Concerning Humanity
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 59, No. 1 – Fall 2016
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Steven W. Smith. Nashville: B&H, 2015. 230 pages. Paperback. $24.99.
If the Bible is full of literary variety, why is the preaching of the Bible often predictable and structurally repetitive? Three points and a poem was an overstated cliché a generation ago; unfortunately modified to three points and a story in many modern pulpits. But does it have to be so Sunday after Sunday? It should not be so according to Steven W. Smith in his latest work, Recapturing the Voice of God: Shaping Sermons Like Scripture.
Smith makes the case that the pitch, rate, and volume (literary genre) of the biblical text is often ignored in the excavation of a biblical text for preaching points. Once the truth is mined, the form of the text is discarded and the sermon is developed utilizing a propositional homiletical form. In the first chapter, Smith introduces an alternative grounded in the revelation of Christ. We encounter the full image of the Father revealed in both the person and ministry of Christ through the Spirit-given biblical text. The iconic nature of Christ as the image of the Father invites the preacher to avoid a false dichotomy between the propositional truth found in Scripture and the genre in which we receive that truth.
In the second chapter, Smith argues that our sermons should convey not only the substance of the text, but also be influenced by the structure (semantic shape of the passage) and spirit (emotive design of the biblical author) of the text. He offers a helpful caution that some biblical genres are not easily imitated in a sermon (such as a poetry and proverbs). The call is for re-animation and not slavish imitation of the genre structure at all times in the sermon.
Three axioms guide the development of the rest of the book: (1) The sermon should reflect the genre; (2) there are at least nine discernable genres; (3) preaching those genres may be facilitated by mastering three basic templates. The three literary templates are story, poem/wisdom, and letter. Story is further divided into Old Testament Narrative, Law, Gospel/Acts, and Parables (chaps. 4–7). Psalms, Wisdom Literature, and Prophecy are listed under the template of Poem/Wisdom (chaps. 8–10). The final letter template includes both the Epistles and Revelation (chaps. 11–12).
In each genre specific chapter, Smith provides broad hermeneutical guidelines specific to the genre along with specific steps for developing that particular genre into a sermon. He helpfully includes cautions and guidance in preaching Christ from each biblical genre. These often come in the form of exegetical fallacies to avoid. For example, we read that in historical narratives the preacher must avoid the three-fold temptation of moralizing, spiritualizing, and allegorizing.
One of the most helpful contributions of each genre chapter is the “sample sermon.” While a full sermon manuscript is not presented, the overall development and structure is given in an outline form. This reader would have benefited from a fully formed sermon manuscript to give more than the structure of the sermon but also to engage the full substance of the sermon.
For the pastor, Smith’s work offers a helpful guide that moves him from the interpretation of a text to the composition of a message. A pastor could consistently draw upon the insights of this work to stimulate the creative movement from interpretation to sermon development. One will not find hard and fast rules for sermon structure here, lest he be tempted to replace one predictable sermonic structure for another.
Another helpful contribution is the suggested readings at the end of each chapter along with a clearly organized bibliography. Smith points the reader to a broad array of current hermeneutical and homiletical works that expand his engagement with each literary genre. Every pastor would be served well by consulting these suggested readings prior to beginning (and during) a series in the appropriate genre of Scripture.
For the homiletician, Smith builds on the work of two previous contributions to the field of genre-sensitive preaching. He expands on both Thomas Long’s Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible (1988) and Jeffrey Arthurs’ Preaching with Variety (2007). His decision to provide clear steps from interpretation to sermon composition along with the sample sermon outline are helpful improvements upon the previous works. Both Long’s and Arthurs’ works serve primarily as homiletical introductions to selected literary genres. Smith puts sermonic flesh on their homiletical and hermeneutical bones. Smith additionally expands the scope of coverage of Long and Arthurs by adding his chapters on the law, Gospel/Acts, and prophecy.
For both the preacher and the homiletician, Smith has provided a significant contribution that will aid many generations of preachers in creating sermons that are shaped by not only the substance, but also the structure and spirit of the text. I am confident that the Spirit of God will use this work so that preachers and congregants will be shaped by the voice of God revealed in the preached Word.
