A few professors at IWU read through parts of Augustine's writings this past spring, including his classic piece on preaching. There he made an interesting comment that some people are born preachers, yet that it is difficult to become a good preacher if you are not born with such gifts.
I resonated with that. It's the idea that a person can improve their speaking skills, but that ultimately either you are born to speak or you're going to have to work hard each week to do an adequate job. Now I don't imagine that this will be a very popular idea, especially in a democratic society that boasts that you can do anything you put your mind to. And don't get me wrong, the preaching courses we take in college and seminary are helpful and useful. Almost anyone can do an adequate job of preaching with some training.
I also recognize that this whole line of thought seems to forget the Holy Spirit and being anointed in preaching. We have to believe that the Holy Spirit is there in the mix, like the wind that blows where it wills. But I think it is naive to have some magical view of pulpit inspiration. I simply do not believe that the most delightful speakers to the ear are somehow more spiritual or inspired than those we may find it torturous to hear. And some have gifts in other areas just as striking as those who are pulpit wise. Some are gifted counsellors and listeners where the gifted preacher might be a dullard.
So what does it take to be a good preacher--or for that matter a good conveyor of the Bible or theology? I am convinced that it takes wisdom. The Bible will not yield more on the lips of a preacher than the wisdom of the preacher. God may speak directly from the words of Scripture or through the mind of the individual in the pew. But the preacher's wisdom is the preacher's wisdom. The same goes for a "Bible conveyor." It is naive to think that the Bible equally shares wisdom with all. It usually takes wisdom to get wisdom from the Bible. The wisdom a teacher "of the Bible" finds and brings from the Bible is proportionate to the wisdom that teacher brings to the Bible.
So what if you are not wise? Get wisdom my son, get wisdom. If you are not wise--and I would put myself naturally in that category--then read and borrow from those God has gifted with wisdom.
It is more difficult to become entertaining if you are not a naturally enjoyable speaker. You can work to model yourself on those who tickle the ears. You can pursue illustrations that hold attention. You can work at these things and should. But there are limits to what you have here and you shouldn't try to be something you aren't.
Again, I think it is naive to think that this generation will delight as much in dryly presented wisdom as a less wise sermon with the tiniest drop of truth in a spoonful of sugar. This says nothing about the spirituality or wisdom of the speaker, only to one area of giftedness. But there are easily learned ways to adjust. A pastor who knows he or she is not enjoyable to hear can use objects or movie clips or can preach in 5 minute segments with some other interruption that holds attention by a quick shift of attention to some skit or action that illustrates yet mixes things up.
And we have to believe that the Holy Spirit is there in this mix. But where exactly is always a mysterious matter. Life is a tapestry and we can sometimes see in hindsight where the golden thread of the Spirit is interwoven. But just as often we will not know until we reach the kingdom.
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4 comments:
i think I agree whith the you have it or you don't perspective but I tie a good chunk of it back to spiritual gifts. The gidft of preaching is given by the Holy Spirit (so there is where He fit's in the mix) but it is not given to everyone, or even many people (there is you got it or don't). Although I think it's cool to ask for gifts we can't expect that just because we would like to preach God will give us the ability and we should also not fall into the trap of thinking that gifts don'
t need to be developed.
I agree with you guys that the gift of preaching may not always be connected with eloquence. The story goes that St. Francis of Assisi was not thoroughly eloquent, but that his words resounded with the gospel, in the simple words of Jesus and the apostles (I say simple with a little less enthusiasm than Francis, who was a "literalist" when it came to Biblical interpretation). He was not a circumlocutionist by any means, but crowds flocked to hear him preach because of the power of his words and the strength of his life's witness to Christ and his message.
Yes, the one where she falls down in the middle of a rather animated stint of preaching? I remember hearing a debate once about whether a conservative holiness person was truly running the aisles in the Spirit after he tripped over something and fell down. Ha!
I don't know the answer to the debate whether spiritual gifts are natural gift + Spiritual anointing or pretty much little old nothing me + Spiritual gift. I'm open to say it can be both and usually a combination. The Spirit's in the mix to be sure. Where exactly perhaps we can't know. You're right that Paul makes it sound like we can pursue gifts that we don't have.
Welcome to Metropolitan Marion again!
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