Reviewed Book: Eslinger, Richard L. Pitfalls in preaching. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996

Riegert, Eduard R.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 23
Issue 2 Essays by Younger Theologians Article 17
11-1-1997
Pitfalls in preaching
Eduard R. Riegert
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Riegert, Eduard R. (1997) "Pitfalls in preaching," Consensus: Vol. 23 : Iss. 2 , Article 17.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol23/iss2/17
148 Consensus
WesterhofF claims that preaching and teaching are “first of all, creating
the space for the developing of questions and the search for answers” (43).
The best metaphor for the human course is a pilgrimage (48).
Westerhoff takes some short cuts in trying to explain the schools of
spirituality and this section suffers from a lack of clarity, i.e., kataphatic
and apophatic typologies along with speculative and affective categories.
Using the metaphor of jogging, Westerhoff offers a number of practical
suggestions for persons who wish to develop a spiritual discipline, noting
that one needs to be rigid in following the discipline and maintain a regular
time and familiar space (67). Although he doesn’t state it explicitly, the
tacit goal of the spiritual discipline is to “feel better” (66). He maintains
that praying the Scriptures is the most important or central activity of the
discipline (70).
In a summary he remarks that people are looking for “a faith founded
on first hand experience”. He returns to his main thesis that in order to
preach or teach one requires a vibrant spiritual life.
Finally, he admits to a disposition to the Orthodox and Roman Catholic
spiritual traditions despite writing for a Reformed publisher. Indeed,
Lutheran readers will look for a different kind of grace in the book. How-
ever, this book is mandatory reading for those who wish to preach or teach
in the church today.
John H. C. Neeb
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Pitfalls in Preaching
Richard L. Eslinger
Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996
xvi + 152 pp.
Any preacher who has worried about or even despaired of communi-
cating with contemporary listeners will welcome this book. Here is an
excellent evaluative companion and guide for preachers. It is also an ex-
cellent introduction to what is called the “new homiletic” or “postmodern
homiletic” . The new homiletic began with preaching-as-storytelling in the
1970s, blossomed in the loamy mix of metaphor, narrative, rhetoric, lib-
eration theology, and literary and related biblical criticisms in the 1980s,
and found consensus in the postmodern trends and characteristics in the
1990s. In effect, the new homiletic is the shift from a rationalistic and
propositional (“three points and a poem”) base to a narrative base. The
traditional “points”
,
which organized a set of ideas and followed a proposi-
tional logic, have given way to a sequence of “moves”, scenes, or episodes in
a homiletical plot. The preacher attempts not to construct a rationalistic
outline which appeals primarily to an intellectual way of knowing, but to
Book Reviews 149
shape a narrative (not necessarily a story) flow which will appeal to many
ways of knowing (experience, emotions, logic, metaphor, imagination, story,
intuition, the voices and places of authority, and the symbols of authority).
Eslinger takes up the major areas of sermon-making: rhetoric. Scrip-
ture and interpretation, method, illustration, and context and delivery. In
each area he pin-points speciflc pitfalls which will either confuse the hearer
or prevent communication (“instant erasure”). That he begins with “the
rhetoric of preaching” is a sign that rhetoric is one of the strongest engines
driving the new homiletic. The rhetorical situation today is vastly different
from that of even a decade ago. For example, sentences announcing the enu-
meration of “points” instantly “delete from consciousness”. Enumerating
points worked well in the “print society”, but creates confusion in an oral-
aural-visual society. The chapter on “Illustration” takes us deeper into the
challenges of preaching to contemporary postmodern listeners—and shows
the new homiletic to us most clearly. In sum, “un-imaged sermonic dis-
course is lost almost as soon as it is spoken” (111); it does not “form in
consciousness” (to use the jargon). On the contrary, to be able to image
something means to be able to experience it for oneself. Answering to this
reality, the chapter on “Method” is packed with practical and exceedingly
helpful material.
While Eslinger accepts David Buttrick, Fred Craddock, and Eugene
Lowry as the “elders” of the new homiletic, Eslinger’s book may be called
the “triumph of Buttrick”. Like many disciples, he swallows the master
uncritically. Thus he accepts Buttrick’s reservations about story sermons
without exploring the nature of the several “narrativities” (Thomas Leitch,
What Stories Are, 1986) which draw teller and listener into a community
and construct world possibilities. As well, he out-Buttricks Buttrick in
rejecting thematic and topical sermons without serious consideration of the
work of Paul Wilson [The Practice of Preaching^ 1995, ch. 10) and Ronald
Allen [Preaching the Topical Sermon^ 1992 and The Teaching Sermon^
1995). In a related vein he ably defends the absolute necessity of the biblical
base of preaching; yet in sketching how sermons can increasingly distance
themselves' from Scripture (46-50) he comes close to a kind of bibliolatry
that some Reformation traditions would challenge by arguing that the Bible
is there to enable the preaching of the gospel] that is, theological traditions
inform preaching, too.
In addition to the exceedingly helpful and practical format of the book
(identifying pitfalls), Eslinger has added to each discussion side-bar com-
mentaries and explanations as well as speciflc related bibliography. A sub-
ject and author index allows additional easy access to preachers who wish
to check out their sermons.
Highly recommended both as a short course in the new homiletic and as
a mentor to the preacher making a sermon and evaluating it after delivery.
Eduard R. Riegert
Waterloo, Ontario


Pitfalls in preaching

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 23Issue 2 Essays by Younger Theologians Article 1711-1-1997Pitfalls in preachingEduard R. RiegertFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationRiegert, Eduard R. (1997) "Pitfalls in preaching," Consensus: Vol. 23 : Iss. 2 , Article 17.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol23/iss2/17148 ConsensusWesterhofF claims that preaching and teaching are “first of all, creatingthe space for the developing of questions and the search for answers” (43).The best metaphor for the human course is a pilgrimage (48).Westerhoff takes some short cuts in trying to explain the schools ofspirituality and this section suffers from a lack of clarity, i.e., kataphaticand apophatic typologies along with speculative and affective categories.Using the metaphor of jogging, Westerhoff offers a number of practicalsuggestions for persons who wish to develop a spiritual discipline, notingthat one needs to be rigid in following the discipline and maintain a regulartime and familiar space (67). Although he doesn’t state it explicitly, thetacit goal of the spiritual discipline is to “feel better” (66). He maintainsthat praying the Scriptures is the most important or central activity of thediscipline (70).In a summary he remarks that people are looking for “a faith foundedon first hand experience”. He returns to his main thesis that in order topreach or teach one requires a vibrant spiritual life.Finally, he admits to a disposition to the Orthodox and Roman Catholicspiritual traditions despite writing for a Reformed publisher. Indeed,Lutheran readers will look for a different kind of grace in the book. How-ever, this book is mandatory reading for those who wish to preach or teachin the church today.John H. C. NeebWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryPitfalls in PreachingRichard L. EslingerGrand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996xvi + 152 pp.Any preacher who has worried about or even despaired of communi-cating with contemporary listeners will welcome this book. Here is anexcellent evaluative companion and guide for preachers. It is also an ex-cellent introduction to what is called the “new homiletic” or “postmodernhomiletic” . The new homiletic began with preaching-as-storytelling in the1970s, blossomed in the loamy mix of metaphor, narrative, rhetoric, lib-eration theology, and literary and related biblical criticisms in the 1980s,and found consensus in the postmodern trends and characteristics in the1990s. In effect, the new homiletic is the shift from a rationalistic andpropositional (“three points and a poem”) base to a narrative base. Thetraditional “points”,which organized a set of ideas and followed a proposi-tional logic, have given way to a sequence of “moves”, scenes, or episodes ina homiletical plot. The preacher attempts not to construct a rationalisticoutline which appeals primarily to an intellectual way of knowing, but toBook Reviews 149shape a narrative (not necessarily a story) flow which will appeal to manyways of knowing (experience, emotions, logic, metaphor, imagination, story,intuition, the voices and places of authority, and the symbols of authority).Eslinger takes up the major areas of sermon-making: rhetoric. Scrip-ture and interpretation, method, illustration, and context and delivery. Ineach area he pin-points speciflc pitfalls which will either confuse the heareror prevent communication (“instant erasure”). That he begins with “therhetoric of preaching” is a sign that rhetoric is one of the strongest enginesdriving the new homiletic. The rhetorical situation today is vastly differentfrom that of even a decade ago. For example, sentences announcing the enu-meration of “points” instantly “delete from consciousness”. Enumeratingpoints worked well in the “print society”, but creates confusion in an oral-aural-visual society. The chapter on “Illustration” takes us deeper into thechallenges of preaching to contemporary postmodern listeners—and showsthe new homiletic to us most clearly. In sum, “un-imaged sermonic dis-course is lost almost as soon as it is spoken” (111); it does not “form inconsciousness” (to use the jargon). On the contrary, to be able to imagesomething means to be able to experience it for oneself. Answering to thisreality, the chapter on “Method” is packed with practical and exceedinglyhelpful material.While Eslinger accepts David Buttrick, Fred Craddock, and EugeneLowry as the “elders” of the new homiletic, Eslinger’s book may be calledthe “triumph of Buttrick”. Like many disciples, he swallows the masteruncritically. Thus he accepts Buttrick’s reservations about story sermonswithout exploring the nature of the several “narrativities” (Thomas Leitch,What Stories Are, 1986) which draw teller and listener into a communityand construct world possibilities. As well, he out-Buttricks Buttrick inrejecting thematic and topical sermons without serious consideration of thework of Paul Wilson [The Practice of Preaching^ 1995, ch. 10) and RonaldAllen [Preaching the Topical Sermon^ 1992 and The Teaching Sermon^1995). In a related vein he ably defends the absolute necessity of the biblicalbase of preaching; yet in sketching how sermons can increasingly distancethemselves' from Scripture (46-50) he comes close to a kind of bibliolatrythat some Reformation traditions would challenge by arguing that the Bibleis there to enable the preaching of the gospel] that is, theological traditionsinform preaching, too.In addition to the exceedingly helpful and practical format of the book(identifying pitfalls), Eslinger has added to each discussion side-bar com-mentaries and explanations as well as speciflc related bibliography. A sub-ject and author index allows additional easy access to preachers who wishto check out their sermons.Highly recommended both as a short course in the new homiletic and asa mentor to the preacher making a sermon and evaluating it after delivery.Eduard R. RiegertWaterloo, Ontario

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