Resner, André , Jr. Preacher and cross: person and message in theology and rhetoric. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999

Rattee, Mike

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 26Issue 1 The Baptismal Journey: Adventures on theRiver of LifeArticle 255-1-2000Preacher and cross: person and message intheology and rhetoricMike RatteeFollow 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 CitationRattee, Mike (2000) "Preacher and cross: person and message in theology and rhetoric," Consensus: Vol. 26 : Iss. 1 , Article 25.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol26/iss1/25146 Consensusdata. Today’s society is characterized as rapidly changing, pluralistic andmulticultural. 1 believe that today’s Asian American context is much differentfrom the actual environments of these three countries in the Far East.The book gives excellent information to those who want to know about AsianAmerican context, especially for those who want to serve immigrant churches. Asthe book stresses, the context of the Asian American church is different from themainline church. The book explains why and what is different (religious andcultural background), and suggests howto approach the Asian American churchin a sermon (methodolgy). Spiritual preaching and the “Spiral-Form” sermon arerecommended as the most effective and efficient method of preaching for theAsian-American church. Unfortunately, there is a lack of theoretical developmentand detailed examples of the form and style in sermon in the book.In my experience, both in the Korean-Canadian Church and White-Englishspeaking congregations, there is a lot of differences and similarities. As the bookpoints out, cultural and traditional background are crucial in understanding theAsian American church. However, the context cannot be the centre in thepreparation of sermon. The Word of God has the power of transformation.Moreover, the church is not an organization, she is an organism which grows,adapts, adjusts and changes the context. Although a specific context can be abeginning point for a sermon, it is not the dwelling place. 1 believe that Chinese,Korean and Japanese Christians have their own characteristics and uniquecultures and historical backgrounds different from those of Buddhism,Confucianism or indigenous religions. The culture of Asian American Christianswould be closer to Western Christianity than other religions. That is how 1 cansurvive in a foreign context. Preaching the Presence of God is a goodintroductory book for getting to know the Asian American context with a lot ofbibliographic materials.Sung T. ShimAlliston, OntarioPreacher and Cross: Person and Message in Theology and RhetoricAndre Resner, Jr.Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishers, 1999205 pages, $28.99 SoftcoverLet’s have a debate. Is successful preaching dependent more upon thepreacher’s character or the sermon’s content? What makes a sermon morepersuasive: the messenger of the Gospel or the message of the Gospel? Resnerdeserves credit for reopening an old debate in homiletics - should preacherslearn more from rhetoric or theology in order to preach better? As with mostBook Reviews 147“either-or” styles of argument, the inevitable solution is a “both-and” approach.Thus, both the message and the messenger are important components.Rhetoric and theology both have something to teach preachers. Resner offers asolution and middle-ground position that should please preachers in therhetorical camp and those in the theological camp. How he gets there and whathe actually concludes is worthwhile reading.First, the author surveys what classical rhetoric says about the speaker’sethos (one’s character, reputation, perceived moral goodness) from 500 BCE to100 CE. He liberally quotes original sources so readers can hear directly fromPlato, Aristotle, the Sophists (Isocrates), Cicero, and Quintilian. Resnerconcludes that in rhetoric the speaker’s ethos is of utmost importance. The idealorator is the “good man (sic) who speaks well”. Today, rhetoric would assert thatwho you are speaks louder than what you say.Next, readers are taken on a journey through the homiletical literature fromTertullian (200 CE) to Augustine (400 CE) to Karl Barth (1940) and a host ofcontemporary homileticians (Thomas Long, Fred Craddock, Clyde Fant, RobinMeyers). Here the message is uneven. Some, like Augustine, Craddock, andMeyers, advocate high dependence on rhetoric. Communication theory andrhetoric both teach that the speaker must appear as credible to an audience ifpersuasion is to occur. However, Tertullian and Barth take a hard-line approachand say that God must be center stage in preaching, not the preacher. The Wordof God has its own power and we can do nothing to make it more persuasive.So how does the book end? By eliminating the either-or split, and instead,looking to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1-4 for a way to transform rhetoricwith theology; that is, to Christianize rhetoric. Resner concludes that Paul favoreda reverse-ethos, also called an ironic-ethos. The focus then, is not on thegoodness on the preacher by society’s standards, but by God’s standard, whichis seen in the cross. The cross reverses and shames the wisdom of this world.Thus, the preacher’s authority is a reverse-ethos, in that it is based not on buildingone’s self up as credible but in reliance on a lowly object of scorn - the cross ofJesus. One’s message and lifestyle must reflect having been crucified with Jesus.Resner’s conclusion is tenable, even laudable. However, the question “sowhat?” looms large in this reader’s mind, and unfortunately the book does littleto answer it. Resner does say that preaching must be message-centered, and theultimate message is Jesus’ crucifixion. But that remains too vague. Mostpreachers know they are to preach the cross. Practical tips on how to do it areneeded, yet not provided in this book. The author starts to admonish us topreach the cross in a way that judges and condemns the values of this world, butthis promising section lasts only 1-2 pages and again, lacks any practicalinstruction. There is a brief foray into the debate of whether preachers shouldrefer to themselves in the sermon through first-person illustrations. Again, this is148 Consensusa promising section of practical importance, yet remains underdeveloped.Stylistically, the book is well researched, well written and thus, easy to follow.Much of this is due to Resner’s consistent repetition. In every chapter heannounces what he is going to say, he says it, and then he repeats what he hassaid. You cannot miss his arguments. Strangely, the book ends with a quirkyinsult to theological schools for following cultural values rather than the cross’values in training preachers. No proof or further explanation is given. This is aglaring blip in an otherwise well reasoned and well documented book. Thestrength of Preacher and Cross is its ability to debate and provide an answer tothe theoretical issue of the importance of ethos in preaching. Its weakness is thatit travels too long on the theoretical highway and doesn’t take enough off rampsto visit the practical concerns of local church pastors.Mike RatteeEmmanuel Bible CollegeKitchener, OntarioLiturgical SpiritualityPhilip PfatteicherValley Forge, Penn.: Trinity Press International, 1997xii + 292 pages, $33.95The quest for “spirituality” is very much with and among us today. This maywell be the finest book on spirituality from a Lutheran prospective written in ourtime. Pfatteicher, well known from his other writings on liturgy and worship,defines his term liturgical spirituality as “that distinctive interior life of the spiritthat is formed and nurtured by the church’s liturgy” (ix). His topic, then, is “thespiritual life as formed by the liturgy” (ibid). He proposes to tell how the principalsymbols of Christian liturgy are experienced spiritually by a congregation.He begins by defining the spiritual life. It is first of all gift and response, andnot our work. His view of spirituality is then theocentric. He also stresses thecorporate nature of Christian faith: It is God with us, and it is communal. It isembodied, and in this sense not especially “spiritual” as we normally think of theword. It transforms us, to make us more like God. “Spirituality then is prayer pluslove plus devotedness. It is, in the words of Brother Lawrence, ‘the practise of thepresence of God’, the way one does one’s religion. It is interpreting the worldaccording to one’s innermost life and intimate and ultimate concern. It is aneveryday activity, the way one goes about daily life... but that is rooted andfocused in the intersection of time and eternity that we call worship...God’sservice of us and our response in our service of God” (10-11).

Preacher and cross: person and message in theology and rhetoric

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Preacher and cross: person and message in theology and rhetoric

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