'Preaching'-part 5
- Tony Vance
- Aug 15, 2015
- 6 min read
As we continue the series on Tim Keller’s book, ‘Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism’ we move into the fourth chapter, which begins the second part of the book, of three. Part one was- SERVING THE WORD, and he clearly communicated in chapter 1, Preaching the Word; chapter 2, Preaching the Gospel Every Time; and in chapter 3, Preaching Christ from All of Scriptures, were all the ways to do so (for full treatment of each chapter see, here: 1, 2, and/or 3). Part two of his book is, REACHING THE PEOPLE, which we begin with chapter 4, Preaching Christ to the Culture.
Keller begins chapter four quoting Terry Eagleton, a British literary theorist and critic, “societies become secular not when they dispense with religion altogether, but when they are no longer especially agitated by it.” (Eagleton, ‘Culture and the Death of God’, 2014) Keller demonstrates that Eagleton’s point is all Western societies are heading in this direction, at varying speeds. It is a new dynamic in Western culture, we are speaking to a generation of listeners that have no ‘Christian’ belief in their background. We are confronting a secular listener, whether we are preaching at level 1, 2, or 3.
Keller moves into a discussion of Change or Challenge, which he argues that the sermon is still a useful tool. He basis this upon the fact that monologue communication is still vibrant, such as TED talks, podcasts, and other means of one way communication. Mode is less in danger, meaning using sermons, than the idea that we must change content. He points to two different opinions on shaping the culture, Andy Stanley, who thinks that the preacher must “start with a current human need or contemporary question and then bring in the Bible for a response and solution.” Instead of a contemporary voice, Keller turns to P. T. Forsyth, a Scottish Congregationalist from the beginning of the last century. The churches most effective times were when, “she did not lead the world,” Keller quotes Forsyth, “nor echo it; she confronted it.”
Keller continues a quote from Forsyth, I found resonated with me, “The Christian preacher is not the successor to the Greek orator, but of the Hebrew prophet. It is one thing to have to rouse or persuade,” and then the punch line of the whole quote (seemingly to counter Stanley’s idea), “The orator stirs men to action, the preacher invites them to be redeemed.” (Forsyth, ‘Positive Preaching and the Modern Mind’, 1998) Keller asks, should the preachers change the culture or change with it? Keller then explains, and very convincingly, that the first five centuries of the Christian Church was preachers confronting a decidedly ‘non-Christian’ culture. Keller also beautifully melds the two, supposedly, views and goes into the best explanation of John’s use of logos (translated as ‘word’ in most English Bible translations) in his writings I have ever read.
John, in writing to a first century, Hellenistic culture, borrowed logos to describe Jesus. Keller explains, “It was a bold rhetorical move that filled an existing cultural concept with new meaning but used its older associations to point people to the gospel.” (Luc Ferry, ‘A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living’, 2011) Keller shows how logos was to the Greek mind the idea of ‘order and purpose’. Keller uses a formula, fleshed out throughout the rest of the chapter of, “Yes, but no, but yes.” Using logos as the example, ‘yes’ Christians agree the world has order, even purpose, ‘but no’ you can’t find it philosophically, or by mere reasoning, ‘but yes’ Keller states, “ultimate meaning in life is possible,” thus pointing back to the true ‘logos’; Jesus.
Keller believes in ‘contextualization’, the idea that “we resonate with yet defy the culture around us.” He uses Paul, in Athens and Mars Hill as examples, of adapting our vocabulary, vocal style, figures of speech, and such, to the culture. Paul confronted the listeners by taking their beliefs that were true, and confronting the ones that weren’t, in light of scripture. Keller also brings in Jonathan Edwards, American Theologian, who in 1751 moved from a more urban area to the frontier, of his day. Edwards was able to preach to the Mohican and Mohawk Indian people, and in so doing, changed his style to fit the audience he was preaching to.
As with the rest of this terrific book, Keller gives us some practical advice to reach our culture. Keller lays out six sound practices, to preach effectively to our culture. I’ll only briefly summarize each practice. First there is “Use accessible language or well-explained vocabulary.” Here Keller confronts our Christian-ese. Words and phrases such as; ‘covenant’, ‘backsliding’, ‘walking with the Lord’, and ‘blessing’ are understood by few within the secular culture. He is not asking us to avoid the use of such words, but to make sure that we define them for the audience listening (or reading if level 2 – such as writing and blogging- is employed).
The next practice should be to, “Employ respected authorities to strengthen your theses.” I have used this practice in every level of preaching, and I think is one of the most disarming tactics we can use. Keller points to Paul who quoted Aratus to an audience of pagans to get their attention. This is not the idea of supplementing the Word, but using the words of skeptics and atheist to be used like an illustration, story, or an example, which preachers employ otherwise. For example, if you are talking about the existence of God, it would be appropriate, in light of a skeptical audience, to quote an atheist to make a salient point.
Keller then said to, “Demonstrate an understanding of doubts and objections.” This is a technique that effectively draws your audience (hearers and/or readers) into the sermon. If you can demonstrate that you too have experienced certain doubts, or at least understand where doubters are coming from, then your hearers will be more receptive to your message. Keller, again as a true teacher he is, even gives you examples on how to do it. “I know what I just said may sound outrageous to you,” Keller demonstrating his technique, “but I’d respectfully ask you to consider this…” Keller at his finest, a master at confronting the skeptic.
The fourth strategy Keller extols is, “Affirm in order to challenge baseline cultural narratives.” These ‘narratives’ as Keller articulates, are to most people, “barely conscience of these baseline themes.” In other words, these are things that ‘everyone’ believes, based upon some kind of group think. Examples Keller gives are, “Everyone has a right to their own opinion,” and, “You have to be yourself.” These are just a few examples. These are ideas, which Keller states, gives Christian communicators opportunity to challenge the notions, especially since most people are not even aware why these ‘truisms’ are considered true.
The fifth strategy or practice is, “Make gospel offers that push on the culture’s pressure points.” This is the “but Yes” part of the equation. These ‘pressure points’, as Keller calls them, are, “sore spots, as it were, where people who don’t believe in Christianity or God feel pinched, like feet in a pair of shoes that are too small, by their view of the world.” Greg Koukl calls this, “putting a stone in someone’s shoe.” Keller uses the example (and he is usually helpful in that way) of modern sociologist studies on self-esteem and self-assertion, “makes forgiveness especially difficult,” Keller states. Keller’s notion on this is spot-on, as things like hope, forgiveness, and true freedom, are not able to be had in a naturalistic-atheistic world view or secular world view.
The last practice is a, “Call for gospel motivation.” In this section Keller makes a particularly astute statement, “it is a mistake to think that faithful believers in our time are not profoundly shaped by the narratives of modernity.” This is Keller’s way of saying, are not only the secularist we deal with influenced by the narratives, pressure points, doubts, objections, but the church is too. Keller sums this all up, “When the preacher solves Christians’ problems with the gospel-not by calling them to try harder but by pointing them to deeper faith in Christ’s salvation-then believers are being edified and nonbelievers are hearing the gospel, all at the same time.”
Reaching our family, our neighbors, our world, takes good strategies and good practices. In the first 3 chapters of Tim Keller’s book ‘Preaching’ we learn the ‘what’ and these next few chapters, 4-6, we will learn the ‘how’. Hopefully this posts are pushing you to techniques and styles that challenge your witness, teaching, and/or preaching.