g 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.
g g g g g g g g g g 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.
g g 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.
g g g g g g g g g g 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.
