LeavenVolume 3Issue 4 Special Studies Article 10

1-1-1995

Preaching Biblical and Modern: A Review Essay ofPT Forsyth's "Positive Preaching and the ModernMind"Markus McDowell

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Recommended CitationMcDowell, Markus (1995) "Preaching Biblical and Modern: A Review Essay of PT Forsyth's "Positive Preaching and the ModernMind"," Leaven: Vol. 3: Iss. 4, Article 10.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol3/iss4/10

30 Leaven, vol. 3, #4

Preaching Biblical and Modern

A Review Essay of P.T. Forsyth'sPositive Preaching and

the Modern Mind

by Markus McDowell

Modern preaching runs the gamut of style,method and content. An examination of preachingacross the country on any given Sunday would ex-hibit sermons that range from secular moralizing toinspired prophecy. Culture plays a large part in this,but the purpose, content and message should alwaysremain the same across cultures and ages. There isa real danger that the biblical modelofpreaching canbe lost in attempts to speak to a specific group ofpeople in a specific place at a specific period inhistory. Therefore, it is important for preachers tofind sources that remind them of what "biblicalpreaching" means. There have been scores ofbookson the subject over the centuries; many useful andothers destructive. One of the classical books onpreaching is P. T. Forsyth's Positive Preachingand the Modern Mind. Although written at thebeginning ofthis century, it still has tremendous andapplicable insights for preachers today. Forsyth'swritings have influenced scoresofthe best preachersand theologians over the decades, and they continueto do so. In light ofthe impact Forsyth has had, it isbeneficial to discoverhowPositive Preaching andthe Modern Mind can inform biblical preaching inthe late twentieth century.

The most excellent part of Forsyth's book(actually a series oflectures) is the thought-provok-ing and even inspiring content. Forsyth not onlyshows himself to be an excellent scholar, but also apractical theologian, preacher and pastor-it is notjust knowledge he shares, but experience as well.This makes the content all the more helpful to thosewho are actually in the pulpit. He has been there,and it shows. Forsyth believes that "the Christian

preacher is not the successor of the Greekorator, but of the Hebrew prophet. The oratorcomes with but an inspiration, the prophetcomes with revelation" (3). Obviously,this affectshis entire view ofwhat preaching should and shouldnot do. This would mitigate against sermons thatmoralize and encourage self-assurance. Preachersshould "tell men that their natural resourcesare so inadequate for the last purposes of lifeand its worst foes that they need from thesupernatural much more than aid. They needdeliverance, not a helper merely but a Savior"(5, italics mine).

The most difficult part of the book is thestyle. This is so for two reasons. First, it wasoriginally a series of lectures, the form of which didnot change when it went to print. This has a positiveand a negative side. Positive because an oral presen-tation often has a passion and familiarity throughinformality that printed material does not. Butmaterial that was intended to be given orally re-quires some special thinking as one reads. Some-times the flowof thought is difficult to follow.

The seconddifficultyis that the lectures fromwhich the book was written were presented in 1907.The English language has changed quite a bit sincethen, and thus somewords, constructions and idiomsmay not be familiar to the modern reader. But it iswell worth the effort, and subsequent readings willglean new understandings.

Forsyth's bookcovers the subject of preach-ing and the subject of the preacher as well. Tounderstand biblical preaching and what it mightmean in modern times, it is important to start with

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the preacher. What is the preacher's purpose? Fromwhere does his authority derive and what mannerdoes it take? What is the relationship between thepreacher, the congregation, worship and the modernage? These are questions that modem preacherswould do well to ask, and Forsyth deals with everyone ofthem in the first half ofthe book. Without thisfoundation, a preacher cannot really answer thequestion concerningbiblical preaching,because thereare dangers in a preacher who does not understandhis role. ''We need to be defended from hissubjectivity, his excursions, his monotony, hislimitations. We need, moreover, to protect himfrom the peril of preaching himself, or his age.We must all preach to our age, but woe to us ifit is our age we preach, and only hold up themirror to the time" (8). Only after examining theroleofthe preacher doesForsyth then goontodiscusspreaching itself. The last half of the book discussespreaching to a modern age-not so much the meth-ods as the biblical theology of preaching.

Each lecture is presented as a separate chap-ter, and the titles themselves show how effectivelyeach successive chapter builds on the previous: "ThePreacher and His Charter," "The Authority of thePreacher," "ThePreacher and His Church;or Preach-ing as Worship," "The Preacher and the Age,""ThePreacher and ReligiousReality,""Preaching Positiveand Liberal," "Preaching Positive and Modem,""ThePreacher and Modem Ethic," and "The Moral Poi-gnancy of the Cross."

The Preacher and His CharterWhat is the preacher, and what is he not?

This is an excellent beginning, because he discussesthe difference between simply speaking or teaching,and preaching. The Bible must be the preacher'sstarting point. Although most preachers probablyagree, it is important to note what Forsyth means.Preaching is not just using scriptures to back upwhat the preacher wants to say-it is the place to find"what the preacher wants to say." The Bible is thegreatest sermon, and from it all others should come.And this means that a sermon should be kerygma-that which was proclaimed by the apostles, the Gos-pel,the GoodNewsto humankind. Therefore preach-ing is not just the imparting of information, but aGospel which compels "an attitude, a choice, aline to be taken" (31). Rightly so, Forsyth pointsout that even though the Bible is the source of thepreacher, it is probably not so for the hearers. "Ourpeople, as a rule, do not read the Bible, in anysense which makes its language more familiarand dear to them than the language of the novelor the press" (34). If this was true in 1907,it is even

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more so today. In fact, this section is probably morerelevant and applicabletoday than in Forsyth's time-e-and certainly needs to be heard more. Forsyth knowsthe world and knows "modern" preaching, and it isdifficult to disagree with any of the criticisms hemakes. Much ofit strikes home in the contemporarychurch. "It is a Catholic treatment of the Bibleto leave it in the hands of the minister alone.And, unless there be a change, it is to thatProtestantism is coming" (35). And so we areencouraged to tune our preaching to the people's lackof interest in the Bible. Avoid preaching simplydoctrine, scripture proofs, historical facts, or per-sonal experiences. A sermon may include some ofthese things, but only in proper context. "Biblicalpreaching preaches the Gospel and uses theBible, it does not Preach the Bible and use theGospel" (37).

The Authority of the PreacherAgeneral discussion ofthe authority of"The

Preacher" in abstract terms might lead one to miss amost important point of this discussion. "It is use-less to preach the Kingdom when we do notcarry into the center of life the control of aKing. The first duty of every soul is to find notits freedom but its Master" (42). Many churchleaders need to hear this message, for it is so easy toget caught up in the mechanics of preaching, teach-ing and ministering to the detriment oftheir ownlifein relation to their creator. Although this personalnature of the preacher is important, the authoritywhich the preacher has is not personal, nor is it theauthority of the office of the preacher. "It is. anexternal authority, but it is the authority of aninward objective, living, saving God, beforewhose visitation the prophet fades like an ebb-ing voice, and the soul of the martyr criesinvisible from under the altar of the cross" (45).What a powerful concept for preachers to rememberas they step into the pulpit! And this attitude willaffect one's sermons-instead of preaching modernethics and moralism, it is a message from God thatspeaks to our created nature. Without this, thedanger is clear: "... if within us, we find nothingover us, we succumb to what is around us" (47).

In addition, it is here that Forsyth also be-gins to discuss the importance ofmoral relevance inpreaching, whichhe will continue to developthrough-out the rest of the book. Preaching must not moral-ize, but it must be morally relevant, because "...what ails us is not limitation but transgression,not poverty but alienation" (56). Finally, thisauthority comes through Christ, but to the preacherhimself. But it is not because of the person or any

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virtue therein, but because of the sacramental na-ture of preaching. "To accept any kind of mes-sage from a magnetic man is to lose the Gospelin mere impressionism .... The church does notlive by its preachers, but by its Word" (60).

The Preacher and His ChurchorPreaching AsWorship

Forsyth discusses modern practices and atti-tudes of the Church and worship with excellentinsight and perceptive criticism. Some of the lan-guagebeliesthe traditions fromwhichForsythcomes,and may leave many from Restoration and evangeli-cal churches confused by some of the institutionalphrasing and catchwordsofthe older denominations.He makes an excellent point, however, along theselines. He criticizes Roman Catholic practices inmany places,but he makes the followingobservationabout non-Catholicworship: "... the Catholic formof worship will always have a vast advantageover ours so long as people come away from itscentral act with the sense of something done inthe spirit-world, while they leave ours with thesense only of something said to the presentworld. In true preaching, as true sacrament,more is done than said" (81). I can think of nobetter criticism of many evangelical and "back-to-the-Bible"churches, as well as many ofthe Restora-tion churches. Instead of worship being an over-rationalized human endeavor, Forsyth believes that"Every true sermon, therefore, is a sacramen-tal time and act .... We eat and drink judgmentto ourselves as we hear. It is not an utterance,and not a feat, and not a treat" (83). Without thisconceptof preaching, church assemblies are in dan-ger ofbecomingmere socialclubs with the trappingsof religion. This might not diminish a congregationin terms of fellowshipor even enjoyment, but it willdiminish the power inherent in the gospel. There-fore, the preacher has a very specifictask associatedwith his congregation: "His power lies not ininitiation, but in appropriation. And his workis largely to assist the church to a fresh appro-priation ofits own Gospel ... the preacher is notthere to astonish people with the unheard of;he is there to revive them in what they havelong heard" (91). Preaching in this manner thenbecomesan act of worship-it is given to God, it issacramental, it is confessional, it declares the eter-nal. Mostimportant, its focusis on Godand doesnotdivide the peopleofGod into speakers and listenersor place its focus on how dynamic (or drab) thepreacher might be.

The Preacher and the AgeBaseduponthe previousdiscussions,Forsyth

comesto the real topicofthe book. He points out thatat times in the past, the Church has detached itselffrom the world. But Forsyth says this is not proper.Jesus came to the world to save it, and the church isto continue that mission-not simply as social orpoliticalreformers,but foremostas apostles. Forsythcriticizes the historical church that took a standagainst the world,that practiced detachment or evenintolerance rather than accommodation-not lead-ing the world,nor echoingit, onlyconfronting it. Andeventually it became more important as to whichdenomination a personbelongedrather than whetheronewas abelieveror an unbeliever. But Forsyth saysthat in this century the latter question is beingaskedagain. So the church must carefully face this newchallenge, and the preacher's task is to equip thechurch with this message. "Christ is ours notbecause he represents our best but because heredeems our worst ..•. You must not tell menthat the way to understand God is to under-stand the human heart, nor the way to be trueto men is to be true to their own selves" (123).Ashe first begins to discuss this in detail, it almostsounds anti-intellectual oranti-theological. But he iscareful to allay that suspicion. "When I speak ofreduction of belief I do not mean an attenua-tion of belief" (127). In this section Forsyth has anexcellent critique of the post-Enlightenment, ratio-nalistic mind. Therefore he can accurately take totask the modern person who examines a businesspropositionor conducts a scientificexperiment with-out regard to the human condition. At the same time,Forsyth can take to task the preacher/theologian whobores his congregation with a series of detachedscholarly discussions on "predestination," also with-out regard to the human condition. Forsyth's clarityofinsight and balance in this area is impressive. Hecalls for an ethicizing of the reality ofjudgment, amoralizing ofthe eschatology-and bringing it hometo the peoplewhere they live. Yet he does not rejectthe importance of theology and the importance ofintellectual pursuits. ''You are there not simplyto speak what people care to hear but also tomake them care for what you must speak" (137).In today's church climate it is refreshing to hear thisbalance and to hear both extremes justly criticized.

The Preacher and Religious RealityForsyth refers to three diseases of the church:

triviality, uncertainty and complacency.The readermust read closely and understand what he means.By "triviality" he means that religion has becomemerely one "part" ofpeople's lives. It is a hobby,one

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thing among many, instead of an overriding way oflife. "You have bustle all the week and baldnessall the Sunday. You have energy everywhereexcept in the Spirit .... We are more anxious tocover ground than to secure it, to evangelizethe world than to convert it" (171). The knowl-edgeofChrist will not save a person-appropriationofhim will. Expanding on this idea, Forsyth sayswealso suffer from "uncertainty," because we base ourfaith on things other than the holiness ofGod. "Weneed fewer homilies upon 'Fret not' or 'Study tobe Quiet,' fewer essays on 'the Beauty of Holi-ness,' or other aspects of pensive piety. And weneed more sennons on 'Through Him the worldis crucified to me, and I to the world,' or 'Himwho was made sin for us'" (182). The third viceis"complacency": spiritual self-satisfaction, well-to-do-ness, comfort. We need preaching that encour-ages "... the deepening of personal religion! ..

We need experience of Christ in which wethink everything about the Christ and not aboutthe experience. We need that preachers shallnot keep demanding either a faith or love thatwe cannot rise to, bu t shall preach a Christ thatcompels both .... We can never fully say 'Mybrother!' till we have heartily said 'My God;'and we can never heartily say 'My God' till wehave humbly said 'My Guilt!'" (195-96).

Preaching Positive and LiberalToday,"preachingpositive"maymean preaching

self-help, or self-assertiveness, or refraining fromany negativity or criticism. But this is not whatForsyth means by "positive."He means evangelicalpreaching, a preaching based on the Gospel-"thekingdom of God has come near." To Forsyth, thismeans avoidingthe reduction offaith to mere "intel-lectualism with a divine charter"-a criticism thatmight strike homein manyRestorationchurchesandpreachers. But "Preaching Liberal" may be evenmoreofa problemto modernears. The first thoughtthat springs to a modern reader's mind is that ofpoliticalor divided ideologies: liberal and conserva-tive. But Forsyth's intent is to place "liberal theol-ogy"in contrast with what he has said about "preach-ing positive."To him, liberal theology is "... thatwhich begins with some rational canon of lifeor nature ... " (210) instead of beginning withscripture and the Gospel. It is "the substitution ofphilosophical dogma for theological. . .. Pauland Luther cannot dwell with Hegel. The oneis a function of faith, the other is a school ofthought" (209). This may be the most difficultsection of the book, but it is rich in thought andcontent and the study required to understand it is

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well worth the effort. For the preacher, one of themost important thoughts might be that "It was notChristianity that made Paul a Christian, it wasno church. It was not even the story of Jesus;it was personal contact with Christ. It was hisinvasion by Christ" (226). And Forsyth says thatthis kind of preaching must include a sense of thetragic and the need for redemption. It is this kind ofpreaching that is biblical and therefore "positive,"asopposedto rationalized schoolsof thought which hecalls "liberal."

Preaching Positive and ModernIf one has the proper understanding ofwhat

Forsyth means bypositive and liberal, then the term"modern"makes sense and builds to Forsyth's con-clusion. He doesnot mean that preaching succumbsto modern philosophy and social/cultural thinking,but rather preaching meets the culture where it findsit. But it must put Christ in the middleofthe currentsituation so that the message may work with themwherethey are. Forsyth spends several pages stress-ing that Godmust be the center. Wemust not startwith man and move to God. Rather, "... the firstconcern of Christ was with God and not withman. It was with God's holiness, and its accen-tuation of man's sin. He poured out his soulunto death, not to impress man but to confessGod. Therefore he impresses man infinitely,inexhaustibly" (254). The next step is that themessagemust beethicized-but onlyas it progressesfromthe cross to the cultural condition,not the otherway around. (As before, Forsyth criticizes simplemoralizingofthe biblical narratives as well.) This iscertainly a message that modern Christian preach-ers need to hear, for it is so often that the Churchsuccumbs to the culture instead of bringing a mes-sageto it. Again,Forsyth's insight into the Bibleandinto modern culture is relevant and timeless.

The Preacher and Modern EthicHere is where Forsyth's passion and theo-

logicalinsights really shine. There are moments ofinspired preaching here-written examples ofwhathe has been saying all along. "Men must achievethemselves, and acquire their soul, rather thanthink correctly. The theologian, for instance,should first not be a philosopher but a savedman, with eternal life working in him. Chris-tian theology is the theology not of illumina-tion but of conversion" (305). "He was a God ofgrace, but of grace that could never sacrificeHis moral nature, or simply waive His moralorder" (313)."Man's chief aim is not to make themost of himself, but to glorify a holy God by the

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holiness which alone can satisfy holiness" (319).What excellentexamples ofhis arguments. Each onedrives home what we need to be hearing today inmodemchurches-churches that haveforgottenwhatthe message should be. "It is not the teaching ofJesus that interprets the Cross; it is the Crossthat interprets the teaching of Jesus" (322).Andonecanhear Forsythpreaching these things fromthepulpit with passion and authority, without wateringdown or taking care not to offendsensibilities.

The Moral Poignancy of the CrossForsyth has ably and accurately determined

that preaching the gospel is to bring healing to amorallybankrupt world. This is notjust a worldgoneastray, or wandered off,it is "a society that is sickto death .•. we have to deal with a radical evilin human nature ...• We have not only torestore the prodigal but to reorganize the house-hold of the elder brother" (341). How can onedisagree with these statements as we watch theevening news, examine the history of humankind'sdealings with one another and even look at themodem church itself? And so the Gospel of Jesusmust be ethicized if it is to be a healing message. Aquick reading of the four gospels will show thatForsyth is on track. Jesus came healing and caring,reaching the sinful where they were, and lifting upthe downtrodden, the outcasts, the sin-sick. Howcouldthis message have been lost in modem preach-ing? And yet, as Forsyth so aptly points out, it hasbeen lost in many ways. "We have churches of thenicest, kindest people, who have nothing apos-tolic or missionary, who never knew the soul'sdespair or its breathless gratitude. God be-comes either a spectacular and inert God, or a

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God who acts amiably with the strictness ofaffection at best, and not the judgment of sanc-tity ... " (355). What an accurate assessment of somanymodemchurchesand modernChristians. "Theintellectualism of the church, and thecounterintellectualism of its critics, havesucked the sap and vigor from its ethic" (372).Biblicalpreaching repeats the Biblemessage, beginswith God,puts the cross at the center, and containsthe power ofGod to redeem us from sin. "Christ isGod forgiving. He does not help us to God, Hebrings God. In Him God comes ... we mustpreach Christ and not merely about Christ, soChrist does not merely bring access to God, Hebrings God" (353).

As stated before, Forsyth is an excellentscholar as well as an experienced preacher and pas-tor. He knows human nature, he knows the church,he knows its members with all their positive aspectsand all their shameful aspects. And maybe here liesthe real value of this book. Forsyth is not afraid tocriticize preachers and church members, practicesand traditions, attitudes and mindsets. His criti-cisms are to the point, strikingly accurate (eventodayl), and without malice. His concern is for achurch that strives to follow her Master and forpreaching that is true to the Gospel message itself.This is a book that every student of preaching andevery practicing preacher should read, and periodi-cally return and read again.

Markus McDowell, a Master ofDivinity candidateat Pepperdine University, serves as youth ministerof the Camarillo Church of Christ, Camarillo, Cali-fornia.

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