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,
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 a response to or reflect on the nature of Broadus'
message.
a a a a 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.
a a a a a 1Forrest, King, Curtis and Milioni, editors., A Legacy of Preaching: Enlightenment to the Present
Day Vol. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 225.
a a a a a a 2John A. Broadus, Sermons and Addresses (Richmond: Johnson, 1887), 97-109.
a a a a a a 3Broadus, Sermons. 97-109.
a a a a a a 4Ibid.
a a a a a a 5Forrest, King, Curtis and Milioni, A Legacy. 308-309.
a a a a a a 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. a 342.
a a a a a a 7Clements, Deitrich. 342.
a a a a a a 8Ibid. 343.
a a a a a a 9Ibid.
a a a a a a 10Ibid. 345.
a a a a a a 11Ibid.
a a a a a a 12Ibid. 347.
