The Benefits of Translation

I recently attended a church which had simultaneous translation – which I needed because otherwise I would have understood very little.

translation changes the dynamics of the service. And there were some benefits to making the service slower and simpler.

Slower because the translator needs to catch up. When the service is slowed down, one is more aware of the words. Poor language is exposed, and apt vocabulary shines. As much of it was Anglican liturgy there was (in my view) a little more light than shame.

Simpler because, once again, the ideas need to be clear enough to translate. There is no room to hide weak ideas behind florid, clever, ambiguous word-plays. I greatly admire the skill of communicating God’s word powerfully and yet with simple and clear vocabulary. We could all benefit from this – even when no translation is needed.

So…those are the benefits of translation.

Where was I, you ask? In my home town of Bridgwater; and the translation was into English as I was a guest at the Deaf church. And in many ways it was little different to the experience of church-by-translator on my jaunts to Africa.

Bryan Chapell Christ Centered Preaching

Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon Baker Academic (2nd edn. 2005).

This is more than a standard text on preaching because of the author’s contribution in sharpening purpose with the Fallen Condition Focus.

First, it is a standard text on preaching, written to establish

… theological principles for redeeming the expository sermon from the well-intentioned but ill-conceived legalism that characterizes too much evangelical preaching” (p.  20)

This is a theme also close to the heart of Graeme Goldsworthy (see this post).

Second, it is a refreshing reminder on the basics of preaching and Chapell has a good turn of phrase. For instance, I liked his description of the need for unity in organising the sermon:

It is easier to catch a baseball than a handful of sand even if the two weigh about the same amount. (Ibid., p. 45)

The basic structure begins predictably enough with the principles (part 1) and preparation (part 2) of expository sermons; Part 3 ‘A theology of Christ-centered Messages’ is more interesting and the place for experienced preachers to begin.

I have already written about the Fallen Condition Focus FCF, so let me comment on Chapell’s twist on the these basic elements in a sermon:.

Theme (Unity)

A sermon must be about something; that is, it must have a theme. In the preaching tradition that I was brought up in, the theme is a summary of the passage with one main verb in the indicative (e.g. ‘God shows his love by sending Jesus); the aim summarises the application (we must love one another).

Chapell’s take on the theme marries the two because

The faulty proposition statement often tells us only 1) That something is true or 2) that something is required. (Thomas F Jones on p. 144).

So his theme sentences include a reason: ‘because God shows his love by sending Jesus, we are to love one another.’ this is more cumbersome, but if it contains some or all of the FCF it is potentially more powerful.

Chapell is more generous towards branches and subpoints than is de rigueur in my circles.

• Branches occur when the theme sentence contains the words ‘and’ ‘but’ etc. indicating an inability to decide between options (not an exclusively Anglican trait, by the way);

Conjunctions in main-point statements indicate branches in a preacher’s thought. If a preacher does not intend to follow such branches in a sermon’s development, he should eliminate conjunctions from main-point statements (and propositions). (Ibid., pp. 264-65)

• Subpoints are useful when they are necessary steps in the development of the main point; apart from that situation, I;m not sure I believe in subpoints. My rule of thumb is that if it can be illustrated, then it is a point, and if it can’t, the point is not clear. Subpoints must not be allowed to cloud the quest for clarity. The outline on p 157 (Faithfulness requires facing God’s enemies; obeying God’s word; seeing God’s hand) is not a main point, it’s a whole sermon with three points! But the outline on p. 159 ‘In what types of difficulties must we present Christ?’ Answer: in circumstantial/relational/spiritual difficulties’ aren’t points but different areas of application. They are analogous to Jay Adams’ counseling preaching waiting for the hearer at the points where they bail out:

When preaching, counseling preachers will know at which points excuse makers tend to bail out of sermons and will be waiting for them at the door. He will not let them leave so easily. J.E. Adams, Preaching With Purpose: The Urgent Task of Homiletics (Jay Adams Library) (Zondervan, 1986), pp. 116-17)

Aim (Application)

Application is the present, personal consequence of scriptural truth (Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: p. 201)

On the same page, quoting David Veerman “Sermons: Apply Within,” Leadership (Spring 1990), 121:

Simply stated, application is answering two questions: So what? and Now what? The first question asks, “Why is this passage important to me?” The second asks, “What should I do about it today?”

Application must build on the FCF, so that it flows from what is prominent in the text rather than from what is prominent within the preacher’s mind. Applications must answer four key questions (214):

• What does God require of me?
• Where does he require it of me? We preachers must consider the pastoral situation in which applying the biblical truth will help, so that our sermons heal rather than burden the congregation. One way to do this is to ensure that the concepts and language of the explanation are allowed to frame the application. This is the concept of ‘expositional rain’. Some areas of application (217-8)

1. Building proper relationships (with God, family, friends, coworkers, church people, etc.)
2. Reconciling conflicts (in marriage, family, work, church, etc.)
3. Handling difficult situations (stress, debt, unemployment, grief, fatigue, etc.)
4. Overcoming weakness and sin (dishonesty, anger, addiction, lust, doubt, lack of discipline etc.)
5. Lack or improper use of resources (time, treasures, talents, etc.)
6. Meeting challenges and using opportunities (education, work in or out of church, witnessing, missions, etc.)
7. Taking responsibility (home, church work, finances, future, etc.)
8. Honoring [sic] God (worship, confession, prayer, devotions, not compartmentalizing life, etc.)
9. Concern for social/world problems (poverty, racism, abortion, education, injustice, war, etc.)

• Why must I do what he requires? We must be motivated by primarily by grace, not by guilt or greed.
• How can I do what God requires?

Structure (outline)

Two helpful lists of essentials for a good outline and structure:

General Principles: (136ff.)

The outline must have

• Unity
• Brevity
• Harmony (e.g. Parallelism)
• Symmetry
• Progression
• Distinction (i.e. not blurring or overlapping points)
• Culmination

If the sermon’s overall purpose does not become more and more evident as each point unfolds, a congregation rightly questions why the points were mentioned at all. (Ibid., p. 142)

Structure essentials: FORM (p. 162):

• Faithful to the Text
• Obvious from the text
• Related to the FCF
• Moving toward a climax

Illustration (and stories that move us to action)

Illustrations do more than lighten or clarify:

Because life experiences inform our souls, our psyches, and our thoughts, citations of such experiences function as basic tools of communication. Illustrations persuade, stimulate involvement, touch the heart, stir the will, and result in decisions. Thus the primary purpose of illustration is not to clarify but to motivate. (Ibid., p. 186) emphasis original

This is new to those of us who use illustrations to explain and clarify rather than to motivate. Yet it is inherent in the power of a story to motivate, especially if they are well told:

Good illustrations take story form. An illustration usually has an introduction, descriptive details, movement through crisis (i.e., creating suspense that leads to a climax), and a conclusion). (Ibid., p. 193)

It is ironic that John Stott is citied as an example of using illustrations. His preaching was lucid and logical, peppered with images; but he was known at All Souls for neither using not believing in illustrations!

Chapell’s tips on using illustrations (summarised from 203-4)

• Get the facts straight
• Beware of untrue or incredible illustrations
• Maintain balance (i.e. not too many in a sermon)
• Be real (appreciate the epic in the immediate).
• Do not carelessly expose, embarrass or disclose
• Poke fun at no-one but self. (And corollary: pat on the back everyone but self)
• Share the spotlight: don’t always talk about yourself.
• Demonstrate taste: “Birthing, blood, bedrooms, and bathrooms do not usually merit graphic description from the pulpit. When such references are needed, speak matter-of-factly and move along.” (Ibid., p. 104)
• Finish what you begin i.e. don’t leave people wondering what happened to that little dog, or the boy in the hospital.

Redemptive Sermons and the FCF

Clear identification of a fallen condition automatically locks a preacher into a redemptive approach to the exposition of a passage. (Ibid., p. 299)

Summary:

…preachers should make God’s redemptive work the content, the motive, and the power behind all biblical exposition. (Ibid., p. 327)

Amen to that!

Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon 2nd Revised edition ed. Baker Academic, Div of Baker Publishing Group, 2005.

Three letters that may revolutionise your preaching

Let me save you some time and point you to a great resource to improve your preaching.

1. Get Bryan Chapell’s Christ Centered Preaching (and this post, coming soon)

2. If you are a beginning preaching, read the whole thing through. It’s good on the basics.

3. If you are an experienced preacher, especially if you have been trained and versed in biblical preaching, look up the index and follow all the links to ‘Fallen Condition Focus (FCF)’. This is Chapell’s particular contribution to the field of preaching; I have found it a really helpful way to reach for the purpose for which we are to preach.

What is the FCF?

The FCF addresses what condition in fallen humanity required the Holy Spirit to cause this passage to be written. Thus the theme ‘God is Love’ may be true, but the FCF asks why this truth is required in this context: what has caused people to doubt or forget that God is Love?

The Fallen Condition Focus (FCF) is the mutual human condition that contemporary believers share with those to or about whom the text was written that requires the grace of the passage for God’s people to glorify and enjoy him. (Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 2nd Revised edition ed. (Baker Academic, Div of Baker Publishing Group, 2005), p. 50)

The FCF is determined by addressing three questions: (p. 52)

1. What does the text say?
2. What spiritual concern(s) did the text address in its context?
3. What spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was written?

FCF and Application

The first beauty of the FCF is that it directs us to the application by showing us the problem that Christ addresses:

The fact that the message is focussed on an aspect of our fallenness precludes simplistic, human-centered solutions. If we could fix the problem with our own efforts, then we would not be truly fallen. Application that addresses an FCF … directs people to the presence and power of the Savior (Ibid., p. 54)

The preacher’s task is not to find novel ways to identify Christ in the text but

To show how each text manifests God’s grace in order to prepare and enable his people to embrace the hope provided by Christ. (Ibid., p. 279)

FCF and Organisation

This then gives us the central purpose around which we can organise our sermon:

Only when we determine what the text requires of us as a consequence of the FCF the sermon addresses do we know how to focus, phrase and organize the explanation of the text. (Ibid., p. 105)

We can start straight away with the introduction:

Until preachers identify a fallen condition that makes is clear why a message is important and will be helpful for listeners’ walk with God, they give the average person no more incentive to listen than to attend a lecture on quantum physics. (Ibid., p. 241)

Just do it!

Maybe you can see how revolutionary this is: the FCF is a tool to keep us focused on preaching gospel not law: this is an engine for gospel-driven preaching.

Three Strands of Powerful Biblical Preaching

Neil Powell in his blog a faith to live by helpfully distinguishes three strands to powerful biblical preaching, under these three names:

• Biblical preaching is preaching that is faithful to the text.The key issue is what does this text say?
• Gospel centred preaching has the focus of showing how this text speaks of Jesus Christ, wherever it is drawn from in Scripture. The key issue is now what does this text say about Jesus Christ?
• Gospel driven preaching looks to the Gospel to enable us to obey the text. Remember that the Gospel is a message of grace, but if our sermon says, ‘try harder!’ or some variation on that theme, we preach law. Gospel Powered Preaching asks how the Gospel enables us to become the people God wants us to be. The Gospel is the enabling part of the application. The key issue now becomes, ‘what does this text say about Jesus Christ so that he may enable me to glorify God?’.

Some resources for each focus include:

• In the UK we have the Proclamation Trust to thank for training in biblical preaching. Worldwide there are movements such as Langham Preaching among many others.
• The Biblical Theology that fuels Gospel-centred preaching came to us most recently via Graeme Goldsworthy Preaching the whole Bible as Christian Scripture, popularised by many others such as Vaughan Roberts’ God’s Big Picture. In North America we should mention such as Sydney Greidanus The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text and Bryan Chapell Christ-Centered Preaching. (to be reviewed in a later post) 
• Tim Keller is the person who has done most to bring Gospel Powered Preaching application to my notice and I look forward to deepening my aptitude in delivering this to the people I serve.

Archbishop Justin Welby by Andrew Atherstone

In the weeks between the announcement of Justin Welby’s appointment as leader of the Church of England, eminent historian Andrew Atherstone worked feverishly to produce this well-researched mini-biography of the new Archbishop. The book has, I am told, sold well and it deserves to. Here are a couple of brief comments on what I read.

1. He has a gospel

Justin Welby came to Christ because he responded to the gospel message. When he was working in parish ministry, men and women came to Christ because he shared the gospel with them. He was known as ‘Mr Alpha’ because of the numerous courses he led.

Justin Welby’s writing are confined to two areas; his parish magazine in Southam, and articles on corporate finance. I was impressed at his boldness, clarity and compassion in his magazine articles. The gospel message was articulate as it addressed contemporary issues. Justin began in the evangelical tradition. He has added to these foundations from other theological traditions but apparently not withdrawn from them. Atherstone does a good job of uncovering the foundations.

2. He approaches conflict through relationship

A major part of his work at Coventry was in conflict resolution, both around the world and closer to home. A key element is building relationships so that there is a safe space for opposing sides to be heard. This is no Nietzschean dialectic: it’s getting to the heart of the issue. The Church of England and the Anglican communion is full of ‘issues’ (what we used to call ‘problems’). It is clear to me that he will tackle the conflicts that arise by encouraging both sides to build relationships and talk around a table. Lobbing grenades from entrenched positions will not get his attention. This is good news, and while the positions are polarised, we will need to work to disagree in relationship with our fellow Anglicans.

I need those two as well: a gospel, and a commitment to engage with opponents through relationship.

Andrew Atherstone is Latimer Trust Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

Archbishop Justin Welby: The Road to Canterbury

by Andrew Atherstone

The Big —

From within comes …

For the past few years I felt there was a book inside me struggling to get out. I’m not a Writer, but that is the best way to describe how through a change of job and three house moves the idea remained. Finally there was nothing for it but to squeeze my brain and push it out. I squeezed and pushed. Then I looked at the result. What on earth is it?

A Child?

When writing brings forth a creation, nay, a creature, that has a life of its own, a Child is born. As others read, they in turn may be inspired to bring forth other literary children. I thank God more heartily for writers whose work comes to life as I turn the page. It is a great gift.

A Tumour?

Writing spring from the heart and as Jeremiah observes, the heart is deceitful above all other things (17.7-8). Writing is open to vanity, and if the project is nothing but a Vanity Project, then the sooner it is out, the better.

A —!

There is ingestion and digestion behind all writing; the pen feasts on ideas. Reading and writing that bring positive change are a Good Thing and mitigate the realisation that one has brought forth the normal product of digestion, a Big P–. It is time to move on from the Product and rejoice in the change brought by the process. There was a book inside and I have pushed, and pushed. And if it a good book, then even if no-one else benefits from it, I already have. I feel a lot better!

Eugene Peterson Working the Angles

Eugene Peterson’s pastoral writings are well known. But that does not mean they are well read! This is the first of his books I’ve read and it was a rewarding experience.

In this book Working the Angles: Trigonometry for Pastoral Work his target is pastors who have abandoned their calling as pastors in favour of a more concrete role:

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches (p. 2).

Some of the responsibility lies at the feet of the churches:

How do I maintain a sense of pastoral vocation in the middle of a community of people who are hiring me to do religious jobs? (p. 13)

We do not escape, and this book is addressed to pastors.

Pastoral Basics Revisited

The title comes from the idea that “The visible lines of pastoral work are preaching, teaching, and administration. The small angles of this ministry are prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction.” (p. 5) but the metaphor is not sustained as far as I could see. Each chapter is a meditation around a theme.

Prayer

Anything creative, anything powerful, anything biblical, insofar as we are participants in it, originates in prayer. Pastors who imitate the preaching and moral action of the prophets without also imitating the prophets’ deep praying and worship so evident in the Psalms are an embarrassment to the faith and an encumbrance to the church (p. 40)

This is typical Peterson: thoughtful, provocative and hard to pin down a clear biblical justification for it.

Reading

In listening we use our ears, in reading we use our eyes…. When I read a book the book does not know if I am paying attention or not; when I listen to a person the person knows very well whether I am paying attention or not….in listening the speaker is in charge; in reading the reader is in charge. (88)

Peterson reflects on orality (following Ong). “Words work differently when they are read than when they are heard” (114) is true; but it does not mean that they work better and I think he overstates his case here.

There is a telling quote on context:

Every word of Scripture fits into its large narrative context in one way or another, so much so that the immediate context of a sentence is as likely to be eighty-five pages off in words written three hundred years later as to be the previous or next paragraph. (p. 124)

White Jacket

Peterson tells the story from Melville’s White Jacket of the ship’s surgeon who in his enthusiasm forgot to notice that his patient had died some time earlier. It’s a parable of exegesis that kills the living word.

Less convincing is this statement of hermeneutical principle:

They tested it [the congruence of Scripture and Jesus] out in their believing and worshiping lives. It worked. They had their hermeneutical principle. (p. 129)

Spiritual Direction

It is a fringe activity for most pastors and yet, ironically, it is the activity that many people assume pastors do all the time.

Spiritual direction takes place when two people agree to give their full attention to what God is doing in one (or both) of their lives and seek to respond in faith [...they can be planned and unplanned] (p. 150)

Five who Failed Fox

In the final section Peterson draws a lesson from the five clergymen who were called on in turn to counsel George Fox. Each failed him in a different way.

Nathaniel Stephens heard Fox’s troubles and repeated them from his pulpit:

If we reduce a person to sermon material, we are the agents of alienation. (p. 181)

The ancient Priest at Mancetter is like the shopkeeper who sees the subject as customer. When the goods are not wanted, he was  dismissive.

If a parishioner will not follow our advice he or she is aggravating evidence of our incompetence, the easiest way out is to hint among the milkmaids that there are matters of concern here about stability, immaturity, neurosis.

The Priest living at Tamworth was an empty, hollow cask (184). The best preparation, says Peterson, is an honest life,

Prayer and the developing capacity for adoration and joy authenticate pastoral experience (184)

Dr Cradock saw everything through the eyes of orthodoxy or heterodoxy:

He had only to find out how Fox diverged from the model of orthodox Christianity in order to set him straight (p. 185).

Macham, finally, was an activist:

The suggestion to do something is nearly always inappropriate, for persons who come for spiritual direction are troubled over some disorder or dissatisfaction in being, not doing. (p. 187)

So how to do it right? Peterson is optimistic that

More often than we think, the unspoken, sometimes unconscious reason that persons seek out conversation with the pastor is a desire to keep company with God. (192).

More convincing is the advice to remember that the pastor is a supporting player: God is the lead (p. 191)

Eugene H. Peterson, Working the Angles: Trigonometry for Pastoral Work William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1987.