Last Post on Keller's Book-Appendix and Footnotes

I have spent the past several weeks blogging about Tim Keller’s book ‘Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism’, looking at each chapter (and the prologue) and hopefully expressing what a resource this book can prove to be. Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend this book to all Levels of preaching, whether you do Level 1, 2, or 3. As Keller points out in the book, as well as I have written about, too, everyone is doing preaching. Keller describes the types of preaching as these levels. Level 1 is the day-to-day conversations we have with fellow believers and unbelievers, informal and less prepared. Level 3, is the sermon prepared by the Pastor or Minister, usually in a church or assembled setting. Level 2, sits somewhere in the middle, and Keller postulates this is done by small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, bloggers, writers and such, a less formal but still more prepared than impromptu conversations.

The Pastor (as well as anyone preparing sermons for church settings) will find a renewed focus on the Word, Gospel, and Christ, in this book. Keller gets to the heart of the matter in WHAT, HOW, and WHY we preach. His emphasis on the Bible, especially thru a Gospel filter, is enlightening and useful. He also pushes us to examine the other issues in preaching, the hearer. Level 2 preachers will find useful information, too. They can evaluate their message, if it is pointing to Christ, and how they can better do so. While Level 3 preachers can use all this information, while also honing in on the heart of the message we ALL must convey.

I also wanted to do one last article in this series to not only summarize but to look at an unexpected resource in Keller’s book: the appendix and footnote section. First, Keller uses his appendix as a ‘how-to’ do a sermon. He writes, “In this appendix I offer a mini manual to the first great task of preaching--to faithfully preach the Word.” He goes on to list four “directives” for preparing a sermon describes as; what is the “goal” of the text, choose a “main theme,” then write an “outline”, and finally, “flesh out” your message. He doesn’t just give you these “directives”, no, he gives practical help in doing them.

In determining the “goal” of a text, Keller lists four rounds. In round one he suggest reading it over a couple times, jotting down interesting questions or points. In two he suggest reading it over again looking for, “three basic categories of things in the text: repetition of words, ideas, or grammatical forms.” These should lead you to ask yourself why the author did these repetitions. Round three is using commentaries and tools that allow you to explore the original language. He has five goals in this round, simply stated as; determining meanings of words, make sure repetitions aren’t a result of translations, “seek answers to things in the text that puzzle you,” decipher the images used, and finally, determine if the text quotes from other Bible passages. Lastly, in round four, is determining the context and how it all fits together.

The “main theme” should not only be faithful to the text but also consider the listener. In other words, the theme will be contingent on circumstances (such as a wedding or funeral) and make-up of the audience. Keller states that there doesn’t have to be just one theme, too. Keller quotes Sinclair Ferguson, who said, “preaching is not to be need-determined, but it must be people-oriented.” Keller even uses a passage (John 2:1-11) to illustrate how this could be used, with different themes and emphasis, according to the audience and occasion. He also gives us a suggestion on choosing our sermon theme based on three questions. First, what is the text about and what is it trying to say. Second, what was the writer saying to his readers and, “what difference should it make to us?” Then last, how does it point to Jesus. He finishes with a practical, and I would say typical Keller type example using John 16:16-23, to show us a theme of, “Christians, through the hope Christ gives, can face anything.”

Keller then moves into the “outline” of the text. He said, “One kind of outline is much like a case in court-a statement of facts, a thesis, and an argument for the thesis.” He suggests doing another type as storytelling. He suggests that the outline should serve a few purposes, and gives these as, “unity”, the outline supports the theme, “proportion” each point equally, it should have “order” to it, and finally “movement” to a climax. Keller, again, takes you thru some passages showing how an outline could be made from them. Not just the outline, but practically using them and making them work. Throughout this section, Keller’s practical advice is useful and applicable. He deals with theory, but doesn’t leave you there, he demonstrates ways to use it.

Keller then moves to the “flesh out” portion, which he calls, “The movement of the sermon.” Keller emphasizes sermons should reach a climax. Tension needs to be created, with a resolved ending that arrives at a destination for your hearers, Keller states. Keller even points to Eugene Lowry’s argument that every sermon should be a story, even if the text is not a story. Keller states, “So every story consists of an assumption about how life ought to be, a problem or force that prevents life from being that way, and a pathway through which that life can be restored.” Sermons should accomplish the same agenda, according to Keller. He even gives an outline that he tries to do with his sermons, a skeleton, to attach flesh to. Simply, how a text, and corresponding sermon, sees the problem in, “our contemporary cultural context,” what the Bible said, it’s “cultural context,” our “heart context” or sinful nature problem, Jesus’ fulfillment of everything, and finally, as Keller states, “How through faith in Jesus you should live now.” He finishes the appendix with two case studies, in which he demonstrates how the application of the information applies to both expository and topical sermons.

The last section of the book is footnotes. Typically little is said, except in cases of sources are not cited sufficiently. There seems to be no issue with Keller, on this count. Each chapter (including prologue and appendix) is footnoted and valuable reference material is provided, if even further study on preaching is desired. If that was the extent of the footnote section, well, this paragraph is a waste of time. On the contrary, Keller’s foot note section is one of the best parts of the book. I won’t give much details, as that could be a series of BLOGS on its own, but point out a few examples to exhibit how the footnote section is an immense value.

I’ll give two footnote (yes, just “two”) to show how this section of Keller’s book is significant. A quick aside, these two footnotes are not typical of all his footnotes, but are examples of the ‘best’ of them. The first example I’ll cite is footnote 3 of chapter 3. This footnote is actually not citing a particular work, but more a summation of many works. Keller then spends the next 4 pages, yes 4 pages--in a footnote section, explaining the way we can connect the ‘what’ in a text to Christ. It is 4 points (he even numbers them 1, 2, 3 and 4) that he fleshes out for us, showing how it can be done. The next footnote is note 28 of chapter 4. This time the footnote is citing a work, ‘The Works of Jonathan Edwards: Sermons and Discourses’ edited by Wilson Kimnach. Keller uses this footnote, four pages worth, again, to explain Edward’s awareness of culture and audience to modify his sermons, as Edwards ministered and preached to the American Indians of Western Massachusetts. This is just TWO examples of many of the help found in JUST the footnote section.

This book has been a good journey for me. New insight, refreshing great truths, and honing my sermon preparation has been gleaned from this fabulous resource. I can’t thank Lane Sebring enough (see here to visit his website) for making this resource available to me. A huge thank you to Tim Keller (hope he may see this someday-visit his page here) for such a resource to not only pastors and ‘preachers’ but everyone who declares Christ as Lord, and I’m sure generations to come. Finally, as Keller so well reiterates throughout the book, we must come to Christ, for without Him, nothing else matters, and thank Him for the plan of salvation, which Paul said, (1 Corinthians 15:11 -KJV) “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.”

#TimKeller #preaching #footnotes #Christ