j I agree with you that Fosdick was a profound writer and scholar. I imagine that he
was also a very dynamic speaker. I agree with you that he had many of McDill’s
skills as he grabbed the audience’s attention. Can you imagine how good you
would feel leaving his service? He would inspire us to not just reflect on the words
but feel like we needed to do something. I agree with Fosdick that if we find
something that really moves us and motivates us, and we research this topic then
we can preach on it. I find that the more motivated I am in my sermons that my
congregation becomes more motivated also. Motivation also helps me be more
animated. I like to talk with my hands as well as my mouth and lately I have been
preaching on zoom and it is frustrating that they cannot see my hands.
j j j j j j j j j j Another minister I was fascinated with was Jerry Falwell. From the rough
early life he had, he was able to put himself through school, and Bible school. He
ended up building an incredible empire that spread the word of the Lord to millions
of people. “His sermons were filled with words of encouragement, practical
application, calls to action and a dynamic faith.”[1] He was appealing to everyone
as they could easily relate to his requests and demands.
j j I enjoyed reading your Discussion Board post about Rodney “Gipsy” Smith and
Edward Victor Hill. I did not write about these preachers, so it was nice to learn
more insight about the excerpts from their sermons in relation to McDill’s skills
that we have studied. I agree with what you shared about Smith and Victor. Being
able to paint a picture with words and motivate people to live a Christ-centered life
is not as easy task to execute well.
j j j j j j j j j j I wrote about Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell in my post. These men are
well known, but it was interesting to learn more details about their upbringing.
When reading Billy Graham’s excerpt from his sermon “Things That Never Change,”
it seemed that this part of the sermon followed the “Aiming for Faith Response.” I
found that Jerry Falwell’s excerpt from his sermon “Never Quit,” seemed to follow
the outline of “Drawing Pictures, Telling Stories.” Like you, I could see where
multiple skills were intertwined into the one excerpt.
According to A Legacy of Faith, Falwell “often highlighted key ideas that he believed
would help people live successful Christian lives.”[1] That is an awesome practice
for all of us to apply to our sermons. Thank you for sharing! Hope you have a
wonderful weekend. We are in agreement that Rodney “Gipsy” Smith demonstrated
the Skill Seven, Balancing Persuasive Elements of the McDill method. But I also
believe he demonstrated Skill Eleven, Aiming for a Faith Response. Bill Curtis
writes “Since the theme of Smith’s preaching was the gospel of Christ, it is no
surprise that his sermons focused on the key elements of the gospel message: the
cross, sin, repentance, faith, and the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.”[1]
Additionally, McDill writes “I have since come to the conclusion that the
fundamental objective of preaching is faith… Preaching is a part of the plan of God
for giving his revelation to man.”[2] In the sermon Repent Ye, Smith exemplifies the
call for a faith response. “Repentance is turning – turning – from sin to God. Do
not insult God by talking about church membership and communion until you have
turned from sin to God. Have you repented after that fashion?”[3] He used many
methods to communicate the gospel, with his primary goal to call the hearer to a
new life in Christ. In our first DB I chose Smith to discuss. I too see the use of persuasive
elements and natural analogies in Smith's sermon. However, what I find most effective is
his ability to touch on the human experience or element in his sermons and show how one
has a need to turn to God and repent from one's sins or in Smith's words: "the one over-
mastering sin."1 Smith walks us through one's cycle of sin and speaks to every man's and
woman's struggle to want "to do better next time."2 Smith reaches into the real life fight
that everyone has with their over-mastering sin that one must relentlessly surrender to
Christ. Church membership, communion or any other form of ritual will cannot release
humankind from sin.3 One must turn from sin and give it all to Christ. Smith was able to
connect with his audience through this kind of rhetoric, because it spoke to his listeners in
a way that everyone could understand and relate to. The human element and experience
was the bridge Smith used to connect with his listeners. Thank you again for sharing
Catherine, I appreciate your thoughts and insights.
[1] Bill Curtis, A Legacy of Preaching, Edited by Benjamin K. Forrest, Kevin L. King,
William J. Curtis, and Dwayne Milioni, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018, 134.
[2] Wayne McDill, 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, Nashville: B & H Academic,
2018, 188-189.
[3] Bill Curtis, A Legacy of Preaching, 140.
[1] Edward E. Hindson, “Jerry Falwell: Preaching Dynamic Faith” ” in A Legacy of
Preaching: Volume Two Enlightenment to the Present Day, Benjamin K. Forrest,
Kevin L. King, Bill Curtis, and Dwayne Milioni (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018),
531.
