The “Power and Validity” of Preaching?
At the risk of repeating myself, and making it sound like I have no love for preaching or for those who do…
John Piper was asked in a recent interview about his dislike of using drama or video clips (or really anything other than lecture) in sermons. Read the full transcript yourself for context, but his basic belief comes down to:
I’ll be gone in a few years and you can do whatever you want to do, but I believe profoundly in the power and the till-Jesus-comes-validity of preaching. And by that I mean the spirit-anointed exposition of the Scripture through clear explanations and applications of what’s there. There’s something God-appointed about that.
I’m not extremely well-versed in Piper’s theology or teaching, so perhaps he’s addressed this elsewhere, but the quote above left me asking “Why?”
Why are “clear explanations and applications” God-appointed? Because they work? Because people respond? Are other forms of communication God-appointed in the same way?
In the end, I think I care far less whether we use media in teaching times or not. I care far more about us thoughtfully questioning why we hold expositional preaching in such high regard, treating it more like a sacrament than a gift or helpful tool.
(via Church Marketing Sucks)
