Preaching VIX (A Paradigm Shift)
September 24th, 2007 | Published in Blog Thoughts | 6 Comments
During my time in Oregon, as I was in the midpoint of my doctoral studies, I took a class on preaching with Dr. Donald Sunukjian. I am not overstating or exaggerating when I say this course changed my whole approach to preaching. As a result of this course and his instruction my preaching underwent a major paradigm shift.
Before this course I prepared and preached under the assumption that every sermon had to be filled with supporting statements from the Bible and that every fact, every utterance, every point had to be accompanied with multiple scriptural references.
Those of you who endured some of my sermons up to this point, and those of you who were taught this way understand this particular paradigm of preaching. It’s not wrong and I’m not critical or condescending of this particular style. In many respects it is a great way to study, prepare and even teach but is not the most effective way to communicate the truth of a particular text and keep it around 20 minutes.
Dr. Sunukjian taught us to view the text as a narrative. To explain the text with the text itself and the context and seek for the application of that particular text. This paradigm viewed each text as containing a main idea and our objective as communicators was not to lead people on a textual expedition to see how many bible verses you could fit into your sermon in support of what you were saying. Our goal was to allow that one text to come alive and speak to the people of God. On occasion I will bring in other passages but I limit this to passages (and only a few) that support the main idea of the main text or that encourage us to pursue this main idea in the context of application.
Dr. Sunukjian also challenged us to illustrate the text with true, real-life stories (of ourselves and others) as it applied to the text. We were to stay away from the canned illustrations and the "preacher" stories and stick to the examples in real life that portrayed truth and factual interaction with the text.
I come to the text now and view the text for a Sunday as a gift to be unwrapped, explored and given to the church. A gift that my hearers will take to immediately and want to interact with on a personal level. I’m not always successful in this regard but understand that towards the end of my time in Oregon I stopped being a preacher who preached sermons and became a messenger who delivered messages.
I’m determined to limit my posts, on one given subject, to fewer posts than there are Rocky movies so I plan for one more post (The Arlington Years) and an epilogue. (Following this, I’ll probably begin a new series of posts on Chipper.) I’ve received another offer and have accepted the services of a second ghost writer who has penned his recollection of the Arlington years.
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September 24th, 2007 at 9:05 am (#)
I never heard you preach before Oregon, but, from what I’ve heard, you’ve done well since. Now, what will be the next paradigm shift?
God knows…
September 24th, 2007 at 11:06 am (#)
It was wonderful to see your wife yesterday. She truly is one of the good ones, y’know?
You would (will) enjoy reading my friend, Chris’s, book. His approach is nearly identical. Let the text give its message. Get out of the way, and be the messenger.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:17 am (#)
I’ve enjoyed this series. It seems that with the preachers that I’ve known or at least the good ones, there seems to be an event whether it be continuing education, a book read, or a mentor that causes a change or as you said, a paradigm shift to take place in your ministries. Change may not always be good but it is certainly required for growth.
I’m looking forward to the “Chipper Series.” May I be a woof, I mean a Ghost Writer for one of the posts?
September 24th, 2007 at 1:08 pm (#)
Forget the last post on this series and let’s jump right into that Chipper series!
When I was at Harding Grad School, I took expository preaching under Dr. Phil Slate. Excellent class! One of the best in my nearly three years there. He referred to that style of preaching where one feels the need to refer to numerous scriptures to support every point as “quarterback preaching,” where a preacher calls out scripture references like a quarterback calling a play.
Where I grew up, the more scriptures cited in a sermon, the more “faithful” the preacher! And if he (NEVER a she!) could quote all those scriptures from memory, then he was ever the more faithful. Didn’t matter that he was preaching his opinion and using the bible as a pretext … what mattered was that as many passages as possible were woven into the “sermon.” Sigh …..
September 24th, 2007 at 8:53 pm (#)
i’m a sucker for those who can throw scriptures in conversationally (and with relevance).
i want to be well-read enough that the preacher doesn’t have to reference and cross-reference; i can do that as my own follow-up to the lesson presented, or be able to make connections as we go along.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:09 am (#)
Having grown up with both types of preaching, I find something in each style to appreciate. There was an elder in my hometown who preached occasionally and always taught classes; he could quote CHAPTERS at a time I admire someone who can commit to memory like that. In recent years, however, I have come to really appreciate the kind of preaching that you and some others do. As I grow older, it means a lot to listen to an everyday application to whatever my life is about at the time…………..and maybe to have it gently pointed out that my life may not be about what it should be and how to draw closer to the Lord and trust His grace.
Since you were at Arlington when I got to knowing you, I am especially looking forward to a discussion of those years. And a whole series on Chipper? Can’t wait!!