When
you listen to the homily on Sunday mornings, what do you hear? Do you
hear the Word of God proclaimed, or do you hear the opinion of the
preacher? There is a difference between a sermon and an editorial.
Unfortunately, this distinction has been blurred (or even lost) in many
of the mainline churches--including many of our Episcopal pulpits. Editorializing
is a popular method of communication in America. It is a powerful form
of argumentative and persuasive rhetoric. We have all, at one time or
another, been stirred, convicted, and empowered by the speeches of
politicians, social critics, civil rights leaders, and clergy.
Thought-provoking editorials appear in newspapers, magazines, and on
television. They sway public opinion, expose injustice, and sharpen
critical thinking. Sermons, of course, do all of these things,
as well. But the word "sermon" is not a synonym for an editorial spoken
in a church building. Editorials hang on the phrase, whether spoken or
implied, "Let me tell you what I think." Sermons hang on the phrase
"Thus says the Lord." There should be a difference between an
insightful--or angry--speaker (editorial) and a prophet of God (sermon).
The key distinction between the two forms of proclamation is how
Scripture is used. Is the biblical text used as an illustration of the
message? If so, this is editorializing. When you listen to (or preach)
your next sermon, take note of how the Bible is used. In too many
instances, you will see that clergy quote the Bible the same way they
quote Shakespeare--simply to illustrate their own message. A
sermon, however, should be based on the Scriptures. The message needs
to depend on the biblical text. When we read the early preachers, such
as St. John Chrysostom, we see that their messages are steeped in
Scripture. While the preacher needs to be able to address contemporary
issues, he or she must do so with Scripture as the foundation. In our
own Anglican heritage, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (responsible for
translating a significant portion of the King James Version of the Old
Testament) is held up as an example of the Patristic model of
preaching. We would do well to follow his example. Take the topic of justice. A great text is found in Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good: and what does the LORD
require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God?" A sermon on this passage would uncover what
kinds of injustices Micah was addressing, such as poverty, bribery, and
extortion. When the preacher exposes parallels between the injustices
of Micah's day and those of our own, that preacher is delivering a
sermon. If, however, the preacher lifts the word "justice" out of the
text and uses it to promote, for instance, a controversial social
agenda like redefining marriage, then that preacher is editorializing.
Even orthodox clergy can fall into the trap of editorializing. The
fact that they happen to speak the truth is not enough. One can deliver
a perfectly orthodox message in which the Bible only serves as an
illustration or a point of reference. Sir Walter Scott's "Oh what a
tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive" is orthodox.
One could produce a great message on truthfulness using this text. But
the text itself had no authority. It merely (or powerfully, even)
highlights the speaker's point. Is the Bible used this way in the
sermons you hear or preach? True biblical preaching draws
attention away from the speaker and to the text and the God it
testifies about. The hearer cannot respond to true biblical preaching
with "That's what you think," without seriously undermining the
authority of the text, not the speaker. When the listener responds to
true biblical preaching, either positively or negatively, the listener
is responding to God, not the speaker. The difference lies mainly in
where the Scriptures stand in relation to the speaker. In an editorial,
the Scriptures stand below
the speaker, along with any other good illustrations of the speaker's
point. No matter how noble the cause, the speaker is in charge. In a
sermon, the Scriptures stand above
the speaker, and above any other good illustrations the speaker may
choose to use to highlight what the Scriptures are saying. No matter
how challenging the cause, God's Word is in charge. What will
happen if we have more authoritative, biblical preaching in our
pulpits? Religious literacy will increase. Discipleship will be
empowered. Lives will be changed--the lives of hearers as well as the
lives of the preachers.
* This article is expanded from my article first appearing on the former postanglidoxy.org site.