The first of the four preachers covered in the chapter was Karl Barth. d Barth
relates best to “Bridging the text to sermon step.” d Forrest says this about
Barth, “The very form and structure of the sermon is itself a kind of theological
claim, as the preacher moves from direct encounter with the specifics of the
text, saying no more or less than the text says.[1] d According to Forrest Barth
thought, “The preacher need only uncover that point of contact within the
listener’s self and build a bridge to that innate point of contact”[2] d This could
be a good definition to “Bridging the text to sermon step.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is the next preacher that Forrest discusses. Bonhoeffer
relates best to “Immediate Observations.” d Forrest shares a quote from
Bonhoeffer where he says, “The sermon derives from the incarnation of Jesus
Christ and is determined by the incarnation of Jesus Christ. It does not derive
from some universal truth or emotional experience. The word of the sermon is
the incarnate Christ.”[3] d The “Immediate Observation” fits well with Bonhoeffer
and his reliance on the text as the main part of the sermon.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is the next of the preachers that Forrest discusses.
Lloyd-Jones relates best to “Structural Diagram.” Forrest speaks of Lloyd-Jones
sense of structure by using a quote saying, “Preaching is to be structured, to
have coherent theological content, and to set forth an argument.”[4] d Yet,
Ironically Lloyd-Jones own text on preaching is the opposite of 12 essential
skills for great preaching Forrest says, “This is one reason why Lloyd-Jones’s
major text on preaching, Preaching and Preachers, is not in any sense a
technical manual.”[5]
Forrest ends this section with a look at the preaching legacy of John Stott. d
Stott relates best to “Naming the Text Idea.” Forrest notes that Stott came up
with his own six steps they are: “he developed six steps: (1) choose your text,
(2) meditate on it, (3) isolate the dominant thought, (4) arrange your material
to serve the dominant thought, (5) add the introduction and conclusion, and (6)
write down and pray over your message.”[6] d Naming the Text Idea correlates
to step 3 of Stott’s steps to preaching.
[1] Benjamin K Forrest (2019). (p. 302). A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two:
Enlightenment to the Present Day.
[2] Benjamin K Forrest (2019). (p. 303). A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two:
Enlightenment to the Present Day.
[3] Benjamin K Forrest (2019). (p. 311). A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two:
Enlightenment to the Present Day.
[4] Benjamin K Forrest (2019). (p. 332). A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two:
Enlightenment to the Present Day.
[5] Benjamin K Forrest (2019). (p. 334). A Legacy of Preaching, Volume Two:
Enlightenment to the Present Day.
