In Part 1 of this series we examined what the curse of knowledge is and how it affects preachers. In Part 2 we examined the two biggest reasons why this can be a problem for pastors. If you haven’t check those out, definitely go back and read them before continuing as they set the foundation for this last post in the series.

Today we are asking the question, how can we avoid the curse of knowledge when preaching? We’ve seen in the last two posts that being aware of the problem is a great first step and knowing why we’re prone to it helps, but what do we do about it? I want to give you three simple steps you can take with each and every sermon you preach to avoid falling into the death trap of the curse of knowledge.

How to Avoid the Curse of Knowledge When Preaching

Finally, here a few action steps to put into motion to overcome this curse:

1. Gain the heart of a teacher first and foremost. A teacher doesn’t loathe her students for not knowing something before she teaches it. She r...

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In Part 1 of this series, we examined what the curse of knowledge is and how it affects preachers. If you haven’t read that yet, definitely check it out. For today, we are going to dive into the two reasons why we preachers are so prone to fall into the death trap that is the curse of knowledge.

 Let’s Get Real About Why We Do This

In addition to us unknowingly assuming that people know what we know – the result of the curse of knowledge. I think pastors are inherently motivated to sound confusing because of two traps we are prone to fall into. I would bet you can relate to one or both of these. So, why might you have a tendency to speak over people’s heads?

1. You would be embarrassed if someone thought you didn’t know a particular truth or concept.

There may be theological truths and biblical concepts so common knowledge to you that you can’t fathom someone not knowing them. You think, They should know this! Doesn’t everyone know this? Consequently, you wouldn’t want to run the r...