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part 1

Introduction

In the first part of the book, we will examine the variety of events which we call ‘preaching’. We cannot begin the task of analysing preaching, discussing its theological foundations, or exploring how it should be practised in the Church today, without some overview of what it is exactly that we are talking about.

Osmer describes this stage of the reflection process as ‘The Descriptive-Empirical Task: Priestly Listening’.[1] Having ‘listened’ not just to sermons, but (as it were) to the preaching ministry as a whole for a number of years, I offer in this part a framework in which preachers, and others, can themselves listen to what is occurring in the event of preaching, so that they may then go on to interpret it, evaluate it through a theological matrix, and allow this to lead into practical steps of development.

In the following two chapters, then, I attempt a description of preaching which is broad enough to ‘catch’ the full range of activities which may helpfully bear that label, yet focused enough to exclude activities which are best regarded as ‘preaching’ in only a metaphorical or extended sense. This is more difficult than it may sound! Defining ‘preaching’ is notoriously tricky, and rather than offering a definition that is bound to include too much or too little, it is better to offer a ‘thick’ description which at least does some justice to the variety of actual practice. Any study, however, must have boundaries: these are the four I have set myself.

First, I focus on Christian preaching. In a multi-religious culture, this should not be taken for granted, and the fact that others also ‘preach’ will be part of the cultural context to be noted in Chapter 2. It is beyond my scope, however, to offer any analysis or evaluation (still less, advice!) concerning the preaching of other great world faiths.

Second, I focus on preaching as Christian speech. This needs to be said, because in any discussion of preaching, sooner or later someone will quote the (supposed) words of Francis of Assisi: ‘Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.’ Regarding this saying, I share the sentiments of Leanne Van Dyk in a discussion of the Trinitarian basis of preaching:

I have always reacted negatively at some visceral level to that little maxim for theological reasons connected with this topic of Trinity and proclamation. Although the saying affirms the proclamation of visible actions, it diminishes the proclamation of speech and completely misses the integration and common Trinitarian basis of both.[2]

As will become clear, I too regard the integration of word and action in Christian mission as absolutely fundamental. But with Van Dyk, I regard it as completely proper to focus at times on Christian speech, provided one makes this necessary integration clear. Indeed, without such a focus, there is a great danger that we will not think adequately or Christianly about a vital aspect not only of our Christian mission but also of our human calling. And without such a focus, this would have to be a book on mission, not on preaching, and the attempt to do some ‘adequate and Christian thinking’ on Christian speech would be aborted.

Third, I focus on public Christian speech. The word ‘preaching’ is sometimes used loosely to describe (often pejoratively) one-to-one address, whether this be Christian evangelism or some more general kind of (usually unwelcome) exhortation. Again, to encompass such ‘preaching’ in this book would simply cast the net too wide; it would become a book on evangelism in general. On the other hand, I do not want to foreclose debate about what ‘public’ might mean today – when, some might argue, the airwaves and internet are more genuinely ‘public’ space than a church building or even an open square.

Fourth, I focus on public Christian speech on behalf of the Church. My first three boundaries would still allow the inclusion of (say) a Christian politician arguing a case in Parliament, shaped by Christian principles. Such events, like embodied mission and one-to-one evangelism, are important expressions of Christian witness. Their exclusion from attention here is by no means a denial of that importance, simply a recognition that any subject can get too big for helpful practical learning. By saying ‘on behalf of the Church’ I am not presupposing that the preaching I discuss is necessarily ‘official’, or that it takes place in a church building, or that a specific local congregation or wider Church body is somehow directly engaged with or supportive of it. In view of the rise in electronic media, I am not presupposing, either, that it is always a face-to-face event. This fourth boundary simply indicates that (unlike the case of the Christian politician in Parliament, or the general blogger offering opinions on a range of topics) its purpose is to advance and advocate, in some sense, the knowledge and practice of the faith to which mainstream Christianity bears witness.

Within these boundaries, however, a rich and broad spread of preaching has been and continues to be embraced. In this part of the book I offer a description that encompasses three central social dynamics of preaching in the past (Chapter 1) and four key functions that it fulfils in the present (Chapter 2). This will be an important prelude to the subsequent Parts in which we will seek to interpret what is going on in preaching, assess its theological significance, and ponder the implications for how we do it.

[1] Osmer, Practical Theology, pp. 31–78.

[2] Leanne Van Dyk, 2009, ‘The Church’s Proclamation as a Participation in God’s Mission’, in Daniel J. Treier and David Lauber (eds), Trinitarian Theology for the Church: Scripture, Community, Worship, Downers Grove, IL Nottingham: InterVarsity Press VP Academic/Apollos, pp. 225–36, here p. 232. Fans of Francis can be reassured that according to Van Dyk, he almost certainly never made the famous comment!