Broadus' exposition of the passages dealing with women speaking in mixed assembly demonstrates the fact that he began with literal interpretation. He was not preoccupied with notions of inerrancy, acknowledging that the words of Scripture "often differ very widely from what the same words would mean in writing of today."8 Nonetheless, he began with the sense of grammar and a presumption of historicity unless mitigating factors were present.

Although Broadus did not embrace the higher criticism of the nineteenth century, he was a serious textual critic. His commentary on Matthew and his preaching text note a number of passages which he identified as "spurious." He cautioned against proof-texting and urged that careful attention be given to the "connection" of scriptures. He feared the isolation of verses from the context and contended for the theological whole of the books of the Bible.

Broadus published a Harmony of the Gospels in 1883. He departed from the accepted patterns of such works by arranging the material according to the public ministry of Jesus, the training of the disciples, and the period of hostility. His work in this area undoubtedly had a great influence on his student A. T. Robertson, who was to write a harmony that would be the standard for several generations.

Broadus believed that the preaching and teaching of the church should focus on the person of Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth was his contribution to the field of ethics. He focused on the life of Jesus rather than His divine nature. Jesus' life had implications for living in the world. Broadus stressed Jesus' piety and behavior as a model for being Christian in the world.

Broadus' greatest contributions -- particularly beyond Baptist circles -- were in the field of preaching. His book, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, was the preeminent homiletics text in the United States for over half a century. In the preface to his textbook, he mourned the fact that his duties as president and New Testament professor made it "necessary to relinquish Homiletics though always a favorite branch."9 This was at a time when the discipline was considered, at best, peripheral to the body of divinity.

Broadus was chosen to deliver the most prestigious preaching lectureship in America, the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale University, in 1889. Unfortunately, those lectures were not preserved. The subject of the lectures were:

1. "The Young Preacher's Outfit" in which Broadus defined seven mental, spiritual, and physical qualifications of a preacher;

2. "Freshness in Preaching'" closely allied to concepts of originality;

3. "Sensational Preaching";

4. "Freedom in Preaching": rhetorical principles, social conventions, physical characteristics, which mitigate against the full revelation of the speaker in the speech;

5. "The Minister's General Reading": emphasis on broad, general education;

6. "The Minister, and His Hymn-book": a history of hymnology;

7. "The Preacher and His Bible": why and how to read the Bible;