to prepare and deliver evangelistic sermons.¹ The big idea is that one has a twin responsibility in giving evangelistic sermons: “to understand rightly the message of the Bible, and to explain it clearly to [one’s] hearers.”² This review will first summarise the book, before critiquing specific elements and offering concluding remarks on the book. Despite some misgivings at specific points, the review generally recommends the book’s methodology of giving evangelistic sermons.

Summary

Chapman structures the book into two main parts, each addressing one of the two aforementioned responsibilities in giving evangelistic sermons. The first part is about preachers having to be “servants of the word” (Luke 1:2). It covers a basic definition of preaching, an overview of the gospel as the content of preaching, the particular aim of evangelistic preaching, how the preacher and God play different roles in preaching, and how to select passages from different parts of the Bible for evangelistic sermons. I particularly appreciated how Chapman explains the necessity of faith in Jesus, that repentance without faith is tantamount to replacing “all the other ‘good works’ in which [one] trusted with repentance… [and believing that one is] acceptable to God because [one] had repented.”³ Hence, one should preach not only to lead people to repentance, but trust in the saving work of Jesus.  

The second part of the book is about preachers having to be “servants of the people” (2 Cor. 4:5). This covers more practical details about how to prepare different parts of the sermon, the need to practise before preaching, how to conduct follow-up action after the sermon, and other details such as the length of sermons and the temptations that preachers face. He concludes the section with a chapter dedicated to the need to preach with passion because of the seriousness and urgency of the gospel. Chapman concludes the book with a final section of six appendices, comprising four sample evangelistic sermons, suggested outlines for sermons at specific occasions such as Christmas and funerals, and a self-assessment form for sermons. This book review will focus on evaluating Chapman’s explanation of God’s role in our preaching, his suggestions on how to follow up after evangelistic sermons, and his view and demonstrations of how to use illustrations. 

God’s Role in Our Preaching 

Chapman distinguishes between the roles that God and we plays in evangelistic preaching. The former “is to open the blind eyes of the hearers,” while the latter is “to preach the gospel and pray.”⁴ To demonstrate the reality of this partnership, Chapman cites Matthew 11:21-26 where Jesus first condemns the lack of repentance in Korazin and Bethsaida, before he prays to the Father. In doing so, Chapman explains, Jesus declares that “bringing about repentance was in the hands of another [i.e., the Father], not his.”⁵ While Chapman does not explain this further, I believe that he means that Jesus’s human nature cannot bring about repentance, though the divine nature which he and the Father both shared, can. Since the work of bringing about repentance is a divine act, and “the external works of [the persons of] the Trinity are inseparable,”⁶ the second person of the Trinity would necessarily be involved in bringing about repentance in sinners. While this might seem to be a theological quibble, the vague statement might confuse individuals into a lower view of Jesus being unable to bring about repentance. As such, I would suggest clarifying this statement or removing it. That said, I agree and appreciate his point that the “results [of evangelistic preaching] are in the hands of God” and that this is “wonderfully liberating” for the preacher.⁷ Those who foolishly think they can generate results by their own efforts are bound to be discouraged, or sinfully find ways to manipulate supposed results. 

Immediate Follow-Up 

On this note, Chapman’s section on immediate follow-up after the evangelistic sermon was thought-provoking. In the earlier chapter on conclusions, he argues that the concluding prayer of evangelistic sermons “will always have a repentance and faith component.”⁸ He demonstrates how he would do so, by first reading the prayer out for the audience to decide if they want to repeat it for themselves, before actually praying it slowly line by line for the audience to follow along.⁹ This is a helpful way for people to have the time and space to seriously consider praying along with the preacher. It also minimises instances of people not being able to catch up or mindlessly following along without internalising the prayer. 

Chapman lists strong reasons against calling for a public response of faith. He argues that it is “not an integral part of repentance.”¹⁰ Therefore, one should not call for it to evaluate “if the gospel is working,” to assess “which talk works better than another,” to show the effectiveness of one’s preaching, or to “publish the statistics.”¹¹ I agree that these are all terrible reasons to call for a public response of faith. They trivialise God’s role in one’s preaching and only serve one’s own agenda. Yet, Chapman’s six suggested ways of following up all aim to create private conversations after the sermon, premised on the individual’s initiative.¹² This safe and confidential way of starting one’s Christian life might give the wrong impression that faith is not costly. Hence, while I will not call for a public response to conclude every evangelistic sermon, I do not share Chapman’s total aversion to the practice and might do so on appropriate occasions where perhaps the sermon already had touched on the costly nature of the Christian life.  

I would also be more proactive in connecting with unbelievers, instead of waiting for them to take initiative as is the case in Chapman’s suggested methods. One way I do this is by making sure I have time to go to the exit of the venue before the event ends, to intentionally ask unbelievers how the sermon was for them. This might help to break the ice and start conversations with more private and introverted individuals who might be averse to putting their particulars down or making a phone call to a preacher they had just met. Given the seriousness and urgency of the gospel in which Chapman firmly believes, I would not want a new or potential believer to not have the chance of speaking to a Christian just because no one approached them in person. That said, Chapman’s methods and mine are not mutually exclusive, and his are helpful to identify those who might be openly interested in follow-up conversations.  

Illustrations 

Another way in which Chapman encourages preachers to ensure that evangelistic sermons reach unbelievers is by using illustrations. Chapman lists seven functions of illustrations in sermons. They “help to clarify an explanation,” “reinforce an explanation,” “arouse interest and recall attention,” “allow the listener time to relax and have a rest,” “show something of the speaker,” “allow an appeal to the emotions as well as to the mind,” and “recognise the various learning styles in the members of the audience.”¹³ Overall, while I agree with Chapman’s listed functions of illustrations, it would have been helpful to clearly state which are necessary and more important. The first two functions of supporting explanations of a point in a sermon are arguably necessary functions of illustrations, while the latter five seem to be subservient by-products of illustrations. For example, an illustration that only allows the listener time to relax and does not support a point would be inappropriate to be used in a sermon, whether evangelistic or not. 

Chapman somewhat addresses this gap by listing five ways in which illustrations fail by implication of his seven functions. This is when they “do not illustrate the point that is being made,” “are inaccurate and distract,” “are so vivid that they overshadow the point being made,” “are used as substitutes for careful explanations of the Bible,” and “are just too many.”¹⁴ To these, I would also add the pitfall of using too many personal illustrations to the point glorifying or victimising oneself inappropriately. While personal illustrations are often effective in establishing a connection with the audience, one should exercise caution in overusing them such that it takes over the force of the sermon. 

Chapman demonstrates his use of illustrations in the sample sermons he includes. They are generally very effective at performing all seven functions he listed. For example, in his explanation of John 4:19-26, Chapman illustrates how the woman at the well avoids Jesus words about her sin by “[running] for cover…in two of the most common ways [Chapman knows] …religious controversy and then, procrastination.”¹⁵ Contextualising her words in modern parlance, Chapman explains that the woman essentially points to the variety of Christian denominations and delays the need to know Jesus. The illustration is effective not only in helping the audience understand the text, but also in causing them to consider if they have used similar excuses to avoid sin and their need for Jesus. Another illustration is how Chapman uses the image of a magnifying glass to describe the punishment of the sins of the world placed upon Jesus on the cross. He asks his listeners to “imagine an enormous moral magnifying glass through which was passed all punishment due for all the sins of the world. [Theirs and his], 6,000,000 through the gas chambers—the killing fields of Cambodia—rape, pillage, carnage!”¹⁶ The vivid picture of the magnifying glass helps the audience to not only focus but feel the weight of the punishment for sins upon Jesus. 

On the other hand, there were instances when Chapman’s illustrations seem to fall short. For example, in his sample sermon for Christmas on Matthew 1:18-23, Chapman recounts how a friend had told him of an Indian groom’s speech at his wedding “in which he thanked his parents for…choosing the wife they had for him, [and] how pleased he was with their choice.”¹⁷ Chapman concludes the illustration by stating that it is difficult for those in the West, his primary audience, “to think of someone else choosing a wife or husband for [them].”¹⁸ He then makes the point that marriage regulations were very different in the first century compared to today, as “people entered into formal [and binding] engagements before they were married… [that could] not be dissolved or broken except through legal ‘divorce’.”¹⁹ To be precise, the illustration only demonstrated the differences between marriage regulations across different cultures (i.e., arranged marriages and non-arranged marriages) but did not clarify how that in first-century Palestine was different from that with which the audience would be familiar. A more appropriate illustration would focus on the binding nature of engagements prior to weddings. 

Another instance of an inappropriate illustration is how Chapman introduces the story of the woman who washed Jesus’s feet with her hair in Luke 7:36-50. After reading the passage, Chapman explains how biblical stories “are more like [the simple television show] Columbo than [the more complicated television show] Inspector Morse.”²⁰ Perhaps partially due to my unfamiliarity with these shows, it seemed unnecessary to illustrate the point that the Bible story is simple with “only three characters in the story.”²¹ While doing so might serve to humanise the preacher and connect with viewers of the show, it seems inappropriate to place it right after having read the Bible passage just to illustrate an arguably simple point. All that being said, Chapman’s advice is still largely helpful for preachers to evaluate their own use, or lack of use, of illustrations. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, while there are areas in which Chapman could have been clearer in his statements and assessments, open to the limited use of public calls for repentance, as well as judicious in his use of illustrations, his otherwise faithful, practical, and encouraging guide is helpful for evangelistic preachers. His writing clearly shows his years of experience as an evangelist. He is not too proud to admit areas in which he had been ineffective and helps the reader to learn from his own shortcomings. As such, all who endeavour to preach to unbelievers would benefit greatly from considering Chapman’s wise counsel and grow in being more faithful servants of the word and the people. 

End Notes

1. In this book review, I will use the term “sermon” rather than Chapman’s preferred “talk.” 
2. John Chapman, Setting Hearts on Fire: A Guide to Giving Evangelistic Talks (Kingsford, NSW: Matthias Media, 1999), 10. 
3. Chapman, Setting, 67.
4. Chapman, Setting, 74-75.
5. Chapman, Setting, 76-77.
6. Robert Letham, Systematic Theology (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2019), 109.
7. Chapman, Setting, 77.
8. Chapman, Setting, 120.
9. Chapman, Setting, 119-121, 191-192, 198-199, 208, 216.
10. Chapman, Setting, 142.
11. Chapman, Setting, 143-145. 
12. Chapman, Setting, 146-150.
13. Chapman, Setting, 106.
14. Chapman, Setting, 107-109.
15. Chapman, Setting, 197.
16. Chapman, Setting, 214.
17. Chapman, Setting, 97. 
18. Chapman, Setting, 97. 
19. Chapman, Setting, 97. 
20. Chapman, Setting, 184-185. 
21. Chapman, Setting, 185.

Bibliography 

Chapman, John. Setting Hearts on Fire: A Guide to Giving Evangelistic Talks. Kingsford, NSW: Matthias Media, 1999. 

Letham, Robert. Systematic Theology. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2019. 

Setting Hearts on Fire by John Chapman can be found at SKS Bookstore.