The first of the four preachers covered in the chapter was Karl Barth. h Barth
relates best to “Bridging the text to sermon step.” h 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] h
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] 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.” h 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] h 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] 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. h
Stott relates best to “Naming the Text Idea.” h 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] h 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.
