Discussion Post: Preaching Legacy
After reading about the legacy of four different preachers, I want you to
identify how each of these preachers relates to one of the aspects of any of
the first six steps of McDill’s model that you have explored thus far.
Nineteenth-Century European Preaching: Part 1
Robert Murray M’Cheyne-Preaching the Love of God in Jesus Christ-1813-1843
d d d d d d d d d Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s hermeneutical approach to Scripture is
best expressed as a “doctrinal typological approach to preaching.”[1] M’Cheyne
used a God-centered method that aligns with Wayne McDill’s model skill 6 style
of preaching.[2] McDill posited that “the Bible is not written to reveal man, but
to reveal God.”[3] M’Cheyne‘s theology for preaching was entrenched in the
“knowledge of God’s free love in Christ; nothing was more wonderful than the
love of Christ.”[4] M’Cheyne believed that Scripture required “preachers show
forth Christ with tones of tenderness.”[5] His preaching centered on “Christ
crucified, buried, resurrected, and glorified.”[6] M’Cheyne believed that ministerial
fidelity is contingent on “saturating a sermon with Christ because the more
ministers have Christ in their sermons, the more they faithfully preached.”[7]
d d d d d d d d d M’Cheyne combined his “exposition into extended exhortations and
applications; this also aligns with McDill’s model skill 6.”[8] M’Cheyne’s division
statements were “textual and so feeling, and they brought out the spirit of a
passage so surprisingly.”[9] His preaching was specific in its application, with
exhortations directed “distinctly at the lost, the awakened, the backslider, the
afflicted, and the true believer.”[10] According to McDill, division statements are
“clearly and carefully worded theological truths; they express the theme of
sermon divisions, the portions of the exposition that correspond to the various
elements of the text writer’s thought.”[11]
Alexander Maclaren: The Art of Hermeneutics for the Practice of Homiletics -
1826-1910
d d d d d d d d d Alexander Maclaren‘s passion for the Scriptures and his prominent
“commitment to the original languages, as derived from his understanding of
Scripture as divine revelation.”[12] Maclaren “grounded his preaching in the
biblical text and applied it to the lives of his hearers, both as Christians and as
citizens.”[13]Maclaren also inundated his messages with “personal applications
for everyday Christians called to engage their culture; such as his sermons
“show how his heart and mind were anchored on essential Christian truth.”[14].
Maclaren’s skill as an “expositor and his proficient application of the Scriptures
emerged from his unwavering doctrinal convictions.[15] But the most “daunting
aspect of his interpretative task was determining an application of the sacred
text that was both appropriate to the world of the listener and yet accurate to
the original meaning of the message.”[16]. Maclaren’s faithfulness to the
“biblical text and commitment to contemporary relevance provide contemporary
preachers with the opportunity to develop a model for textual application
through careful analysis of his expositions.”[17] This is aligned with McDill’s
model Skill 2, “inductive thinking begins with details, the particulars.”[18] d By
“examining portions of “Maclaren’s sermons in each of four primary Hebrew
genres (Hebrew narrative, prophecy, gospel, and epistle) the influence of his
theological convictions on his methodology for applying various biblical texts
can be observed.”[19]
Nineteenth-Century North American Preaching: Part 2
D.L. Moody: First International Evangelist-1817-1899
d d d d d d d d d In surveying D. L. Moody’s sermons, two “basic theological elements
in his preaching emerge: first, Moody’s evidenced a profound understanding of
the love of God; this was a core belief that became a defining doctrine for
Moody”[20] Second, he accepted the “stranded evangelical conception of
salvation; specifically, Moody’s basic theological construct was the three Rs,
ruined by sin, redeemed by Christ, and regenerated by the Holy Ghost.”[21] The
love of God was a fundamental theme of “Moody’s evangelistic preaching; it
was the central theme of his life; he believed in the core attribute of Godhead
is love, and that should dominate the church.”[22]
d d d d d d d d d Although Moody’s sermons were the “product of his Bible study,
they were not rightly organized exegetical studies.”[23] While Moody “extolled
expository preaching for pastors, he saw his role as an evangelist, not a
pastor; his sermons reflected this.”[24] His sermons are very “loosely outlined;
Moody prepared by identifying key ideas drawn from his Bible study.”[25] These
served as a “frame for the sermon; he would then build around this frame
using sentimental illustrations, personal recollections, anecdotes, and pithy
sayings he had collected.”[26] This is aligned with McDill’s model skill 2, which
“identified the relationship of various ideas in the text and portrayed them
graphically.”[27] This allowed Moody to preach “multiple versions of the same
sermon.”[28] This product is a sermon that is “predominately narrative in nature
and delivered straightforwardly and earnestly.”[29] One lasting impact to
Moody’s preaching was to “simplify the sermon; his sermons devoid of gloss
and rhetorical flourish, often startled those who had never heard him
preach.”[30]
B.H. Carroll: Preaching Sermons Saturated with Scripture-1843-1914
d d d d d d d d d B.H. Carroll was concerned with aiding the ‘hearer to understand
the proper explanation and interpretation of the text; he was less concerned
with the application of the text.”[31]. Carroll’s sermons were an “outgrowth of
his approach to the Bible; he understood the Bible to be God’s inspired
Word.”[32] Carroll’s primary interest in every sermon was that “his listener
come to a proper understanding of the biblical text in its original context.”[33]
His entire “homiletical methodology is centered on his approach to the biblical
text; as a result, Carroll’s approach to preaching was dominated by the biblical
text.”[34]
d d d d d d d d d Carroll’s textual emphasis governed all facets of his “sermon
introduction.”[35] While most “preaching theory argues that the sermon should
be oriented around a purpose statement early in the sermon, Carroll rarely
utilized such statements.”[36] Carroll’s introductions were not “focused on
raising a need or arousing listener interest; rather they were almost entirely
focused on the need to discover a right understanding of the biblical texts and
doctrines that filled the sermon.”[37]. Carroll’s sermons were not “concerned
with bridging his hearers to a right understanding and application of a singular
text; rather his sermons bring the hearer to a full understanding of the Bible’s
teaching of the idea or doctrine taught within the text (s) being
considered.”[38] Carroll built his sermons around a “single text and developed
much of his sermons from other texts like expository preachers, he sought to
faithfully explain the text in context, even when this meant he ended up
explaining a multitude of texts in a sermon.”[39]This is aligned with McDill’s
model skill 4, “inductive study of the text.”[40]
Bibliography
Forrest, Benjamin, K, Kevin L. King, Bill Curtis, and Dwane Milioni. A Legacy of
Preaching: Enlightenment to The Present Day: Volume Two. Nashville: Zondervan,
2018.
McDill, Wayne. 12 Essentials for Great Preaching. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic,
d d d d d d d d d 2010.
[1] Benjamin, K. Forrest, Kevin L. King, Bill Curtis, and Dwayne Milioni. A Legacy
of Preaching: Enlightenment to the Present Day: Volume Two (Nashville,
Zondervan, 2018), 60.
[2] Wayne McDill, 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching (Nashville, TN: B & H
Academic, 2010), 104.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 60.
[5]Ibid. 62
[6] Ibid., 64.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.,61.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] McDill, 12 Essential Skills, 100.
[12]Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 73.
[13] Ibid.,75.
[14] Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 76.
[15] Ibid.
[16]Ibid.
[17] Ibid.
[18] McDill, 12 Essentials Skills, 75.
[19] Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 76
[20] Ibid., 247.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Ibid.,248.
[23] Ibid.,251-252
[24] Ibid.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching,
[27] McDill, 12 Essential Skills, 75
[28]Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 251-252.
[29] Ibid.,253.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Ibid.,262.
[32] Ibid.,263.
[33] Ibid.,264.
[34] Ibid.
[35]Forrest, King, Curtis, Milioni, A Legacy of Preaching, 265.
[36] Ibid.
[37] Ibid.,266.
[38] Ibid.
[39] Ibid.,269.
[40] McDill, 12 Essential Skills, 75
