The Imperative Of Preaching A Theology Of Sacred Rhetoric

Believing that preaching remains of vital importance today, John Carrick argues that its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced if preachers make use of the patterns of communication laid down by God in Scripture for their instruction. He sees in the Bible a sacred rhetoric which the apostles and prophets, and Christ himself, used to awaken, move and persuade their hearers. While depending on the power of the Spirit, the preacher should not neglect any help which Scripture affords. Sacred rhetoric is based essentially on statements and commands (called in grammar the indicative and the imperative), which, together with exclamations and questions, are of immense significance in the preaching of the Word.

Modern approaches to preaching today are largely fixated on "how-to's"--how to make preaching more relevant, more interesting, more entertaining. Michael Pasquarello suggests that this fixation may stem from a preaching imagination more beholden to technical, scientific reason than theological wisdom. Rather than devising new techniques or strategies for effective speaking, Pasquarello offers something more salutary--portraits of ten exemplary preachers from the Christian tradition. Included in Pasquarello's gallery are Augustine of Hippo, Gregory the Great, Benedict, Bernard of Clairvaux, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Erasmus, Hugh Latimer, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. These excellent preachers conceived of Christian speech as a unique theological practice learned through prayerful attention to the Bible and aimed at communion with God. Sacred Rhetoric invites readers to join an extended conversation with the past in order to become faithful preachers of the gospel in a post-Christian society. Preachers, seminarians, and students of Christian history will find much to learn from Pasquarello's fresh perspective and passion for the past.

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