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Donald S Whitney

Donald S. Whitney

3 Sermons

Donald S. Whitney (c. 1955 – N/A) was an American preacher, author, and professor whose ministry focused on fostering biblical spirituality and personal spiritual disciplines within evangelical Christianity. Born in Osceola, Arkansas, he grew up active in sports and worked at his father’s radio station. Converted in his youth, he initially pursued a career in sportscasting after graduating from Arkansas State University, but sensed a call to ministry while at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He earned an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1979 and a D.Min. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Whitney’s preaching career began in pastoral ministry, serving local churches for 24 years, including nearly 15 years as pastor of Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. In 1995, he became the first Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, serving until 2005, when he joined The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, as Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean until 2024. Returning to Midwestern in 2024, he holds the John H. Powell Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry. Founder of The Center for Biblical Spirituality, he has preached widely at churches and conferences, emphasizing prayer and holiness. Author of books like Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (1991) and Praying the Bible (2015), he married Caffy, with whom he has one daughter, Laurelen, and continues to minister from Kansas City, Missouri.

Sermons
Bio

Making the Sermon Come Alive in My Heart

EZK 33:30MAT 11:151TH 2:13JAS 1:21

Donald S. Whitney emphasizes the importance of preparing our hearts before hearing God speak through a sermon, urging believers to put away sin and unholy distractions. He highlights the need to listen with humility, focusing on receiving the Word of God rather than critiquing the messenger. Whitney encourages applying the sermon's teachings by becoming doers of the Word, not just hearers, stressing the significance of intentional obedience to God's Word for spiritual growth and blessings.

Silence and Solitude

1KI 19:11PSA 62:1HAB 2:20MAT 4:1MRK 6:31LUK 4:42LUK 6:12GAL 1:17JAS 1:19

Donald S. Whitney preaches on the importance of silence and solitude in the Christian life, drawing examples from Moses, the Apostle Paul, and Jesus Christ. He emphasizes the need for balance between engaging with others for God-given responsibilities and withdrawing into disciplines of silence and solitude to hear the voice of God better, express worship, demonstrate faith, be restored physically and spiritually, seek God's will, and learn control of the tongue.

Revival Was the Church's Only Hope

2CH 7:14

Donald S. Whitney reflects on the spiritual decline in America post-Revolutionary War, where Christianity waned, immorality and lawlessness prevailed, and skepticism and infidelity spread. The situation was dire, with even the Chief Justice of the United States expressing doubt in the church's redemption. However, amidst this darkness, the Second Great Awakening emerged as a sovereign act of God, bringing revival, conversion, and a renewed hunger for God's Word and holy living across the nation.