Faith of Our Fathers – What Kind of a Preacher Do We Need?

Speaker: Vance Havner
Date Aired: October 10, 2025 (sermon from August 19, 1974)
Host: WDAC Radio Company

Episode Overview

In this classic episode, Vance Havner addresses the timeless and urgent question: What kind of preacher do we need in troubled times? Drawing from decades of evangelical ministry experience, Havner critiques shallow contemporary preaching, reflects on spiritual anointing, and lays out five essential qualities for preachers—anointed, authoritative, absolute, affectionate, and apocalyptic. The sermon is a clarion call for preachers to be bold, unwavering, and Spirit-empowered, grounded in biblical truth rather than worldly trends.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Unchanging Need for True Preachers

[01:00 – 03:58]

• Havner challenges the evolving expectations of preachers in a modern, distracted age.
  • "The old book still says, how shall they hear without a preacher? Now, what kind of preacher do we need? Well, we need the same kind we've always needed. Nothing important has changed." (02:07)
• Criticizes the rise of celebrity, entertainment, and lay-led ministry models pushing pastors to the sidelines.
• Points out that technological and societal advancements have not altered the core spiritual needs of humanity.

The Anointed Preacher (Unction)

[03:59 – 08:55]

• Havner revives the almost-forgotten term "unction"—the spiritual anointing that empowers true preaching.
  • “He cannot function without unction. If he tries it he, he would spend his time taxiing down to the Runway and never take off.” (05:35)
• Uses John Wesley as an example: despite impressive credentials, Wesley was unready until spiritually anointed.
• Warns against relying on unsanctified "flesh," rededications, or human qualifications.
  • “God cannot use old Adam... It takes the new Adam, the new man in Christ Jesus, to please God. Only that.” (08:17)

The Need for Authoritative Preaching

[08:56 – 15:37]

• Critiques the movement away from "authoritarian preaching." Suggests we need more, not less, bold authority in proclaiming the Gospel.
  • “My Lord spoke as those having authority and not as the scribes. A lot of what I hear today sounds like the scribes.” (10:05)
• Emphasizes Jesus' method of confronting the devil with scripture's authority: “It is written.”
• Describes the uniqueness and power of the "old time faith," which—though seemingly old—is always new.
• Calls out the tendency for modern preachers to be apologetic or vague, using humor and analogy:
  • “I want a dogmatic doctor. When I get on the plane, go to Knoxville from here, I want a dogma. I don’t want some fellow up there saying, ‘we’re going to try something new today.’” (13:09)
  • “When I go to church, I don't want to hear an expert in the art of almost saying something. I want him to say it.” (13:40)

Preaching Should Be Absolute, Not Relative

[15:38 – 18:52]

• Laments the prevalence of moral relativism in churches: “What's wrong for me may be right for you.”
• Tells stories and quotes about great preachers’ black-and-white conviction (e.g., Spurgeon).
  • “In all things he was definite. You were either up or down, in or out, alive or dead.” (17:45)
• Underlines the “absolute authority of the Scripture, the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ, the absolute sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.”
  • “They've moved all the way from dogma to smogma.” (18:15)
• Illustrates with the Titanic disaster: at the end, only two lists mattered—“lost” and “safe.”

Preaching in Love—Affectionate

[18:53 – 20:25]

• Calls for a balance of truth and love in preaching, to avoid sentimentality on one side and severity on the other.
  • “Truth will keep you from turning to sugar. Love will keep you from turning to vinegar. You know, the Lord preserves his saints. He doesn't pickle them.” (19:42)
• Expresses a personal desire not to become “hard and embittered” after decades of ministry.

Apocalyptic Urgency: Preaching That Looks Forward

[20:26 – 25:23]

• Critiques preachers focused on social improvement rather than spiritual urgency.
  • “May the Lord have mercy on any preacher who can live in an hour like this and stand in a pulpit croaking about crocuses. This is no time for that.” (21:44)
• Underscores the seriousness of the times (wars, disasters, coming judgment) and the need to “sound like the Book of Revelation.”
• Explains the dual nature of biblical “news”—good or bad depending on which side you’re on.
• Shares the concept of living in “the great Until”:
  • “I am waiting until ... He puts all things under his feet. I'm waiting until he subdues all things unto himself. I'm trying to keep myself sincere and without offense. Until the day of Jesus Christ.” (24:11)
• Relates a poignant personal story about his wife’s death and her last written words: “I am suffering things that I can't tell you about until.” (25:12)

The Preacher’s Mission: Clarity, Courage, and Hope

[25:24 – 26:56]

• Encourages preachers to fearlessly “tell it as it really is in Thy word. Fear not the face of mortal man.”
  • “We don’t need to be shaky today. We know where we’re going, where we came from and where we are. In the light of the word of God, help us to stand unshaken.” (26:25)
• Concludes with hope in the promised return of Christ, listening for the “shout” at His coming—“I’m not looking for signs. I’m listening for a shout.” (25:50)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Unction:
  “A preacher may be wrapped in the robes of learning...but he cannot function without unction. If he tries it, he would spend his time taxiing down to the Runway and never take off.” (05:35)

• On Boldness and Relevance:
  “We don't need something new today half as much as we need something so old it'd be new if anybody tried it.” (14:47)

• On the Authority of the Gospel:
  “You can't preach it like it is if you don't believe it like it was.” (12:31)

• On Absolutes:
  “The absolute authority of the Scripture, the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ, the absolute sovereignty of the Holy Spirit...They've moved all the way from dogma to smogma.” (18:11)

• On the End Times:
  “For a person who really believes his Bible, good news is bad news and bad news is good news. It all depends on which crowd you're in.” (22:51)

• On Waiting and Hope:
  “I'm living in the great Until.” (24:52)
  “I'm not looking for signs. I'm listening for a shout.” (25:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:00] – The unchanging need for true preachers
• [03:59] – The importance of unction and spiritual anointing
• [08:56] – The need for authority in preaching
• [15:38] – The importance of preaching absolutes, not relativism
• [18:53] – Preaching with love and affection
• [20:26] – Preaching with an apocalyptic, urgent tone
• [24:11] – Living in “the great Until”
• [25:50] – Waiting for Christ’s return

Tone and Style

Vance Havner’s language is direct, vivid, and often humorous, filled with rural charm and pointed analogies. He leverages stories, personal experience, and memorable turns of phrase to challenge, encourage, and stir conviction. His delivery is compassionate yet firm, embodying the very qualities he commends.

Episode Takeaway

Vance Havner’s message is a passionate summons for preachers (and listeners) to recapture the urgency, authority, and Spirit-anointed clarity of biblical proclamation. In times of confusion and compromise, he insists, “we need the same kind we've always needed”—preachers who are bold, loving, unwavering, and living in hope of Christ’s return. The church and the world, he argues, are always in need of such preaching—yesterday, today, and “until.”