Emergent Preaching Wisdom
Preaching With Humility
Homiletical humility represents a cardinal virtue for the emergent preacher and his preaching. This personal attribute and attitude toward preaching is honorable, commendable, and, most importantly, biblical. Scripture is replete with the call for Christian humility—preachers being no exception (Acts 20:19; Phil 2:3–4, 5–8). There simply exists no place for any form of homiletical haughtiness in the interpreting and/or proclamation of Scripture. Therefore emergents are right to criticize any form of preacher ethos that embodies a prideful, arrogant, know-it-all, infallible mentality. Rather in the tradition of the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the apostle Paul, let all preachers proclaim Jesus out of a heart of humility knowing that none of us are worthy or omniscient for the task that has been given us (Isa 6:4, Luke 3:16, 1 Cor 2:1–5).
"Scripture is replete with the call for humility"
Preaching As Story
Emergents embrace the Bible as story; storytelling represents their primary staple for preaching. For them this approach offers many advantages from what they describe as modernistic homiletical elements that are hyper-fixated on analysis (strip-mining the text for abstract propositions and principles) and reductionistic methods that deplete the storyline of its intrigue and mystery. The benefits they claim include protecting the text from proof-texting by honoring the context, conveying the truth of Scripture in the most effective means possible, and speaking the language of the postmodern culture. Put simply, preaching as points and principles—all alliterated to the tune of five p’s and complemented with a poem—is out; preaching in like fashion to a Garrison Keillor Lake Wobegon monologue is in.
If narrative is the most copious genre of the Bible, and if Jesus often taught through story, then maybe emergent preachers are on to something in calling for a homiletical resurgence of narrative proclamation. After all, benefits to narrative methodology are plentiful and it is not just emergent preachers who hold this position.
Preaching As Dialogue
Interactive proclamation where the voices of the people are heard as part of the sermonic event can have its advantages. Sermons that offer listener participation aid in providing opportunities to clarify biblical truth and/or refute biblical error, increase and/or personalize insights about the text and its application, and edify the body by offering chances to hear how God is working through His Word in the lives of His people. Often these benefits are associated with small group discipleship gatherings. However, do they necessarily have to be relegated to this setting alone? Emergent preachers would undoubtedly say no.
Is it possible that while Paul expounded the text to the Jews in Rome that he might also have entertained some of their questions, listened to some of their voices, and benefited from his interaction—without losing his heralding edge about the “kingdom of God,” “salvation of God,” and the person and work of Jesus Christ (Acts 28:23–28)? If so, maybe certain elements of emergent dialogical preaching are worth considering or reimagining. Maybe it is not about heralding less, but simply pausing to converse a little bit more—as a means to converting sinners and edifying the church—even sometimes in a corporate setting.
Emergent Preaching Warnings
Preaching With Humility
Emergents call for humility, transparency, and genuineness in preaching. I agree. No one appreciates a condescending preacher with an errant sense of infallibility. However my concern is when the meaning of humility and other related preacher ethos traits get redefined or couched as uncertainty—a noticeable trend among emergents. Instead of preachers submitting themselves to God, his Word, and the call He has placed on their lives to preach with certainty, clarity, boldness, and power (1 Thess 1:5)—in humility—many emergents, in an effort to connect with postmoderns, are choosing to cloud their preaching in ambiguity—while calling it humility.
John MacArthur warns of this emergent homiletical trend by stating that this movement has made uncertainty “the new truth” and the one “dogma” they will tolerate; thus, he writes, “doubt and skepticism have been canonized as a form of humility.” This is more than unfortunate; this is a cancerous postmodern preaching philosophy that if left unchecked will destroy both the preacher and his message. Sure, to claim to be called a spokesman for God would speak of unmitigated arrogance if it were not for the fact that God has spoken and called preachers to preach. Yet He has, but not in humility cloaked in uncertainty—that would be unbelief—but in the confidence of God breathed Scripture (2 Tim 3:16). If Scripture consists of truth (John 17:17), and preachers are to preach Scripture (2 Tim 4:2), then preachers are to proclaim truth, not with uncertainty or ambiguity, but with humble and bold perspicuity (1 Cor 2:1–5; Eph 6:19–20).
"No one appreciates a condescending preacher with an errant sense of infallibility"
Preaching As Story
Who does not love a good story? Can you imagine Paul experiencing a fourteen day, five hundred mile, sunless, dark, starving, cyclonic, ocean voyage across the Adriatic Sea during the first century—without any modern day navigation equipment? Who would not want to hear this story shared in a captivating and unbroken way that could enable you to visualize, if not experience, the turbulent ocean swells and smell the salty sea wind smacking you in the face (Acts 27)? Preaching as story can be powerful; however, it can also be pointless.
Preaching as story becomes pointless when the big idea of the original author’s story is not honored and transferred to the listener. The mere telling of a fascinating story, be it from Scripture or life experiences, is not the point of preaching; the point is to display the glory of God and grasp what He wants us to know, understand, embrace, submit to, apply, and experience in our own lives as a result of His story proclaimed and explained. This means that narratives have a propositional element that cannot be ignored. Therein lies my concern with some emergent storytelling—the telling of biblical stories detached from authorial intent and propositional truth. Can you imagine the prophet Nathan not saying to David, “You are the man” (2 Sam 12:7)? Preaching as story requires hermeneutical integrity where the narrative sermon serves the text, not just takes the freedom to use it.
"Preaching as story can be powerful; however, it can also be pointless"
A narrative method could be creatively employed to help a postmodern story soaked culture get the sense of, share in, relate to, imagine, and experience the biblical story and/or the story in which they find themselves. Yet if not careful, it could be done with no allegiance to a definitive (authoritative) biblical plot, principle, or precept derived directly from the text. In other words, it could leave out the point of the story, which means it would be leaving out the point of Scripture—Jesus. Paul’s fascinating sea voyage from Caesarea to Rome that included a shipwreck, sea swim, and snake bite, was quite a story, however neither Paul nor the events were the end focal point. Ultimately the story was about the faithfulness of the Savior—Jesus—who was fulfilling His promise through the Spirit to spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts 1:8; 23:11).
Preaching As Dialogue
As already stated, interactive preaching has its place, but it also has its defined boundaries. Disconcertingly, I see no orange cones from the emergents being placed around the biblical model for the preacher or the preaching event. Rather I observe many scriptural restrictions being removed. Put plainly, the priesthood of believers does not mean the preacherhood of all believers. Would it not be unwise, confusing, and distracting if everyone in a congregation got a shot at playing the drums during corporate worship? On a far more serious note, could the same not be said about dialogical preaching? Most importantly, it is simply not God’s design. The call to teach God’s Word is not given to every believer, and stern warnings and consequences come with the responsibility (Jas 3:1; Jude; 2 Pet 2)—not to mention time-tested qualifications (1 Tim 3:1–7).
Furthermore, Scripture presents a different vision for proclamation than merely a corporate talk, fireside chat, or community share time—where a host welcomes everyone’s voice at the homiletical table. When the preacher’s task is relegated to that of a mere facilitator it undermines his prominent homiletical role as herald, guardian, and emblazoned messenger of the good news—the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:7; 6:20; 2 Tim 4:5).
"I see no orange cones from the emergents being placed around the biblical model for the preacher or the preaching event"
What To Embrace?
I am grateful for the homiletical wisdom that has emerged from emergent conversations; I also have a few grave concerns. Stating the obvious, the same emergent preaching traits I classified as wisdom to embrace, I also listed as warnings not to evade. Why so? What I have discovered is that for each insight of preaching wisdom found within the emergent movement, there is an equal or greater weakness associated with the same homiletical principle.
It has been said that any strength pushed to an extreme can become a weakness. I think this statement aptly applies to most emergent preaching trends. This is particularly true when a preaching philosophy or methodology is held captive by theological presuppositions wed to culture, not Christ and the sacred text. When this happens, dire ramifications await the church and the culture. Since God has chosen that “through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21 ESV) and to establish the church as the “pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15 ESV), preaching then is of vital importance to both. Therefore choose wisely when discerning what preaching counsel to embrace from the emergent community, in the context of this emerging yet passing culture.
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