山道期刊

The Lively Voice of the Gospel in the Twenty First Century

Raymond BAILEY

The global village has become a reality in the 21st century. The result of such reality entails the context of political and religious pluralism. This article suggests that preaching in this post-modern and secular context need to revive the lively voice of the Gospel. This article points out that the lively voice of the Gospel is one that speaks to a particular people in a particular temporal and cultural context. In fact, this praxis of preaching presupposes a fundamental and dynamic view of the living God who has not ceased speaking to His creation as it is clearly witnessed by His work through the prophets, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Preaching, however, is not merely a task of presenting the past; it must be a re-presentation of the Gospel to the present. In the process of re-presenting the Gospel, preaching must not lose sight of cultural factors. Along this line, effective preaching in the 21st century would not be possible without considering the parties involved in the communication of the Gospel: the preacher, the text (enlightened by the Holy Spirit), and the community. This article demonstrates that from the hermeneutical perspective, preaching in the 21st century should be conversational and sensitive to cultural conditions. Such a prospect of proclaiming the Gospel integrates Christian traditions with the indigenous elements of the host cultures, so that the development of the centers of Christian influence may not be limited to the West.

Using Metaphorical Language in Preaching: With Matthew 6:22-23 as an Example

Takayasu FURUKAWA     Poling J. SUN

This article argues that the use of metaphorical language is crucial for making preaching an event in which the listener would experience revelatory reality. The article begins with a study of the definitions of preaching from three perspectives of understanding: New Testament, theology, and homiletics. The study clarifies preaching as revelatory address of Jesus’ continuous work through the Holy Spirit, which realizes the salvific event of Jesus Christ in the hearer and nurtures the faith of the community of God’s people by creating a fresh textual impact. The article further examines the task, foundation, and artistic aspects of preaching. The triune God being the foundation of Christian proclamation, preaching as a task consists of hermeneutical and rhetorical facets. These dimensions of preaching adapt the preached word to the life context of the hearer, whose cultural situation is uniquely different from that of the original hearers of the gospel. This article then proceeds to introduce metaphorical language, as the locus of God’s revelation, that is most fitting for creating a fresh textual impact. In the final part of this article, Matthew 6:22-23 is utilized to illustrate the use of metaphorical language in preaching.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and His Homiletics

Andres S. TANG

D. Bonhoeffer followed the tradition of the reformation in which “the proclamation of the divine Word is the divine Word”. For him, proclamation of the divine word is not only the presence of the Word but it is the divine Word. This is because the divine Word is incarnate in Jesus Christ as the one who takes up humanity. In the same way, this incarnate Word takes up the human word in the proclamation so as to be present in the pulpit. This paper aims at articulating Bonhoeffer’s understanding of proclamation in terms of preparation of the Word, proclamation of the Word, and follow-up subsequent to the proclamation of the Word. For Bonhoeffer there is only one point to say of homiletics, namely, that the preacher must make room for the divine word. Reading the Bible through listening to, meditating on, and waiting for God’s Word in silence not only helps one to avoid the interruption of human’s subjective idea but also helps one to form a sermon of God’s Word. In the proclamation the preacher should be the servant and not the master of the divine Word. He/She is under the judgment and salvation of the Word as well. Humility, truthfulness and genuineness are the proper attitudes of the preacher in the proclamation of the divine Word. God’s Word does not cease working in the minds and hearts of the preacher and the congregation after the act of preaching. He/She has to continue listening to God’s Word and begin the ministry of pastoral care with the proclaimed Word.

The Paschal Message of Athanasius

Nathan K. NG

Because of the modern awareness of hidden biases against heresies in orthodox historical sources, scholars nowadays tend to re-examine them critically so that a fairer early church history may be reconstructed. Following this trend, a revival of Athanasian studies has appeared in the last few decades. While some still praise him as a saint, others denounce him as a liar or a gangster. A survey of those works criticizing the bishop shows that they all focus mainly on the so-called historical writings of Athanasius, making no attempt to do justice to his ascetical, homiletic, exegetical and doctrinal treatises. By analyzing his paschal message, this study tries to reevaluate the pastoral concern of the bishop, and hence his personality and spirituality.

After investigating Athanasius’ paschal message with special consideration of his life situation, the author finds that the Alexandrian bishop was actually very interested in religious devotion. He put much more effort on spiritual guidance of his flock than on political struggle with his opponents. Even at the time when he was severely oppressed, pastoral support still occupied a considerable part of his mind. The festal writings reveal that he was more like a pastor than a gangster. The modern negative portrait of the historical Athanasius should be reassessed.

Giving Food at the Proper Time: The Beginning of a Sermon

MAN Chin Tao

According to the gospel tradition, “Giving food at the proper time” is an attitude that shows a steward’s loyalty to his/her master. This attitude has been applied to and becomes significant in the preaching ministry. The emphasis of giving food at the proper time is often understood as preaching a message that is relevant to the congregation. Yet the question remains, what is the function of “relevance” in the preaching ministry? 

This article attempts to address this question from three stages: 1. The message of a sermon: focusing on the nourishment of an idea that is relevant to the congregation. 2. The structure of a sermon: discussing the design and strategy of a sermon. 3. The delivery of a sermon: discussing how a preacher may effectively present his/her sermon. This article suggests that these three stages of preaching point to the significance of the congregation. A sermon that is relevant to the congregation need not mean placating the congregation; it is however true that the congregation’s need defines whether a sermon is relevant and effective.

Lectionary Preaching: History, Theology, and Praxis

Poling J. SUN

For many Chinese Christians under the Free Church tradition lectionary preaching is a hidden treasure, the value of which is yet to be appreciated. This article suggests that a study of the rise, use and development of lectionary in the history of Christian churches throw light on understanding the theology and significance of lectionary preaching. This article also addresses and discusses the merit and limitation of lectionary preaching.