How to Teach with Passion and Personality

How to Teach with Passion and Personality

Author: The Gospel Coalition August 12, 2022 Duration: 44:23

In her message at TGC's 2022 women's conference, Nancy Guthrie delivers a strategy on how to teach the Bible with both passion and personality.

She encourages us to teach with passion—in a way that our love for the Scriptures is evident. And with personality—where the aim is to develop a relationship with our audience.

Guthrie then provides 12 practical tools to help us overcome the fear of inserting ourselves into Bible teaching:

1. Use humor as a way to break down barriers and unite the audience.

2. Use story to serve the main thing, not be the main thing.

3. Use drama in your reading and teaching of the passage.

4. Use song or lyrics to drive home the point of the passage.

5. Use emotion genuinely to prick the ears of your listeners.

6. Use confession of your own sin and inability to follow the message perfectly.

7. Use voice variation to keep your listeners' attention.

8. Use body language to get their visual attention.

9. Use unmentionable applications, like unmentioned but common sins among your audience.

10. Use eye contact and get out of your notes in order to deliver the message effectively.

11. Use prayer to infuse passion and an active dependence on God in the teaching.

12. Make it your aim to get to the gospel and Christ’s passion.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


Drawing from the archives of live events, the TGC Podcast from The Gospel Coalition offers a front-row seat to thoughtful discussions that sit at the intersection of faith and everyday life. This collection presents keynote addresses and breakout sessions recorded at their various conferences, capturing moments of teaching and dialogue meant to deepen understanding. The conversations you'll hear are grounded in a Christian worldview, exploring how timeless truths engage with contemporary issues in culture, philosophy, and society. It’s a resource for anyone curious about how spiritual conviction informs our approach to art, work, community, and leadership. By sharing these talks, the aim is to provide practical theology and thoughtful commentary that helps listeners navigate the complexities of modern life with wisdom and grace. Each episode serves as a standalone session, whether it's a deep dive into a biblical text, an analysis of cultural trends, or reflections on pastoral ministry. Tuning into this podcast means accessing a wealth of perspectives dedicated to forming resilient faith. The content is crafted not just for pastors and church leaders, but for any believer seeking to connect their Sunday faith to their Monday reality. You will encounter a range of voices from within The Gospel Coalition network, all united by a commitment to the centrality of the gospel. The hope is that these recordings equip and challenge you to think more deeply about your own spiritual journey and your role in the world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 438

TGC Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Article on Audio: Save the Humanities from the Slop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:32
Find the full text of this article at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/save-humanities-slop/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona…
Jesus, Betrayed and Crucified [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:16
"This is the heart of the gospel. This is the center of history. This is God dying in our place." This message on Jesus’s passage from Luke 23 was preached by Gary Millar at TGC’s 2013 National Conference. When Jesus wen…
Article on Audio: Welcome Back, Church Planting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:18
Find the full text of this article at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/welcome-back-church-planting/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of…
What You Should Know About Christian Conversion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:54
“But God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive together with Christ.” Nothing is more essential to Christianity than this truth from Ephesians 2:4–5. In this conversation recorded at TGC25, Ligon Duncan and Michael La…
Wisdom for Families Affected by Divorce [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:34
Divorce feels final and defeating. But our stories aren’t over yet, and divorce doesn’t have the final say. In Christ, there’s hope for the days ahead. In this conversation recorded at TGCW24, Wendy Alsup, Blair Linne, J…
Article on Audio: Christian Parents Need the Classics Too [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:17
Find the full text of this article at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christian-parents-need-classics/. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and us…
How to Let Scripture Interpret Scripture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:06
Benjamin Gladd and Nancy Guthrie outline principles for making sound biblical connections, tracing themes in the text, and avoiding common pitfalls of biblical interpretation. The New Testament includes 350 direct quotat…