reading, preaching, and stanley hauerwas
i just tossed stanley hauerwas in there to get the goad of some guy. i don't mind hauerwas, even though i think he's wrong on some things, and being out of the asbury environment makes me appreciate him more. now that i'm away from his doting fans, i can see what's of value in him.
anyway, i'm still thinking about preaching. if i take seriously the nature of the Scripture and remember that it the OT was oral to begin with, and that letters were read aloud in the NT churches, then something may need to change with how i preach. the text becomes not the pastor's to proclaim, but the community's to submit to; but the community can only submit to what they know and interpret. so, preaching must involve "owning" the text corporately. of course, there is room for authority and leadership and trained theologians. but their responsibility is not to spout all they know, but to increase Scriptural literacy and humility in interpretation (the truth will out!) so that the Scripture is indeed primary (rather than the preacher's interpretation of Scripture).
so, i'm preaching a different way this Sunday. part one: i'm guiding discussion about repentance. what is it? how do we embody it? what themes can be traced through stories about repentance? part two: i'm preaching mark 1:14-15, with an eye to what we have just discussed. part three: i'm asking the question, "if kingdom of God points in this direction, and repentance involves this, how do we now embody and live repetance, as Jesus calls us to?" where have we misunderstood kingdom and need to repent? what does this involve and entail?
thoughts? comments? questions? what does repentance mean?
anyway, i'm still thinking about preaching. if i take seriously the nature of the Scripture and remember that it the OT was oral to begin with, and that letters were read aloud in the NT churches, then something may need to change with how i preach. the text becomes not the pastor's to proclaim, but the community's to submit to; but the community can only submit to what they know and interpret. so, preaching must involve "owning" the text corporately. of course, there is room for authority and leadership and trained theologians. but their responsibility is not to spout all they know, but to increase Scriptural literacy and humility in interpretation (the truth will out!) so that the Scripture is indeed primary (rather than the preacher's interpretation of Scripture).
so, i'm preaching a different way this Sunday. part one: i'm guiding discussion about repentance. what is it? how do we embody it? what themes can be traced through stories about repentance? part two: i'm preaching mark 1:14-15, with an eye to what we have just discussed. part three: i'm asking the question, "if kingdom of God points in this direction, and repentance involves this, how do we now embody and live repetance, as Jesus calls us to?" where have we misunderstood kingdom and need to repent? what does this involve and entail?
thoughts? comments? questions? what does repentance mean?
posted by Aaron Perry at
1:20 PM
4 Comments:
i'd be interested to hear your thoughts on these thoughts on monday
in regards to repentance, the 1st thing that comes to mind in mark 1:15 is that these people had been buried by kingdom after kingdom (babylon, persia, greece, rome) and were probably (practically) living hopeless, defeated lives. And so repentance for them was almost the same thing as believing. It was a move from 'giving up' toward 'hoping again'. But not just a distant hope. A very close hope.
So repentance was a move from defeat to victory...but instead of by force, by surrender. That's repentance to me in that passage.
THis post has nothing to do with hwas and preaching. But I just have to say:
(1) Mike Duffy should run for PM
(2) The Conservatives will win the Canadian election, the only question now is by how much.
(3) Paul Martin clearly has the leads from Fubar as his campaign managers.
Some Guy
this comment has nothing to do with H or preaching either, but i have been saying for a long time that the Conservatives will win the election! :)
i had a pastor who preached the way you intend to---with discussion---getting us to own the Scripture story and causing us to place ourselves within it. it was one of the best sermons i've ever heard, er, scrach that, not "heard" but "participated in." i still remember the main points. it's been six years. let us know how it goes, yah?
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