Learning from my students

Today in class I encountered the first significant issue (that I’m aware of) where the culture of the Philippine church is in conflict with some of what I am teaching. In particular, I have been teaching that the best preaching begins in the world of the hearers. That is, rather than starting with the text and just assuming that people are ready to learn from the text, preachers should start in the world of the hearers and then take them into the text.

Thankfully, my students very graciously said that the expectation in the Philippine church is very different from that. In particular, until the preacher reads the text, people feel free to ignore what he is saying. Reading the text signals that things are beginning.

But even more significantly, if a preacher really intends to begin in the world of the hearers rather than in the Bible, people will assume that his ideas are just his own and not those of the Bible. Chronologically starting the sermon in today’s world suggests that the thoughts of the sermon also begin in today’s world rather than in the Bible.

It is very kind of my students to help me see this since I will be preaching this Sunday, and I was going to preach with my normal pattern of starting in the world of the hearers. Had I done that, they would have concluded that I was heretical! Thank you to my students!

So what will I do? I plan begin with the reading of the text to alert people to the source of my sermon and my commitment to the Bible as the source of the message. I am then thinking of discussing the setting of the text and making a connection to today’s world. Then I’ll do what I might normally have done as an introduction and continue with the sermon.

I’m not sure if that is the best approach, but certainly it is better than what I would have done!

The fun for the class is that Monday morning the students have to preach for me and the rest of the class. It will be very interesting! In a preaching course, traditionally there is a significant shift that takes place somewhere about half way through the course from delivery of content to student production and feedback. They have to preach as we put into practice things we’ve talked about.

For me personally, it sounds like we will have a chance to get out and see some sights this weekend. I am looking forward to that! Then I preach on Sunday and we jump into our second week of class. It has been going very quickly! I pray that our experiences have been valuable to my students.