More about Preaching – an excerpt from “Reframing Paul” by
Mark Strom
Following on the theme of the ‘Problem of Preaching’, & my
article on preaching in July’s NZ Baptist, here is an excerpt from the book “Reframing
Paul” by Mark Strom. Mark is now the principal of BCNZ (Bible College
of NZ) here in
In “Reframing Paul”, Mark’s basic contention is that
what Paul opposed is what we embrace - that our systems of preaching,
ordination, and authority look more like the Greco-Roman world than they do
like Paul and his radical communities of grace. Modern Reformed-Evangelicalism
has never left
Also on the topic of recommended books, I want to re-recommend the “A
New Kind of Christian” trilogy by Brian McLaren. These books,
written as novel-like philosophical dialogue, are GREAT. We recently loaned
copies of the first of these books, “A New Kind of
Christian”, to two friends – both mature, intelligent Christians who have been
involved in ‘professional Christian ministry’ …. They both loved the book, and
found it helped fit some of the pieces of the puzzle together for them.
And a personal update – our new NZ educational games (Kiwi Quiz
& Time Zone) are selling well. Kiwi Quiz has become very popular as a game,
and as an educational resource – it is being used in about 400 NZ schools.
Whitcoulls has been promoting Kiwi Quiz over the last month, and
have a trial of Time Zone in their top 20 stores (if you’re looking for a game
or a gift for someone … get a copy of Time Zone from a Whitcoulls store
…. If they sell enough, they will expand it into their other 50 stores in NZ J ). Paper
Plus are also interested in stocking Kiwi Quiz.
I’m currently working on the Australian version of Time Zone ….
Just need to find an intelligent Australian with a knowledge of Oz history to
help review the 250 events I’m choosing for the game……
Here is the excerpt from “Reframing Paul” …. happy reading.
Blessings
David Allis
‘ideas
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“I once took a seminary class titled “Ministry of the
Word” where we were taught the supposed biblical basis of preaching. We were
given a list of Greek words for various speech acts used in the New testament.
Our group task was to study preaching from these words: preaching as keryxo;
preaching as euangelizomai, and so forth. We looked up the references
and synthesized our findings as “A New Testament Theology of Preaching.”
It occurred to a friend and me that the exercise was
flawed because we had assumed the conventions of preaching, then sought to
validate these conventions with texts. But the group would hear no detraction.
Apart from our failure to grasp Paul’s repudiation of sophistry among the
Corinthians, it never occurred to the group that there is absolutely no
evidence for anything like our conventions of preaching in the NT – no
expository talks, no pulpits, no ordination, no teaching of eloquence. The
evidence does not point to the centrality of a monologue in the early
gatherings, let along the conventions of preaching as we have known them for
two millennia.
Back in the main group, the professor defended the
method. The centrepiece for his argument was the need for authority: “The Word
must be ministered with authority,” and this implied the conventions of
preaching. My friend and I asked if the Word is always to be delivered
with authority. “Yes,” came the ready answer. “Even in Bible study groups?” we
asked. “Emphatically yes,” our professor replied. “Then why don’t we insist on
the same conventions on Tuesday nights as we do on Sunday mornings?” we
responded. “Because Sunday is church.” the professor replied, somewhat less
enthusiastically. The rejoinder was obvious, “And what in the NT leads us to
distinguish Sunday mornings from Tuesday nights as though one were ‘real
church’ and the other something else? If the distinction is simply our
construct, why do we persist with it? If the conventions of preaching are
unnecessary on Tuesdays, and if the Bible study leader still ministers the Word
with authority, then why do we insist on the conventions for Sundays?”
The argument was coming full circle. The case for
preaching starts and finishes by presuming preaching, ordination and church as
we know them. Without them control, prestige and power lose their footing. The
sermon and the service prop up the conventions of eloquence and authority. No
sermon, no church service. No church service, no demarcations of authority and
control. But church in the evangelical system is about order and
control. Leaders must retain the ‘central’ ministries. At the very center is
preaching. Therefore preaching must remain the domain of the ordained and those
whom they acknowledge. Eloquence and erudition must demarcate sermon from
conversation, ordained from laity, truth from mere opinion.
Two years later the conversation resumed with the same
professor, this time on the second fairway. “You were right.” he admitted.
“Church and preaching as we know it is very little like what happened in the
NT.”
“Why then,” I asked, “do we keep teaching this stuff?
Most of your students do not see the discrepancy. How will this ever change?”
His answer was as telling as it was unconvincing: “It
was my generation’s work to lay out the biblical theology. It is yours to
change the system.””
(p.206 – 207)