Redefining Relevance in Relation to Biblical Preaching
Randal E. Pelton
The People's Church
Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada
Jeffrey E. Carroll
Trinity Community Church
Bowie, Maryland
Abstract: Recent stress placed on seeker-sensitive services and sermons has caused some pastors to question the effectiveness of Bible exposition. Including a brief analysis of 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, this paper examines the nature of relevance with a view towards helping pastors regain confidence in the ability of expository preaching to relate to contemporary audiences.
It's hard to remain confident in expository preaching when you read the following:
Leonard Sweet, plenary speaker for EHS 2002, provides at least four statements which potentially can cause a loss of confidence in the effectiveness of Bible exposition. Len writes, (SoulTsunami, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1999, p. 211) "Preachers must learn how to body forth their sermons. When reaching postmoderns, it's not enough to know how to 'write sermons.' One must now learn how to create experiences....If people leave church and haven't encountered God, what have we accomplished?" Under the heading, Listener-Friendly, he wrote, "There has been no spiritual awakening in history without preaching, teaching, and healing that connects with questions asked by ordinary persons in ordinary life. Every great preacher in history has been adept at being led by the audience" (1999, p. 127).
After commenting on Boomershine's analogy of the church and the Polish cavalry that was decimated by German tanks, Sweet asks "What does Boomershine's analogy portend for the church's worship? For the sermon?" (1999, p. 139). Finally, an even more potentially confidence-eroding statement, "We must begin to do church the people's way rather than expecting the people to do church 'our way.'"(1999, p306)
What are these potentially confidence-eroding statements doing to preaching pastors and their sermons?
Let's begin with the last quote and then work our way backward. The final quote causes us to ask the question, What does a sermon look like that is done the people's way? Len's use of the Boomershine analogy can give the impression that the sermon must be radically altered in light of modern communication technology (see EHS 2001 papers on the theme: Preaching and Technology). We think we know what is meant by a preacher being led by the audience, but this seems to go against so much of what we've been taught about preparing to teach God's Word. Finally, what pastor does not want to teach God's Word in a way that will help listeners encounter God? We do. We're just not always sure we know how to create such experiences during our teaching times.
These types of statements spur us on to search for a methodology that will succeed in reaching contemporary listeners. Mitchell identifies the current crisis in preaching as a crisis in methodology (1999, p. 20). Willimon comments on Craddock's influence: "Note that the whole stress here is on method rather than message. Says Craddock, 'the method is the message. So it is with all preaching: how one preaches is to a large extent what one preaches'" (1992, p. 49). Is it the sermon's content that needs to change or our style of preaching or a little of both?
It's important to remember that most of this current discussion is the result of attempting to reach non-Christian listeners in church during what is normally called the sermon. Is it possible for the Word of God (particularly verse-by-verse exposition of segments of the Bible) to reach outsiders inside (refer to chapter 7, American Radio Preachers, in Mitchell's Visually Speaking; 1999)? Does it take the creation of seeker-sensitive services and sermons to reach outsiders inside?
Establishing a Current Understanding of Relevance
Though the concept of relevant preaching has long been part of the evangelical concern, relevance has risen to a place of prominence unrivaled in the past. Pastor Andy Stanley makes it clear when he says, "we want everything we do to be relevant" which means that every ministry, every message, and every method must pass through the screen of relevance or it does not make it into the line up at North Point (from North Point Resources, tape 02B01, NU ME -- Part 1 Natural Born Sinners. Copyright 2002).
It is hard to imagine any pastor approaching the task of preaching with the goal of being irrelevant, but there exists within evangelical circles a wide range of understanding as to what constitutes relevance. In order to gain an understanding of popular definitions of relevant preaching, it may help to hear what some leaders of fast-growing mega-churches mean when they say biblical messages must be relevant. It is clear from their teaching on the subject and from their own approach to preaching that, to them, relevance is more than simply using contemporary language that the average parishioner can understand.
In his book The Purpose Driven Church, Pastor Rick Warren devotes a chapter to preaching to the un-churched, which is part of his overall strategy for bringing non-Christians of a community into a service designed especially for them. The first characteristic of relevant preaching being espoused today is that it is Bible teaching aimed primarily at the non-Christian. In preparing to plant Saddleback, Warren reviewed the messages he had preached in the previous ten plus years as a Southern Baptist evangelist. Using the criteria, "Would this make sense to a totally un-churched person" he threw out all but two sermons (1995, p. 293). Rick's concern was not merely that they would understand the words or even the implications of the words. His concern was whether or not the messages would be of interest to them. This is evident when Warren says, "If I was going to start a church by attracting hard core pagans, it would have to be a message to which they could relate" (1995, p. 294). Relate-ability is connected to two homiletical issues: subject matter and style of delivery.
Regarding the issue of relevant style, Warren writes, "...the style of preaching that I use in our seeker service is very different than the style I use to teach believers. The style of communication most church members are used to is counterproductive in reaching most of the unchurched" (1995, p. 294). The style of preaching that Warren advocates is a topical approach where the preacher determines ahead of time what common ground he has with the audience (their hurts, fears, and interests) and then brings instruction from the Bible on that subject. Warren contrasts this approach with a "through the book" style of preaching that starts with the Text and calls the audience to see where it demands change in their lives.
Warrens' commitment to a topical approach is further illustrated when he asks, "Can something be true but be irrelevant?" (refer to the tape, How to Preach to Change Lives). He uses the example of a person who is bleeding to death coming in to see a doctor. The doctor provides him with true, but irrelevant information about the history of medicine. Warren's point appears to be that, though the Bible is true, certain sections may be irrelevant to the needs of a seeker. According to Warren, the only way to ensure relevance is to preach topically and then bring the Bible's insight to the topic.
The other key issue that ensures relevance according to Warren's method is the subject matter. What does the relevant sermon contain? Warren says, "Preaching that changes lives brings the truth of God's word and the real needs of people together through application." (1995, p. 296). Warren identifies these real needs as the felt needs of the audience. He begins with what they deem to be important--their hurts, fears and interests. He then finds verses that he believes speak to their concern and ends with the final product of a "How to" lesson. Warren contends that the majority of his sermons have "How To" in the title. An example would be, "How to have a Super Successful Life". This approach is the result of thinking that what keeps the un-churched from coming to church is boring sermons that do not relate to them (cf. audio tape, How to Preach to Change Lives).
It is important to take note of how the Bible fits into Warren's approach. In his series, "How to have a Super Successful Life," the Bible was used as an illustration. In the first sermon in the series Warren offers his audience a biblical definition of success. Using an acrostic (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.) he begins by saying, "Success starts with a sense of direction. You've got to have a purpose. If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else. Paul had a crystal clear purpose. Romans 15:20 'It has always been my ambition to preach the good news where Christ was not known so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation'." This illustrative use of the Bible was common throughout the series and is indicative of what Warren means when he says he brings the Word of God and the real needs of people together through application.
Rick's understanding of the purpose of the Bible results in his illustrative use of the Bible for topical studies chosen for the sake of interest. On his audiocassette ("How to Preach to Change Lives"), he cites 2 Timothy 3:16 as the overall purpose for the Bible. This leads him to a moralistic approach to preaching, or preaching for the sole purpose of changing behavior. Only certain sections of the Bible are relevant at the "how to" level (we'll let Greidanus and Peck continue to battle over the implications of this approach for teaching Old Testament narratives! Preaching Journal, 2000, pp. 51-54).
Attempting To Redefine Relevance
We want to begin by acknowledging that pastors use the same terms and clichés, but they have different applications. Most pastors claim confidence in the power of the word of God and dependency on the Holy Spirit, but there is an obvious disconnect when the practice of some seeker-sensitive pastors are put along side churches designed for believers or committed to what Tim Keller calls "evangelistic worship" (see Keller's paper, "Evangelistic Worship", June 2001, posted on Redeemer.com).
Keller believes that the presupposition behind the seeker-sensitive approach is that believer-targeted preaching (expository, book-by-book, or theological preaching aimed at Christian maturity) is ineffective for reaching unbelievers. He points out the irony that many believer-oriented churches also hold to the same presupposition. Many non-seeker-sensitive churches believe outsiders can only be reached outside (away from the worship service in the personal work of believers or other ministries designed to reach the lost). Keller, states, "My main problem with the two models...is theological. They both assume that worship cannot be highly evangelistic" ("Evangelistic Worship" June 2001).
Rethinking Relevance By Starting With the Scripture, Not the Audience
Rather than making the felt needs of the non-Christian guest the starting point for relevance, we believe relevant Bible teaching begins with God's Word. Though Warren contends it is a mistake to preach to believers and unbelievers in the same service (1995, p. 301), 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 shows the ability of the Word of God to reach outsiders inside with an insider-directed message (see chapter 7 in Mitchell, 1999, pp. 143-174).
A Brief Analysis of 1 Corinthians 14:24-25
The immediate context of vv. 24-25 is a contrast between two hypothetical situations in a local church: the reaction of an "ungifted" (updated NASB term) person entering a church service where everyone is "speaking in tongues" versus the reaction of that same person entering a church service where everyone is "prophesying" in a language they understand. For the purpose of this paper we want to focus on the latter hypothetical situation and highlight what can happen to a non-Christian who hears God's Word being directed to Christians in church. As you'll see, the following is a brief discussion of a very difficult-to-interpret Text. Along with the works cited, several other scholarly commentaries and articles have struggled to find its meaning (if there really is a meaning in this text; just kidding Kevin Vanhoozer).
14:24 "But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters," We take it that the prophesying going on must be at least three things: (1) speaking the revelation of God (BADG, p. 723; DNTT. Colin Brown, p. 74-92), not necessarily something that God is going to make happen, but something God wants to happen in the lives of the listeners; (2) speaking the revelation of God to those in church; cf. 14:3-4 and notice the goals in mind: edification, exhortation, and consolation; Carson (1987, p. 116) "the prophesying of verse 24 is not evangelistic preaching. The unbeliever comes in and overhears what is going on in the assembly"; (3) speaking the revelation of God to those in church, using a language that the listener understands (again, cf. 14:2-3; this is the point of the segment).
The first Greek noun defines this person as one without faith or belief. In this context, to be without faith is to be without the Spirit which is to be without Christ. The second noun gives us our English word, idiot, and refers to a "layman, amateur in contrast to an expert or specialist of any kind" (BADG, p. 370). Some suggest this visitor is "an unbeliever who has already begun to show interest in the Gospel -- an inquirer" (Expositor's, 1976, p. 274) and others understand this person as "a complete newcomer" (Conzelmann, 1975, p. 243). Carson (1987, p.) writes, "The two words I have rendered 'outsider' and 'unbeliever' probably refer to the same kinds of people: non-Christians.... the non-Christian visitor to the congregation." For some reason, this person "comes in while everybody is prophesying" (NIV).
Verse 24 explains what happens to this person who hears God's Word in their own language: "he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;" The old KJV reads, "convinced of all, he is judged of all"; the NIV, "convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all." Either rendering, convicted or convinced, can correctly capture the meaning of the Greek verb, "to bring to light, expose" (BADG, p. 249). It is implied that the judging going on does not give a favorable verdict. The listener fails the examination or scrutiny. This person is brought to the point where an answer must be given in light of the exposure (Barclay, 1975, p. 132). Bruce (1971, p. 133) explains it this way, "This, he will say, is God's message for me..."
Verse 25 continues to show what the spoken Word of God can do in the hearts of contemporary listeners. 14:25 "the secrets of his heart are disclosed;" The result of the person being exposed and examined by the Word of God being taught is that their true character is exposed. Our English word, cryptic, comes from this Greek word meaning what is "hidden" (BADG). The secret things of a person's heart represent the real thoughts and motives, what's really going on in the inside between them and God. Conzelmann (1975, p. 243) believes this reaction provides a key for understanding the meaning of prophecy: "The passage is important also for the Pauline understanding of prophecy: it is not prediction of the future, but unmasking of man."
Verse 25 goes on to present two results of this disclosure of the human heart: "and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you." This person takes the posture of a worshiper, which Bruce (1971, p. 133) believes to be the production of a believer ("prophecy is a sign for believers in the sense that it produces believers." Barclay (1975, p. 132) summarizes this way: "When a man has faced God and faced himself, all that is left for him to do is to kneel and to pray, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.'"
"declaring that God is certainly among you." Here's the final result of this non-Christian walking into a worship service where the prophetic Word is spoken to believers. The newly converted person attests to the presence of God in the church. The NIV reads, "God is really among you!" This seeker has finally discovered where God is located, all because of entering a worship service and hearing several Spirit-controlled and Spirit-gifted people speaking God's Word.
What does this Text say about the ability of the spoken Word to reach the heart of a non-Christian in the midst of a service designed for believers? It says that a sermon can begin with the Word of God, not necessarily the felt needs of the listener, and speak relevantly to Christian and non-Christian alike. The scenario in1 Corinthians 14:24-25 results in what Leonard Sweet says should occur: creating experiences during the sermon where people can experience the presence of God (refer to quotes on page 1). Later in the book Sweet (1999, p. 215) quotes Buechner: "For many years now I have taken to going to church less and less because I find so little there of what I hunger for. It is a sense of the presence of God that I hunger for."
Wouldn't you agree that 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 describes what we want to take place when outsiders come inside and hear God's Word? What on earth caused this to happen? The spoken Word of God was relevant and did speak to contemporary seekers (contemporary for that day). Clearly a connection was made with that hypothetical hearer. Mitchell speaks of the need for preaching and Bible teaching to be "accessible" (1999, pp. 2, 5, 130, 186). That spoken Word was accessible.
Willimon bluntly states, "There is power in preaching from the canonical text" (1992, p.12). In the hypothetical situation described in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, the spoken Word exposed the non-Christian's need to know God. The message wasn't made relevant to the person's life; the person's life became relevant to the message. Willimon (1992, p. 53) refers to the "act of prophetic resistance and reformation" (rather than trying to make the gospel relevant to the culture, we should expend "homiletical effort" helping "the contemporary culture...to be relevant to the gospel").
Rethinking Relevance From The Perspective Of The Purpose Of The Bible
While acknowledging that the Scriptures are "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16), we believe the ultimate purpose of the Bible is to point contemporary listeners to Christ. The relevance of all biblical passages is achieved as they find their fulfillment in Christ (Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 23:27). From this hermeneutical platform, all truly biblical teaching will be relevant to believers and unbelievers. Both need to receive the grace of God provided in the Lord Jesus Christ. This expands potential Text selection beyond just those sections which lend themselves to practical "how to" instruction on living life successfully. Because Christ is the focus of each biblical Text, then its interpretation will lead to relevance at the level of a deeper need than may be felt by a listener who is not in process of being saved (in whom the Spirit is not yet working).
How does an Eternal, Omniscient God view "contemporary" (or relevance?)? It's interesting to think about Almighty God being irrelevant and anything that He has said being irrelevant, isn't it?! The timeless or eternal nature of God's written revelation also lends itself to being relevant for all His creatures found in any generation, past, present, or future. Proper exegesis (especially finding the theological, Christ-centered idea) makes this relevance known.
The great condemnation of the Pharisees was that they saw the Bible as the source of moral instruction. Their goal was to live an outwardly different life, but in pursuing righteousness they failed to see the Scriptures bear witness to Christ. John records Jesus' indictment in John 5:39, 40 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to me, that you may have life." Relevant preaching calls people to new life in Christ. This kind of teaching can be accomplished throughout the Bible since all Scripture points to Christ who transforms the heart. This goes beyond change at the level of behavior. A biblically transformed life is different in quality than a morally restrained life (the credit for wording goes to Timothy Keller who has distinguished between the two types of life-change in a recent sermon series).
Rethinking Relevance From The Perspective Of Human Need
In the seeker-sensitive model of Warren, relevance is built around what the un-churched person feels is important or interesting. Rick writes that "Anyone can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart" (1995, p. 220).
Whereas Warren and Schuller (cf. Modern Reformation, Vol. 11, Number 1, Jan./Feb. 2002, pp. 33-34.) cite Jesus as the model to follow, Jesus appeared to assume His contemporary listeners either had the ability to receive His teaching or didn't. The problem was not that He had not chosen the right topic which would be of interest to them. After using a parable (a form that was in keeping with the customs and ways of his audience), Jesus says, "let those who have ears to hear, hear" (Matthew 13:1-9). He explains further that some who were listening will keep on hearing but not understand because they have become dull and have closed their eyes" Matt 13:10-17.
It seems that no amount of audience analysis or teaching style would create an ability to receive that truth. The real need of the listener was beyond the reach of a topical sermon in which they were interested. The real need is not necessarily felt by an unbeliever through sermons that show the Bible is a relevant book. The real need was for supernatural hearing and understanding—for ears that could hear.
Paul amplifies the matter in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 when he says "the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The description, "those being saved," labels an audience for whom the gospel message is already relevant and puts them in contrast with those for whom it will never be relevant. In light of this Paul still claims his only message is Christ crucified. There is no audience exegesis to determine subject matter. In fact the ethnic differences of the Jews and Greeks play no part determining Paul's message. There is no effort to find subject matter that will meet the need of the audience because the only real need they possess is met in the message of the cross. Thompson writes, "[Paul's] task is to confront the audience with a message that it does not want to hear, leaving the response to God (2001, p. 49)."
Hafemann helps identify the real needs addressed by the Gospel, "These pages were written out of a real need, though one that is not always felt. In the midst of the suffocating self-love of our modern and postmodern culture, the Bible is clear that our real hunger is to know the one true God revealed in its pages. Only in doing so will we satisfy our cravings for security (faith), find the purpose for which we exist (hope), and be able to live free from slavery to self (love). To meet these needs, we must return to the Bible. It is really that straightforward" (2001, p. 17). The message is the constant and the audience is made relevant to the message.
Hafemann's framework (faith, hope, and love) and Timothy Keller's teaching model (Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City) point the way to the kind of teaching which is effective in reaching both Christians and non-Christian seekers (D.G. Hart in "Seekers All": "On this side of the second coming, Christians are seekers every bit as much as the seekers for whom seeker-sensitive churches are designed. Believers seek a homeland the arrival at which does not always seem certain....The danger of reconfiguring the Church to make it more sensitive to seekers is that such churches may forget the other seekers, the believing ones, to whom they have been called to minister (Modern Reformation, Vol. 10, Number 4, July/August 2001, p. 2). If there is a legitimate "how to" element in a given Text, it may be the pastor's responsibility to show how to have the deeper needs of security, purpose, and freedom to love met through the reception of the grace of God in Christ.
I Corinthians 14:24-25 shows the real need of unbelievers and believers is met through the proclamation of the Word, which points to Christ. This meets the human need for grace, which is always relevant. The response on the part of the unbeliever is not the realization that the Bible is practical and worthy of consideration for answers in the spiritual realm. The response is conviction and humble submission. The real need exposed by the word of God and the work of the Spirit is to be convicted of sin, acknowledge the need for Christ's cleansing and righteousness, and become a true worshipper of God.
Rethinking Relevance From The Perspective Of The Holy Spirit
In this section we're not speaking so much of the Spirit's role in inspiration, but in illumination—opening the ears of contemporary listeners so that the relevance of the Gospel can be seen in their lives. We believe this is something that an interesting topic devoid of Christ-centered truth cannot do. In John's Gospel, God makes it clear that the work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Can this convincing take place only when pastors teach on interesting-to-listener topics?
If the Spirit's ability to convince the non-Christian of their need for Christ is dependent upon first getting their attention and meeting felt needs, how do we explain Jesus' method of instruction? When Jesus speaks to the earnestly seeking rich young ruler He is not pleasant or complimentary. He confronts him with his covetous heart--his real need (Luke 18:18ff). Jesus is dependent upon something else to convince the rich young ruler of his sinfulness and need to worship Him. This becomes clear in Matt 16:15-17 where full understanding of Christ is attributed to divine intervention, not human effort.
Paul echoes this dependency on the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. In his initial efforts to preach the gospel to a pagan culture he did not try to use superiority of speech but had a message that demonstrated the Spirit and power. That is the image we find in 1 Corinthians 14 where Spirit-gifted people are prophesying and an unbeliever responds. This is Carson's analysis: "communication takes place. It may even be communication designed by the Spirit..." (1987, p. 116.). The Word of God was accessible even in a non-seeker-sensitive environment. It seems to us apart from the need for hearing comprehensibly (Rom 10:14; 1Cor 14:23-24), relevance is determined by the Holy Spirit's activity of creating ears that can hear the Gospel.
Perhaps it is the lack of confidence in the Holy Spirit's ability to make relevant eternal concerns that has contributed to the demise of eschatological preaching. It appears to us that eschatological preaching is ultimately relevant to God, but not seemingly relevant to "our world." It is relevant to proclaim that God is about to break into this world. Willimon "So much of Jesus' preaching, and the best of our own, is eschatological, an announcement of an end to the present order so that God can have room to make a new one" (1992, p. 114).
Conclusion
On the back cover of McDill's book, The Moment of Truth, are the following words: "You step into the pulpit, you look out at the congregation, it's the moment of truth. Here's how to make it a moment of triumph." Wayne argues admirably for the importance of effective, Spirit-filled delivery. We agree and want to caution against placing too much confidence on any methodology. We don't want to be so dependent on delivery and style that a sermon can't be relevant or triumphant without the appropriate method.
We contend that relevant sermons possess certain attributes such as comprehensibility, clarity, common vocabulary, and respect for the questions and objection that the un-churched bring to church with them. None of these, however, require a sermon that begins with the audience. Neither do these preclude a sermon from being effective to both unbeliever and believer.
A sermon that starts with the text and brings the audience to it with the above considerations for the un-churched will always be relevant, because Scripture always points to the grace of God in Christ which is humanity's real need and the only message the Spirit empowers to convert those being saved.
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