Knowing the Context: Frames, Tools, and Signs for Preaching

by James R. Nieman (Editor)

While everyone might affirm that preaching needs to engage itslisteners deeply, the initial move for novice preachers is to thinkthis can be attained by livelier content and delivery of the sermon.All too quickly, however, one learns that there are many factorsbeyond what a preacher says and how she or he may say it thataffect whether proclamation can actually be heard. Effectivepreaching requires the complex work of knowing the contextin which preaching occurs, while avoiding the twin dangersof pandering to a situation's particulars or generalizing theminto stereotypes. Knowing the Context reveals how to engagecontexts for preaching, especially ways to examine contexts moreresponsibly, so that the sermon might more amply bring the wordof Scripture to bear on the worlds and lives of listeners. In one of the initial titles in the Elements of Preaching series,James Nieman shows how preaching is oriented to specific locales,cultural situations, audiences, and occasions. Unlike other booksthat tell preachers how to preach to specific audiences, Knowingthe Context helps readers analyze the situations in which they findthemselves and shows how text and context are in a continuingdialogue and how to tailor sermons to their context. Keyed toonline sermon samples and other Web-based features to enhanceteaching.

Genres: Theology

102 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what this book was going to be about when I began reading it as an e-book. I thought it had an interesting premise. Like other books in the series, it seeks to ground its principles in a concrete example that it traces throughout the book. The example was moderately interesting.

The book was written from a liberal theological perspective in a church culture which follows the liturgical calendar. This context is unfamiliar to me and I have some significant reservations with the approach to biblical text that this book presumes even though it spends little time discussing how to use the biblical text since the focus is on analysing and speaking to the congregational context.

My biggest issue with the book, though, is that it tries to introduce skills without really explaining them, and it does so in a very wordy manner. There were some interesting ideas - about the use of signs and images - but only probably about a journal article's worth.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid introduction to practicing contextual preaching more regularly.