John Albert Broadus displays many of McDill's principles and skills in his
sermons. The title of the sermon, How the Gospel Makes Men Holy (Rom. 7:24-
25), in A Legacy of Preaching seems to reflect the name the text idea skill.1 The
subject of the text is holy and the modifier of the text is how or how to. Moving
deeper into the sermon one can see that Broadus felt compelled to expound on
the Apostle Paul's intentions in the biblical text in Romans before Romans 7:24-
25. By providing perspective on things such as justification, the character of man,
justification, righteousness, the new baptism and the new Master, Broadus is
using the skill of found in Persuasive Elements.2 Broadus' sermon is sprinkled
with Natural Analogies, g as well as Human Experience. Natural Analogies come in
the form of marrying a pious woman, the loss of loved one, or a carpenter's
plummet.3 The human experiences expressed in the sermon are vividly and
imaginatively shared in order to show how the more one attempts to avoid
sinning for goodness sake, the more one is drawn to sin; like an elderly woman
who has never experienced life outside the walls of a small town, she does not
long to have that experience until she is reminded that there are experiences that
do indeed exist outside the city walls.4 The previous example falls into the Scenes
and Stories skill as well as the human experience. Broadus finds a way to
connect with the hearer of his sermons on an emotional, psychological and
spiritual level that touches their humanity in such a way that one feels compelled
to g response to or reflect on the nature of Broadus' message.
g g g g Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a man of principle, character and courage; of which
would cost him his life while opposing the German Christian Movement in Nazi
Germany.5 In Bonhoeffer's sermon there seem to be several of McDills skills being
used through out the sermon. Three skills mostly standout in the entirety of this
particular sermon and those are Scene and Story, Human experience and aiming
for a faith response. Bonhoeffer begins his sermon with story scene and story, as
he passionately paints a picture of the mother of Jesus, Mary. He describes the
Mary who wrote the song of Mary as passionate, carried away, proud and
enthusiastic.6 And that Mary writes such a song with by the power of the Holy
Spirit.7 The continues with story and scene by showing the hearer the heart of the
Father and his love for the lowly by how he chose a lowly carpenters wife, Mary,
to have the closest relationship with his Son and Savior of the world, Jesus.8
Moving to human experience Bonhoeffer communicates that man where mans
understanding is outraged, nature rebels and piety keeps its distance, that is
where God loves to be, with the lowly and where miracles happen.9 His most
power image comes in the form of a human experience. Bonhoeffer reminds his
hearers that our savior's power was initially in the form of a manger.10 This
manger cannot be approach in the same manner that one would approach the
crib of a normal child, for each will be judged or redeemed at the manger of
Christ.11 Finally, Bonhoeffer implores and calls for a response from his audience to
celebrate Christmas "rightly" and lay down at the manger our human struggle for
power, our vanity, arrogance and selfishness.12 Bonhoeffer most certainly prepared
in some kind structured way, which helped him develop his sermons in such a
way that you can almost feel the passion and power that must have come from
his message. So, it is likely he used other skills that we find in the McDill text.
g g g g g 1Forrest, King, Curtis and Milioni, editors., A Legacy of Preaching: Enlightenment to the
Present Day Vol. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 225.
g g g g g g 2John A. Broadus, Sermons and Addresses (Richmond: Johnson, 1887), 97-109.
g g g g g g 3Broadus, Sermons. 97-109.
g g g g g g 4Ibid.
g g g g g g 5Forrest, King, Curtis and Milioni, A Legacy. 308-309.
g g g g g g 6 Sermon on Luke 1:46–55, London, Third Sunday in Advent, December 17, 1933." In
London, 1933-1935: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 13, edited by Clements Keith, by
BONHOEFFER DIETRICH, Goedeking Hans, Heimbucher Martin, Schleicher Hans-Walter, Best
Isabel, and Stott Douglas W., 342-47. MINNEAPOLIS: 1517 Media, 2007. Accessed May 6, 2021.
doi:10.2307/j.ctt22h6t1c.17. g 342.
g g g g g g 7Clements, Deitrich. 342.
g g g g g g 8Ibid. 343.
g g g g g g 9Ibid.
g g g g g g 10Ibid. 345.
g g g g g g 11Ibid.
g g g g g g 12Ibid. 347.
