Explain. Apply. Illustrate.
That's the basic model for preaching and teaching I learned while in seminary. First, you explain the text. Then you set out to apply the text to real life. Finally, you use a story, joke, video clip, etc, to illustrate the text.
I can still hear my professor drilling the words into us like a sergeant calling out a cadence: Explain! Apply! Illustrate!
But what if that's backwards? Or what if there's more then one way to teach/preach? What if teachers started first with the story- a story that raises the emotions of those listening/learning? A story that unifies the audience in a way that regardless of their spiritual backgrounds, they have something to gain by hearing this thing out? A story that sets the theme for the entire message/talk/lesson? A story that gives us the permission to deliver the content (instead of the story proving the content is true)?
What might happen if we started with the story?
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Interesting thoughts... particularly in light of what my seminary professor taught. Granted - my class was focused more on classroom/conference teaching... not for sermons, but his approach was - Hook, Book, Look, Took.
ReplyDeleteHook the audience in - with story, joke, video clip, etc
Book - read the Scriptural text
Look - explain the text
Took - apply it in a way that they have something to go out and do
Your professors order probably assumes the text coming first - in my profs terms would be Book, Look, Took, Hook. Where as what you are suggesting seems to be more Hook, Book, Look, Took.
Just something to think about as another way to teach/preach.