I read this post on “The Problem of Preaching” over at Drew Goodmanson’s site and it caused me to think about our need to articulate a solid apologetic for preaching the word rather than miming it, acting it out, or sitting in a lotus position meditating about it. By the way, Drew posted this to show how others view the act of preaching, not that he agrees (a very necessary disclaimer!).

I thought I would post my response here as well.

I think one of a few things we as the universal church need to do is offer a thoughtful apologetic on why we preach. I’m seriously thinking about teaching this at SDSU. Why do we preach? Why do we come to church? What is the church?

Most of the questions raised today about preaching start with certain presuppositions about what it is. I think we need to get to their reasons for dismissing preaching and deal with that. There is nothing that can replace the need for the preached word, nothing. I know that is a strong statement, but that is because I have a high view of the preaching of the gospel and kingdom. Whether in Pauline thinking where the preached gospel brings life (justification) or in the gospels where Christ preached the gospel of the kingdom, both need to be first and foremost announced and proclaimed since one can not be disconnected from the other. No, this doesn’t need to happen only in a gathered context. It can and should be part of our scattered worship on a daily basis as well. Yet, when the called out people of God gather together for worship, the word and sacrament is the primary means of Christian nutrition. To dismiss or degrade preaching is not only to slip into a different form, it is to move from nutrition of the saints to malnutrition.

To me the whole discussion is one of authority and proclamation in the emerging church. God has called elders to himself to preach the word in season and out of season. These men are given the unique task of making the word of God understandable and applicable to the whole of life as the Lordship of Christ begins to dominate every aspect of our thinking, feeling, and doing. To do away with preaching, is to do away with the primary method that God has used through multiple generations and a variety of cultural and religious contexts to announced His kingdom. What gospel are we brining if not the gospel proclaimed? It isn’t simple an invitation to repent and believe, it is a command spoken in humble yet courageous authority by human instruments. I won’t get into the history of kingdom announcements within and outside of the Christian message, but suffice to say, when we look at the kingdom and its message carefully, and when we consider the centrality of the message of the gospel, the gospel message is not a series of nice philosophical musings to be pondered in a social “what does this mean to you” setting (not that that can’t happen too), it is a message announced, proclaimed, preached, which clearly describes who the true Lord of the universe is, what he’s done, and how you can have peace with Him through the finished work of Jesus the Christ who bled to death on a Roman cross, gave up His spirit at death, and who raised again defeating our great enemies of sin, Satan, and death. This is very basic of course, but I use this to demonstrate that at the core of what Paul and the apostles and disciples actions when they went out into the harvest, was not just social justice (though important), not just gathering and reflective community (though important), but faithfully, fearfully, humbly, and with great pain, tears, and toil they preached the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to all who would hear, resulting not in human comfort but in their death. They died because they dared to preach against the idols of this world and the false messiahs and false kings who attempted to take thrones reserved for the Lord Jesus. They died precisely because of preaching the gospel, not by avoiding it. This is why mobs and riots were upsetting to the local magistrates. These men came and preached foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. God uses the preached word as the primary means of salvation since in it is contained the message of truth communicated from truth incarnate, Jesus Christ by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit which loves to take this preached word and press it into the heart of those marked out for salvation from before time began.

I know it isn’t popular in a postmodern context because in this issue are wrapped up problems with epistemology, authority, inspiration, ecclesiology, and host of other issues our generation is forever inventing ways to dismiss and twist into a feel-good discussions of deep introspection to plumb the depths of your soul to find the truth within. As noble as the quest may be to rethink our methodology (and I do think it is a healthy thing to think through especially in our day) there is no nobility in obscuring the preaching of the gospel or rejecting the authority of its content.