I also found many of the preachers inspiring as well. I wonder what it would be like to time
travel to hear each of these preaches in their time and place. I like to imagine the crowds
they drew and the crowds full attention to the words of these preachers. I did not read
Fosdick, but he sounds like a very common-sense preacher. Christians will not go to church
week after week to be bored with Jesus stories that they do not have explained to them, or
that they do not have a practical application applied. It sounds like Fosdick had natural
story telling abilities and used many of the skills we have learned to present his biblical
message. This class has taught me so many different ways to personalize Jesus and the
Bible while preaching. Reading any story straight out of the Bible is necessary and should
be a part of every Christian service, but then we need to take liberty with that passage and
use stories from our lives, natural analogies etc. that makes writing and presenting sermons
so much more fun in my opinion. I usually use a story from one of my five children’s lives
if it fits the passage of course. That is the easiest place to get my material because I raised
them, and even though they are great kids, they do normal kid things that makes for great
stories. e I thought you provided a concise interpretation of Harry Emerson Fosdick’s
sermon excerpt and John Stott's sermon excerpt. It was interesting to see how some
preachers we read about used Wayne McDill's 12 essential skills, e.g., drawing pictures,
telling stories, and aiming for a faith response. I concur that drawing pictures and telling
stories is germane because it provides the hearer with a comprehensive perspective on the
sermon. McDill also focused on our capacity to “interpret stories as well, we must draw the
pictures and tell the stories.”[1] We must also interpret their “meaning for the audience; and
we must tell recent stories and draw new pictures for this generation.”[2] In them, they will
see the “truths of the biblical stories repeated in contemporary places and lives.”[3]
e e e e e e e e e e I believe that aiming for a faith response is such an integral concept for the hearer.
McDill defines the importance of preaching for faith; “preaching for faith means planning
every element of the sermon to achieve that aim.”[4] Not only does the preacher “prepare
his/her sermons for faith, but he/she must also examine their philosophy of ministry and the
understanding of the Christian life for the centrality of faith.”[5] McDill postulates that
“true conversion comes only through faith, and the only acceptable relationship with God is
by trust in him (Hab. 2:4 NIV).”[6]. As a Minister, I love Fosdick and his style of
preaching. I too love storytelling. As a person who does not always retain information well,
storytelling helps to paint a picture. I notice when I tell a story or use some human analogy,
the audience is more in tune and we are connecting - and laughing. When listening to other
Ministers/Pastors, I love when they use such things as: songs (gospel or secular, TV Shows,
things that has taken place in the world, movies etc. It's amazing how the Lord can use His
Word and the natural world to create a spiritual message. Though Fosdick is beleived to
have used the bible more for illustration than exegetical purpose, he has still served a
purpose. We can read scripture over and over and over again and see something different.
When looking with a fresh set of eyes the Lord will give you new revelation. I Fosdick was
a Minister who we consider today as "Not too Deep". When you can relate the world to
your listening audience, they feel as if the Pastor/Minister is on their level (so to speak).
They are more likely to react to you when they can relate to you.
Bibliography
McDill, Wayne. 12 Essentials for Great Preaching. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic,
