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