Lessons on God from Biblical Genre: Narrative, Apocalyptic, More…

February 28, 2011February 18, 2011 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Springing off D A Carson’s recent lecture on this subject, let’s look at a couple more genres, and add a few more for good measure (he was limited to just over an hour).

Narrative – Carson suggested that narrative is a very nuanced genre, allowing for significant fine tuning for the complexities of life. As a preaching implication I would suggest that every narrative should be entered into fully, rather than touched on en route to a more generic sermon proposition. Allow the full colour and vivid richness of human identification to work its way with power into the thoughts and hearts of the listeners. Their lives are also full colour and vividly rich (often in complexity, challenge, doubts and struggles).

Apocalyptic – Carson suggested that apocalyptic literature reminds us that it is already known who wins in the end. To be fair his time was running out and he gave no indication that he was avoiding this part of the potential content. Many do, though. Thus it is either neglected, or any reference to it quickly becomes an excessive lesson in apocalyptic genre explanations that can leave the listener wondering if there is anything that can be understood from this genre. I suggest we need to think more carefully about how to honour God’s self-revelation through this genre.

Prophecy – Carson made no mention to this, but his time was gone. It is important to understand both the overlap and the distinctions between apocalyptic and prophetic writing. Prophecy speaks of God’s intimate involvement in the present (His concern, His responsiveness, His interest in the present) and His ultimate sovereignty in the future (His plans, His purposes, His right to rule in this world, in time and eternity). Again, as preachers, we should not fear or avoid prophecy. We should preach it. Surely it is one of the richest biblical genres in so many ways.

Poetry – Carson spoke of wisdom literature. I would want to ponder the particular features of poetry too, both within the wisdom corpus, and beyond it in places like Miriam’s song, or Hannah’s song, etc. Doesn’t the volume of poetry in the Bible tell us something of God’s love for artistic forms of communication, and his awareness of the needs of the human heart (not proposition-free, but more than “merely propositional”).

Final comment from Carson: “The problem is that we live in a culture that loves moral ambiguity for it’s own sake. At the end of Job, God wins, and don’t ever forget it. If we only had the narrative of David’s life we might have excuse for immorality. If you only had Psalm 1 you’d be encouraged or crushed, no subtlety, no recognition of the complex nature of each of us. But in God’s perfect wisdom He has given us apocalyptic and wisdom to tell us he doesn’t bend or grade on a curve. But he also gives narratives to show us how complex we are.”

As humans we need all the genre. As preachers we must give what is needed.

Lessons on God from Biblical Genre: Wisdom

February 25, 2011March 1, 2011 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

In the past two days I have shared D A Carson’s suggested lessons from the epistolary and history genres of Scripture. What does the design of wisdom literature suggest about God, and are there implications for us as preachers?

Carson suggested the following: While there are many kinds of wisdom literature in the Bible, it is interesting how much of it thinks in polarities. Either you follow Dame Wisdom or your follow Lady Folly. The righteous and the wicked. Jesus followed in this line as a wisdom preacher. With Jesus there was no middle-sized gate, no alternative ‘cheaper than rock but stronger than sand’ foundation.

While there is potency in such polarity preaching, Carson suggested that if you only ever preach Psalm 1 to your congregation you will end up with a congregation of legalists or hypocrites (for who can truly apply the avoidance of all godless counsel?)

Implications for our preaching? I would suggest:

1. We live in a time when most people don’t seem willing to stand for anything, including many preachers. Let us have the courage to present reality in the bold relief of wisdom literature polarities.

2. I think that the “two ladies” undergirding theme in Proverbs is a much under-utilized piece of preaching power-fuel. That was also a strange sentence, but I’ll let it stand.

3. We need to preach wisdom literature. Some preachers never do.
We mustn’t always preach wisdom literature. A few preachers might.

4. We should use the opportunity to train listeners how to handle this significant part of the canon (this would apply to all my posts in this series).

Lessons on God from Biblical Genre – Carson … part 2

February 22, 2011February 18, 2011 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

So yesterday we considered how the diversity of genres precludes the notion of containing God in a neat systematic definition. We also considered the variety of modes of inspiration. D A Carson offered three other lessons from the diversity of genre in Scripture:

3. The Biblical treatment of interaction between God and human beings are preserved not only in affirmations and commands and propositions, but in stunning depictions.

How true and how easy it is for preachers to take the stunning depictions and turn them into something less stunning. Now a well-crafted propositional statement should capture the essence of a passage, but the goal is not word-craft, rather it is life transformation in response to the Word of God. When that Word offers stunning depiction via narrative, or poetry, or prophetic oracle, or whatever, then our task is to re-present that!

4. The diversity of materials placed along an historical axis, generate some of the most important trajectories of the Bible. Carson gave the example of Melchizedek, and how the progress of revelation through the three key passages makes such a powerful statement about the purposes of God.

As preachers we need to help people see the beauty of Scripture, and the unity coming from the Author who inspired the whole.

5. Sometimes there are interesting lessons to be learned from the diversity within the literary genres. Carson spoke of the diversity within wisdom literature, or in the gospels. Actually, he highlighted that there is one Gospel and it isn’t a book. Just as you cannot say to a newsreader, “announce the news, and if necessary use words,” he pointed out the nonsense of the quote attributed to St Francis of Assisi along similar lines. The gospel has to be proclaimed, by definition it is news.

Let’s be encouraged that our ministry of proclaiming and announcing the message of the Bible is a vital and necessary ministry!

So that is five thoughts in respect to the diversity of genre in the Bible. Tomorrow I will start to look at the specific lessons from specific genre, along with comment in respect to the preaching task.

Lessons on God from Biblical Genres – Carson

February 21, 2011February 18, 2011 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I recently attended a lecture by D A Carson on the biblical genres and what they teach us about God. I’d like to share some of his points and reflect on them a bit in terms of the preacher’s task.

Carson began by asking why didn’t God give us a systematic theology? Or why didn’t God give us a holy book like the Qu’ran? I’m tempted to pause there and ask whether our preaching reflects the diverse nature of Scripture, or whether we tend to preach systematic theology or uniform religious instruction . . . but I won’t.

The first part of the lecture considered what the diversity of genres tell us about God, then the second part looked at some specific examples from specific genres. So, five things the diversity of genres tell us about God.

1. Although many true things can be said about God, he cannot be domesticated, boxed and neatly defined. He spoke of how the formalized categories of systematic theology always get stretched by narratives, giving examples in reference to sovereignty, aseity, impassibility.

Seems to me there is always a danger of superimposing supposedly orthodox theology on the Bible. Sometimes the Bible does not quite seem to fit with a system forged in fires not fuelled by inspired revelation alone. Nevertheless, let us certainly heed the warning, as preachers, to not think clear explanation and structure can somehow exhaustively present God.

2. The diversity of literary genres attest different modes of inspiration. Unlike the Qu’ran or book of Mormon, Scripture is God-breathed in different ways.

What does this mean for our preaching? I suppose we shouldn’t flatten inspiration into some kind of dictation concept, or other restricted view. From my perspective I feel there should be wonder at the diversity of inspiration modes God used, and therefore response at what a great revealer God we have (i.e. He wasn’t restricted to getting people into a trance and then giving magic messages).

Tomorrow I will continue this list of five lessons from the diversity of genre in the Bible.

Preaching Trends

February 5, 2009February 6, 2009 / Peter Mead / 2 Comments

We need to be aware of preaching trends. Like all trends, they come and go over time, influencing some while leaving others untouched. Trends can be overt and in your face, or subtle shifts that sweep people along unawares. For instance, D.A. Carson writes concerning the current focus on preaching narrative:

The current focus on narrative preaching has rightly broadened the older emphasis on discourse passages from the Bible. If it helps us better handle all the genres of Scripture faithfully and responsibly, it will be to the good. If it merely tips us from one cultural preference (viz., discourse) to another (viz., narrative), we have not gained anything. Indeed, because narrative is intrinsically more hermeneutically “open” than discourse, the move may merely contribute toward moving us away from truth. How much better to remain faithful to biblical truth yet simultaneously focused on Scripture’s existential bite. (Preach the Word, 185.)

This quote helpfully points out several truths about “trends.” (1) A trend is neither good nor bad in itself, it should be evaluated as part of the broader picture of church ministry. (2) A trend may be justifiable on one level, but may bring with it side effects or net results that are more sinister. (3) Potentially sinister net results do not automatically disqualify a trend as worthy of our consideration.

Let’s be neither shallow homileto-fashionistas, jumping from one pulpit bandwagon to the next, nor stubborn traditionalists unwilling to learn, thinking we know all we need to know, and committed to increasing irrelevance. We need to be aware of preaching trends. We need to be discerning.