THE CONTEMPORARY HOMILETICAL SCENE AND HADDON ROBINSON

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CHAPTER2 THE CONTEMPORARY HOMILETICAL SCENE AND HADDON ROBINSON

Introduction

Contemporary homiletical theory is in a time oftransition. 1 Ronald J. Allen suggests that over the « next generation, pastors will likely explore a plurality of ways of voicing the gospel in and out of the church. »2 Nevertheless, distinct paradigms can be found in the literature of preaching. Understanding this homiletical context will provide an important background for this study. Accordingly, the issues addressed in this chapter are these: What are the contemporary homiletical paradigms? Where does Robinson’s method fit within these paradigms? What is the evangelical expository homiletic? With these questions answered, this study can better evaluate Robinson’s homiletical method in its evangelical context.

The Contemporary Scene

Historical Roots of the Contemporary Scene
The historical roots3 of the contemporary homiletical scene can be traced to two classic homiletic texts. The first is John A Broadus’s On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, published in 1870, 4 which became the authoritative homiletic textbook in American colleges and seminaries for some eighty years. 5 The « genius » of this book lies in the way Broadus blended the principles of classical rhetoric6 to the practice of preaching, 7 thus regarding preaching as « sacred rhetoric. »8 The text advocated the formal and functional rhetorical elements for preaching-such as an introduction, a proposition, a carefully organized structure (including explanation, argument, illustration, and application), and a conclusion. 9 In 1897, E. C. Dargan hailed the first edition (1870) as « the most popular and widely-read textbook on Homiletics in this country. »10 Some fifty years later (1944), J.B.
Weatherspoon declared that « the book has been in constant and increasing use since its first appearance and after three quarters of a century remains the outstanding textbook of Homiletics … » 11 Thus, Lucy Atkinson Rose observes in her dissertation, « Preaching in the Round-Table Church »: « Roughly, the first half of this century could be designated the Broadus era. » 12 A second era began in 1958, according to Rose, with the publication ofH. Grady Davis’ Design for Preaching, 13 the second classic homiletical text. Rose explains: « Between 1958 and 1974 the earlier consensus that had looked to Broadus to define the task of preaching had dissolved and a new consensus had formed around Davis. »14 The basis of this claim comes from a 1974 study conducted by Donald F. Chatfield on textbooks used by teachers of preaching. Chatfield found that « over half of the respondents named Grady Davis’s Design for Preaching as their textbook of choice. » 15 Davis broke with the traditional terminology and approach of Broadus by describing a sermon as something that « grows » rather than something that is constructed. 16 He abandoned the standard terminology such as structure and outline, replacing them with « design » and « sketch. »17 A central conviction and motivation for his homiletic proposals was that content and form were inseparable; 18 thus a sermon grows and develops out of an idea. 19 Davis anticipated and charted the course for many contemporary discussions on issues related to preaching, such as narrative, poetic language, creative form, movement of thought, and particularly inductive preaching. 20 Thus Thomas Long likens Design for Preaching to a « bridge » which spanned « the gap between the traditional approach to form and those developments yet to come. « 21 According to a second study Chatfield conducted in 1984, only five of forty-six respondents (12%) listed Design/or Preaching as their textbook of choice. In answer to his question-« What basic textbooks do you use, if any? »-respondents listed a total of 115 preaching books. According to Chatfield « the highest number of mentions for any one book was only 7. « 22 Thus, « the dominance of Davis had waned and concurrently the dominance of any single textbook. »
Rose states that « into this disarray, between 1985 and 1989 came ten textbooks24 that attempted to consolidate the best of the field. » Nevertheless, « no new consensus emerged. »25 Rose then summarizes her survey of homiletic history over the twentieth century:
This story of homiletics claims that for roughly three quarters of the twentieth century there was general agreement about correct homiletical theory. Broadus represents the earlier state of the art and Davis the later. Then between 1974 and 1984 consensus disappeared. The 1980s became an era in which homiletical scholarship tried at times to reclaim an earlier consensus and at other times to articulate a new position around which to rally a new consensus. Consensus, however, remained an elusive goal. 26 With the publishing of Haddon Robinson’s Biblical Preaching in 1980, however, a consensus began to develop in evangelical circles. In Chatfield’s 1984 study, of the four books which got seven mentions, Robinson’s Biblical Preaching was listed as one. 27 In 1986, Leslie R. Keylock, writing in the evangelical Moody, said concerning Robinson’s 1980 text:
« Many seminaries and Bible schools now use it as the text in preaching courses. »28 In 1999, the editors of the professional journal, Preaching, declared that Biblical Preaching « has been one of the most influential homiletics texts ever published, and continues to be used in many colleges and seminaries.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Who Is Haddon Robinson?
1.2 Robinson’s Theological Training
1.3 The Evangelical Context of Robinson’s Teaching
1.4 Two Editions of Biblical Preaching
1.5 Statement of the Problem
1. 6 Purpose of the Study
1. 7 Research Design
1. 8 Limitations of the Study
1.9 The Perspective of the Researcher
II. THE CONTEMPORARY HOMILETICAL SCENE AND HADDON ROBINSON
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Contemporary Scene
2.2.1 Historical Roots of the Contemporary Scene
2.2.2 Four Contemporary Homiletical Paradigms
2.2.2.1 The Traditional Homiletic
2.2.2.2 The Kerygmatic Homiletic
2.2.2.3 The New Homiletic
2.2.2.4 The Postliberal Homiletic
2.3 The Evangelical Expository Homiletic
2.4 Conclusion
III. ROBINSON’S VIEW OF SCRIPTURE
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Robinson’s View of Scripture
3 .2.1 Revelation
3 .2.1.1 The Evangelical Context of Robinson’s View of Revelation
3.2.1.2 Robinson and Revelation
3 .2.1.2.1 The Words of Scripture as Revelation
3 .2.1.2.2 Revelation as Propositional and Personal
3.2.1.2.3 Human Language Conveys Truth About God
3 .2.1.2.3 .1 First Assumption: Human language is capable of conveying divine truth
3.2.1.2.3.2 Second Assumption: Because words correspond with objective reality, the language of preaching must be clear and precise
3.2.2 Inspiration
3.2.2.1 The Evangelical Context of Robinson’s View oflnspiration
3.2.2.2 Robinson’s View oflnspiration
3.2.3 Inerrancy
3.2.3.1 The Evangelical Context of Robinson’s View oflnerrancy
3.2.3.2 Robinson’s View oflnerrancy
3 .2.4 Authority
3.2.4.1 The Evangelical Context of Robinson’s View of Authority
3.2.4.2 Robinson’s View of Authority
3.3 Conclusion
IV. ROBINSON’S HERMENEUTIC AND HIS DEFINITION OF EXPOSITORY PREACHING
4. 1 Introduction
4.2 Robinson’s Approach to Hermeneutics
4.2.1 The Contemporary Hermeneutical Scene
4.2.2 The Grammatical-Historical Method: Context of Robinson’s Hermeneutcial Approach
4.2.3 Robinson’s Hermeneutical Approach
4.2.3.1 Robinson’s Hermeneutical Approach Identified
4.2.3.2 Robinson’s Hermeneutical Presuppositions
4.2.3.2.1 First Hermeneutical Presupposition: The Basis of the Message
4.2.3.2.2 Second Hermeneutical Presupposition: The Result of Applying
Biblical Interpretation to the Sermon
4.2.3.2.3 Third Hermeneutical Preuspposition: Author-Oriented Hermeneutics
4.3 Robinson’s Definition of Expository Preaching
4.3.1 First Definitional Component: The Passage Governs the Sermon
4.3.2 Second Definitional Component: The Expositor Communicates a Concept
4.3.3 Third Definitional Component: The Concept Comes From the Text
4.3.4 Fourth Definitional Component: The Concept is Applied to the Expositor
4. 3. 5 Fifth Definitional Component: The Concept is Applied to the Hearers
4.3.6 Robinson’s Summary of the Five Components in His Definition
4.4 Conclusion
V. EVALUATION OF ROBINSON’S TEN-STAGE METHOD
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Ten Stages Collectively
5.3 Stage One: Selecting the Passage
5.4 Stage Two: Studying the Passage
5.5 Stage Three: Discovering the Exegetical Idea
5.6 Introductory Remarks to Stage Four
5. 7 Stage Four: Analyzing the Exegetical Idea .
5. 7.1 First Developmental Question: « What Does This Mean? »
5. 7 .2 Second Developmental Question: « Is it True? »
5.7.3 Third Developmental Question: « What Difference Does it Make? »
5.8 Stage Five: Formulating the Homiletical Idea
5. 9 Stage Six: Determining the Sermon’s Purpose
5. 9. 1 The Importance of Sermon Purpose
5. 9 .2 The Meaning of Sermon Purpose
5.9.3 A Theology ofBiblical Purpose
5. 9 .4 Procedure for Articulating Sermon Purpose
5 .10 Stage Seven: Deciding How to Accomplish This Purpose
5. 11 Stage Eight: Outlining the Sermon
5 .12 Stage Nine: Filling in the Sermon Outline
5.13 Stage Ten: Preparing the Introduction and Conclusion
5. 14 Conclusion
VI. EVALUATION OF ROBINSON’S METHOD: NEW POINTERS
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Issues and Their Pointers
6.2.1 The Issue of Theological Methodology and Expository Preaching
6.2.1.1 Problem
6.2.1.2 Pointer
6.2.2 The Issue of Verbal Inspiration and Word Studies
6.2.2.1 Problem
6.2.2.2 Pointer
6.2.3 The Issue ofLanguage and Preaching
6.2.3.1 Problem
6.2.3.2 Pointer
6.2.4 The Issue of Christ-Centered Preaching
6.2.4.1 Problem
6.2.4.2 Pointer
6.2.5 The Issue of Exegetical Procedure and Sermon Preparation
6.2.5.1 Problem
6.2.5.2 Pointer
6.2.6 The Issue of the Audience and Application in Expository Preaching
6.2.6.1 Problem
6.2.6.2 Pointer
6.2.7 The Issue of the Holy Spirit’s Role and Prayer During Expository Sermon Preparation
6.2.7.1 Problem
6.2.7.2 Pointer
6.2.8 The Issue of Articulating Sermon Purpose
6.2.8.1 Problem
6.2.8.2 Pointer
6.2.9 The Issue of Sermon Preparation and the Modes of Preaching
6.2.9.1 Problem
6.2.9.2 Pointer
6.2.10 The Issue of the Homiletical Idea, Purpose Statement, and Supportive Material
6.2.10.1 Problem
6.2.10.2 Pointer
6.3 Conclusion
VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
7 .1 Summary
7.1.1 Chapter One Summary
7.1.2 Chapter Two Summary
7.1.3 Chapter Three Summary
7.1.4 Chapter Four Summary
7.1.5 Chapter Five Summary
7.1.6 Chapter Six Summary
7.2 Conclusion
APPENDIX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CURRICULUM VITAE