INTERVIEW
Theological Foundations of Preaching: An Interview with Jim Fitzgerald What theological foundations should we keep in mind when we seek transformative preaching? Grace & Peace talked with Jim Fitzgerald, currently chair of the School of Theology and Ministry at Southern Nazarene University. Fitzgerald also has pastored in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Missouri. I N T E R V I E W E R : R E B E CC A R O D E H E AV E R , A S S I S TA N T E D I TO R
IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND INSTANT COMMUNICATION, WHAT IS THE PLACE OF PREACHING? Around 20 years ago, people began to wonder if video would be a better method of communicating than preaching. Would we do better showing clips or other videos rather than having a live person speaking? Our culture today is more image-based than word-based. Is visual imagery more important than words? Since then, oral communication has made a comeback. We’ve rediscovered that we can develop imagery through language, not just by flashing something on the screen. Many people regularly listen to podcasts and TED talks, so now, even in an age of images and video, speech is still important. As much as I love listening to preaching podcasts and sermons online, I still think they are distinctive from the worship context. Preaching is unique theologically because it’s an incarnational moment, an embodied presence and voice. It’s more than disconnected bites of information or imaging, more than what a person can receive through a podcast, PowerPoint, or social media. Embodied speech is present and alive.
speech may have some overlap in content, but we don’t usually invoke the Spirit’s presence in a speech. The Spirit’s role is vital in proclaiming and receiving God’s Word. Another distinction is the worship context. In a worship service, people come to the sermon with a different set of expectations than they do for hearing a speech. Sermons are not just for inspiration, motivation, or entertainment. Neither is preaching a stand-alone event; the worship context does not solely depend upon the sermon. Certainly, the preaching moment is powerful, but all the elements of corporate worship impact us. Our expectations of what happens in the sermon are heavily shaped by our expectations of worship. Preaching has a rhythm. If you listen to a motivational speech or a TED talk, you likely won’t return every week with the same people and the same expectations as you do in the context of worship. Preaching is different because it’s habitual, it’s a pattern, it’s a rhythm in our life.
WHAT ELSE DISTINGUISHES PREACHING FROM GIVING “TALKS” OR OTHER PRESENTATIONS?
Furthermore, as the worshiping community gathers to receive God’s Word, listeners are shaped by participating in this act of worship together. As we participate in a worshiping community, we are transformed by the relationships that extend beyond the preaching moment.
Preaching is distinct in several ways: The first is the spiritual element and, in particular, the role of the Holy Spirit. A sermon and a
HOW CAN A PREACHER CROSS THE HERMENEUTICAL BRIDGE—THE GAP BETWEEN THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE
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