Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle’s Transformative Approach to Preaching | Insights with Rev. Dr. Tom Long

Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle (1907–1988) was a pioneering American preacher who transformed radio sermons into intimate, dialogical experiences. In this clip, Rev. Dr. Tom Long reflects on how Steimle's innovative approach bridged faith and doubt, offering listeners insights into God's presence in everyday life.

Steimle's method embraced both the mystery of faith and the challenges of skepticism, making his messages both timeless and deeply personal.

This clip marks the inaugural episode of Day1 Classics, a new series that brings fresh reflections and commentary to timeless sermons from the past, reminding us of the enduring power of God's Word across generations.

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Rev. Dr. Tom Long’s reflection on Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle’s approach to radio preaching.

Full Transcript

TOM LONG: Edmund Steimle was a remarkable American preacher.

He realized the radio medium was different. That people don't listen as if they are in a crowd of 300. On the radio, it's one-to-one, and Steimle recognized that.

And so, he lowered his voice and made it more conversational. He put into the sermon some rhetorical devices, like he would stop and say, "Isn't that so?" Or, "What can we say about that?"

EDMUND STEIMLE: The impulse to set a fairytale stage for Christmas is right on—so long as we know it's not a fairytale. Or is it? The biblical narratives which tell of the first Christmas and what went before certainly sound like it.

TOM LONG: For Steimle, the first half of the sermon was the worldly wise voice of cynicism—the "I'm having a hard time believing this." And so, he took on the voice of the doubter, often in the first part of the sermon.

EDMUND STEIMLE: There's Elizabeth, for example, and her husband, the priest Zechariah—an elderly couple, long since having despaired of ever having a child. And an angel suddenly appearing to Zechariah announcing that he will have a son whose name shall be John!

And then there's Mary in the very next paragraph. A young girl, engaged to Joseph. And the angel Gabriel, no less, appears to Mary to tell her not only she will have a son, but the child to be born will be called holy. The Son of God.

TOM LONG: And then it would turn toward the faith. And by the end of the sermon, he was hanging on to the faith by his fingernails, but he had proclaimed it.

EDMUND STEIMLE: After all, these fantastic images, attempting to communicate the presence of the Beyond in the middle of life, are literally out of this world! Because that's precisely what they believed was happening to them. Someone quite literally out of this world was discerned as present to them here in this world.

TOM LONG: There's a famous story about Steimle preaching in a church one time. And he was doing that style. In the first half of the sermon, it didn't sound like he was a friend of the gospel—it sounded like he was a friend of doubt. And a woman stood up in the middle of the sermon, in the pew, and said, "You ought to have your mouth washed out with soap!"

[LAUGHTER]

Steimle looked at her and said, "Maybe so." And then finished the sermon in a crescendo of faith and affirmation.

EDMUND STEIMLE: And so, despite all the action,

excesses of the Christmas preparations and celebrations—too much music and too loud.

And yet, how else can we express the hopes and fears of all the years? That there is a Beyond come to live with us, share our life, and conquer its death.

Reflecting on Steimle’s Legacy

Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle’s pioneering approach to preaching continues to resonate deeply with modern faith communities. His ability to embrace doubt, transforming it into a proclamation of faith, offers a profound lesson for preachers and theology educators: authenticity and vulnerability are essential for fostering genuine spiritual connection.

For faith leaders, Steimle’s dialogical tone underscores the importance of meeting listeners where they are. By weaving skepticism with gospel truths, he demonstrated how to engage the complexities of faith with honesty and grace, challenging us to explore the tension between human questioning and divine revelation.

As we reflect on Steimle’s legacy, let us ask ourselves:

How can we, as preachers and disciples, create space for doubt while nurturing faith?

What tools and techniques can we use to bring scripture alive in ways that speak to the complexities of our time and connect deeply with the hearts of our communities?

Listen to the Full Sermon

Click Here for Rev. Dr. Edmund Steimle’s full sermon from episode 4161 >>>