< Previous page

Gomes talked about his latest book at First Presbyterian last month. Harvard said it was raining so hard he considered canceling the event, but was surprised when hundreds of people showed up.

Urbane, erudite and funny, Gomes attracts audiences wherever he goes. And increasingly that's worldwide.

In February, he preached at Westminster Abbey in England. He has preached before Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

Yet despite his refined manner and sensibility, Gomes does not scorn popular tastes.

He watches televangelists on TV, he said, at least once a week. And though he doesn't always agree with the theology of megachurch pastors such as Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar, he admires their communication skills. He's impressed by their preparation -- from having sat at one such sermon he's convinced they don't use notes -- and most of all, by their ability to relate to people's conditions.

He urges his students to watch them, too, and to take notes.

"I say to my students, 'You must be interesting. Then work on your orthodoxy.'"

After years of writing out every word he preached, Gomes now boils his sermon notes down to seven points scribbled on a half sheet of paper. That has freed him, he said, to improve on his points. He recommends the technique to his students, too.

In July, Gomes will return to Harvard University, where, he said, he looks forward to preaching five more years. He has already told the university president he plans to retire at 70, and said he looks forward to returning to his hometown, Plymouth, Mass., where he will write and "putter in the garden."

Most likely, he said, he will also continue to preach. Gomes said he's like a fire horse on Sunday mornings -- ready to bolt when the bell rings.

"It's not that I've perfected the system," he said. "It's that I get another chance to try."

< Previous page