Take Up and Preach: A Primer for Interpreting Preaching Texts

By Blayne A. Banting

The foundation of a good biblical sermon is the biblical text. Take Up and Preach is a helpful guide for the preacher in how to approach a biblical text with the intention of preaching its life-giving message. Blayne Banting uses memorable images and careful instructions to aid the preacher through the process of understanding a theology of preaching, selecting and interpreting a preaching text right up to the point of producing the sermon outline. Take Up and Preach both grounds and guides the preacher in a sound method for biblical preaching, and does so with a number of practical helps to aid in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Mar 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781498239547

Blayne A. Banting

Blayne A. Banting is an associate professor of preaching and Christian ministry at Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport, Saskatchewan. Banting is married to Peggy and they have four adult children. He is the author of With Wit and Wonder: The Preacher's Use of Humour and Imagination (2013) and Take Up and Preach: A Primer for Interpreting Preaching Texts (2016).

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Take Up and Preach

A Primer for Interpreting Preaching Texts

Blayne A. Banting

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Take Up and Preach

A Primer for Interpreting Preaching Texts

Copyright © 2016 Blayne Banting. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

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Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV*®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblia, Inc. ™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are from THE MESSAGE . Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Table of Contents

Title page

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Preaching Sphere

Chapter 2: The Homiletical Bridge

Chapter 3: Crossing the Bridge

Chapter 4: Bridging a Discursive Text

Chapter 5: Bridging a Poetic Text

Chapter 6: Bridging a Narrative Text

Postscript

Appendix A

Appendix B

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to many in the development of this research, including the homiletics classes at Briercrest College and Seminary who endured early editions of this methodology. The feedback received on earlier presentations of the first two chapters at the Evangelical Homiletics Society and Preaching Emphasis Week (now the Fred B. Craddock Lectures on Preaching) at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee, was indeed helpful. Thanks to my daughter Hannah whose artistic skills produced the Homiletical Bridge and to Melanie Walker for designing the Preaching Sphere. Special thanks also to my colleague Dr. David Ernst who has done much of the field testing of this methodology in his classes at Briercrest College, and to the countless students who have contributed in many ways. I am especially grateful for my wife, Peggy, who can find something to appreciate even in my worst homiletical disasters.

Introduction

Preaching can be powerful, even earthshaking at times. God has used the preached word to change lives and even the course of human history. Even with all this potential power at its disposal, not every sermon has seismic significance. We preachers often wonder why that is so. While simple answers are not satisfying, we still sense one of reasons might be a lack of engaging deeply with the biblical text. Do our sermons get into the text enough to be captivated by the same intent that animated the biblical author? Are we servants of the text or does the text serve simply as a launching pad for our own agenda or some well-worn practical advice?

It is my hope that this book will be able to provide you with a perspective and process you will need when you approach a biblical text for the purpose of preaching. However, a helpful method is not enough. We need a proper theology to guide our action, so we start with a basic understanding of the nature and purpose of preaching before we get to the specifics of sermon preparation. By this integration of theology and practice I hope you will be encouraged to allow the living and active Word of God (Heb 4:12) to empower your preaching.

There is no shortage of books on preaching these days. You might be asking yourself, Why another one? Let me take these first moments to describe the special emphases in this book so you will know what to expect (and what not to expect).

A Specialized Guide to Part of the Preaching Process

Some homiletics books are designed as comprehensive guides to the task of preaching. They start with addressing the need for relevant biblical preaching and then follow through with a guide to the entire process from text selection to sermon delivery. These books serve a useful purpose and are often chosen as textbooks for courses in homiletics. But this book does not attempt to be that exhaustive (or exhausting, for that matter). My goal is to focus on select issues that contribute to a solid preaching ministry so I start by addressing the what is preaching? question by suggesting a theology of preaching. If this answer is acceptable, it will also help in addressing the motivational question of why bother with preaching at all? From these theological anchors, I go on to focus primarily on understanding the relation between the text and the sermon to the point of composing the bare sermon outline. That is it. There is no treatment of sermon development (illustration, application, etc.) or delivery. Those aspects of the sermon preparation process can be found elsewhere. I have concentrated on this part of the preaching process because of my conviction that the foundation of a biblical sermon is the biblical text.

I purposefully have omitted the inclusion of written sermons as the so-called finished product of the sermon preparation process. I have four reasons for doing so. One, this book is primarily concerned with only a segment of the whole preaching process—the interrelationship between the text and sermon, and is not a full-blown homiletical guidebook. Two, sermons are by nature personal and contextual oral communication events. No two sermons should be the same; no delivered sermon will be exactly the same as what was written in the manuscript. Three, the analysis of written sermons can easily degenerate into an almost idolatrous literary analysis that highlights style over substance. I call these bronze snake sermons in recollection of the human tendency to idolize what was originally given by God merely as a means of his salvation (you can refresh your memory of this story by reading Num 21:4–9; 2 Kgs 18:1–4). I am not alone. D. A. Carson says, Preaching is never an end in itself. It is not an art form to be admired.¹ Reinhold Niebuhr was rather suspicious of what he called pretty preaching. And four, in my experience, the model’ sermons included in books on preaching fall far short of what was promised in the methodology (I hope to spare you this disappointment!).

A Book Written from the Perspective of a Reflective Practitioner

Some preaching guides are written by those trained as biblical scholars and others are written by homileticians. What I have observed is that the emphasis of these authors is often the result of their training. Preaching books written by biblical scholars are strong on the exegetical aspects of sermon preparation. They are often critical of the classical exegetical errors made by preachers and expect a large time investment for a proper engagement with the biblical text. As important as these emphases are, and as easy as it is to find examples of exegetical fallacies in our sermons, many of these authors have little to no ministry experience. As a result, some of their ivory-tower expectations do not fare well against the ebony pavement of pastoral practice. The homiletical parts of their preaching books normally do not have the same sophistication as the exegetical sections. On the other hand, books written by homileticians can err to the other extreme. These books may shortchange the treatment of the text in a desire to offer a wide-ranging guide to relevant contemporary preaching. Neither of these biases is so much intentional as inevitable. I will attempt to maintain a balance in this book that takes engaging the text seriously while realizing that the sermon must not only reflect the text but also will affect the contemporary congregation.

A Guide That Emphasizes the Importance of Textual Form

A helpful emphasis in recent homiletical literature is the recognition of how literary genre affects preaching. More and more guides to preaching the various types of biblical literature appear each year. They make a credible contribution to the field. It is my belief, however, that most of these books do not go far enough. Not only is it important to recognize the role of literary genre, the preacher needs to be aware of the specific form of the text (or its subgenre). Preaching from epistolary literature is different than preaching from apocalyptic literature. But what is also true is that each major genre is composed of a number of specific forms, each of which has its own characteristic way of communicating truth. Yes, epistles are different than apocalypses, but in a given epistle, a preacher might encounter vice lists, doxologies, hymns, diatribes or paraenesis. Each of these forms makes different demands on the preacher. This is not a new concept. In recent years Thomas Long and Mike Graves have encouraged us to head in this direction.² I will assume that the preacher should go beyond genre to consider the specific form of the text.

A Guide That Thoughtfully Incorporates Recent Developments in Preaching

This book is written to those who share a commitment to the historic Christian faith and its emphasis on biblical authority. There are no apologies made for this perspective, nor should there be. Our commitment to biblical authority, however, should not keep us from acknowledging the positive influence of those outside the boundaries of Evangelicalism (however porous these boundaries may seem to some). Nor should we feel obliged to accept everything advanced by those who do not share our theological convictions and assumptions. We are referring specifically to those of the so-called New Homiletic. Paul Wilson defines New Homiletic sermons as those that have the following characteristics:

1. engage the experience of the hearers

2. seek to confirm rather than to prove

3. value concrete experience over abstraction

4. conceive of form as an extension and expression of content

5. are often inductive and employ narrative

6. allow for participation and disagreement.³

The results of the New Homiletic scholars have been mixed, to be sure, but the practice of preaching has benefited from some of their emphases. Some conservative preachers have adopted these emphases, for better or worse, in their preaching practices without giving credit to their source (a form of plagiarism). Others are championing new directions within Evangelical homiletics which are in reality warmed up versions of previous New Homiletic tenets. There is some admission of our common debt, but much of it comes grudgingly. The best course of action is to follow the advice of Origen, who in relation to the learning available outside the boundaries of what we consider orthodox, suggested we spoil the Egyptians—take the best of what they offer while leaving the rest behind. Therefore the best response is to acknowledge and not deny our debt while, at the same time, maintain enough critical distance to discard what is not appropriate. In other words, to employ a bad pun, it is possible to spoil the Egyptians without living in denial (de Nile!). So I will openly employ the best practices of the New Homiletic where they complement a solid approach to biblical preaching.

A Guide That Employs Diagrams as Teaching Tools

I use two main diagrams in the following chapters: the Preaching Sphere and the Homiletical Bridge. The first of these helps us understand the dynamics of the preaching event—i.e., the theoretical side of preaching. The latter is more related to a heuristic method to employ in the exegetical-homiletical process of composing a sermon from a biblical text. Using diagrams is in large part due to my desire to communicate memorably in a visually oriented culture. Since I am focusing on those learning the art and craft of preaching as well as those looking to breathe new vitality into their preaching ministries, the more memorable the better. This means, at times, making points by highlighting where the diagram is informative for my purposes and ignoring parts of the diagram that are either superfluous or contradictory (no analogy is perfect). I also employ what appears to be an overuse of alliteration (a common disease among preachers) to help make my point. Once these diagrams and what they denote are part of the preacher’s mental furniture, the specifics of the diagrams are not so important. However, until such time, these diagrams serve an important heuristic purpose.

Two analogies may be of assistance here. Consider these diagrams as icons—not objects of our attention in themselves but windows to what is beyond. Or, on a more mundane level, compare them to scaffolding used during the process of construction. There comes a time when the scaffolding is no longer necessary and may be torn down (on the other hand, tearing it down prematurely can be hazardous to your health!).⁴

A Preview of the Contents

Chapter 1 deals with the nature of the preaching event. Preachers need more than a desire to preach well, they need a theological grounding for what they have been called to do. I use the Preaching Sphere diagram to give shape to this discussion. Most books on preaching written by Evangelical authors are long on methodology and short on theology.

Chapter 2 introduces the Homiletical Bridge as an exegetical-homiletical methodology for preaching biblical sermons that heed both what the biblical text says and does. It concludes with a step-by-step process for using the Bridge in sermon preparation.

Chapter 3 takes this process and demonstrates how it might be used in the exegetical-homiletical composition of a biblical sermon up to the point of the basic sermon outline.

Chapter 4 gives an example of how the preacher might work through the process of engaging a discursive biblical text by employing the Homiletical Bridge. By discursive, I mean the kind of text that communicates largely through the use of a reasoned argument. I have chosen Ephesians 5:15–21 as a case study and then give a step-by-step example of how the Bridge model works.

Chapter 5 demonstrates the process in relation to a specific poetic text. Psalm 1 is used as the case study. Chapter 6 repeats the model in relation to a particular narrative text. Genesis 22:1–19 serves as the case study. A short postscript concludes the book.

Additional features include: a section for further reading at the end of each chapter for those who are interested; some exercises to support the passage and sermon sides of the Bridge at the end of chapters 4 to 6; and two appendixes—a glossary of the main forms or subgenres found in Scripture and a listing of possible sermon structures.

Preaching has indeed been and can be powerful. Even the simple sing-song voice of a child repeating, Take up and read, take up and read, was enough to change the life of Augustine.⁵ It is my hope that these next moments will be ones of enthusiastic discovery as you take up and preach what the Bible says and does. Your life may never be the same.

1. Carson, Challenges, 177

.

2. Cf. Long, Preaching, and Graves, The Sermon.

3. Wilson, Preaching,

137

.

4. Boothe, in Robinson, Biblical Sermons,

9

.

5. Augustine, Confessions,

177

.

1

The Preaching Sphere¹

Learning how to preach is a lot like learning anything else. We wonder where to start. Should we begin with a thorough theoretical grounding in the theology of preaching? Should we simply jump right in and start preaching and learn as we experiment? There is another option. We do not need to pit theory and practice against each other. In fact, our best learning takes place when we recognize the mutual relationship between these two. Good theory makes good practice; and good practice makes good theory. Good learning embraces these two in tandem.

There is a high probability that already you have tried your hand at preaching—however primitive the sermon and small the congregation might have been. So with at least some experience under your belt, you may be motivated to learn more. To help you on this journey I will start with the more theoretical side of preaching but with the assumption that you value both theory and practice as your constant travel companions.

Reasons for a Theology of Preaching

The Complexity of Preaching

Several reasons for a theology of preaching present themselves. One is that the complexity of preaching demands it. A trial-and-error approach might be suitable for a simple task like assembling a swing set in the backyard. On the other hand, we would be less than enthusiastic if our dentist, armed with a few charts and a well-worn copy of Dentistry for Dummies, confessed that we were her first real patients. Optimal training for the complex world of dental surgery requires both theoretical grounding and supervised practice. The same holds true for preachers. Although we might have been offered opportunities to preach before being introduced to the theology of preaching, hopefully we were not audacious enough to consider ourselves to be seasoned preachers. Preaching is complex. It involves a mysterious collaboration of the divine and the human. It requires the skills of the theologian, the exegete, the pastor and the communicator. It demands the best efforts of a lifelong learner. So, with such significance comes the need to get grounding in the nature of the