Wilson L. Deaton
26th December 2006, 09:16 PM (21:16)
Pagitt, Doug. Preaching Re-Imagined. (2005)
What most of us call, “preaching,” Paggit calls “speaching.” Speaching is his term for “the style of preaching that is hardly distinguishable from a one-way speech.” He is referring to the practice of one person alone in a study preparing a message to be delivered to a crowd without dialogue and the conclusion pre-determined. His thesis for this book is that preaching is too valuable to be handled by speaching. He suggests an alternative which he calls, “progressional dialogue.”
He draws a subtle but important distinction between application and implication claiming that preaching should implicate the hearers. One illustration he gives to show the difference is based on a kidnapped child. If you read about it in the paper you make application by deciding how to better protect your children or even children in general. This, he says, is how most preaching is done. On the other hand, if you are driving along and see an AMBER Alert on the digital sign with a description of the vehicle involved you immediately take action and begin looking for the vehicle. Thus you have been implicatedby the alert.
Pagitt says that speaching isn’t likely to accomplish this. Thus the need for progressional dialogue. There are two basic elements.
First in the preparation stage, others should be drawn in for insights, discussion, feedback, etc. The method may not be important but it must be done.
Secondly, even in delivery others should be drawn in to participate. Basically, (an oversimplification) the sermon time takes on the atmosphere of a round-table discussion. He states emphatically that this is much more than a post-sermon Q&A.
Of course, Pagitt spends over 200 pages laying out his reasoning and elaborating on what I have described in a few paragraphs.
The style of the book is unique. I get the impression he has modeled it from web-surfing. Let me explain: In the first few chapters he lays out the entire idea. In the remaining chapters he explains and elaborates. Then in those first few chapters he provides in-text indexes to the elaboration chapters. For example when it says, “… but where we get the content [21, 22, 34].” That means he elaborates on the statement in chapters 21, 22, and 34. Having included the indexing in this manner he then encourages the reader to jump around and skip, etc., based on the readers interest. (Sounds like web-surfing to me!) He also points out that the edition includes more white space than normal to encourage remarks in the margins, etc. There’s even a link to a blog about the book for further discussion among readers.
Preaching Re-Imagined, receives my recommendation.
Wilson
What most of us call, “preaching,” Paggit calls “speaching.” Speaching is his term for “the style of preaching that is hardly distinguishable from a one-way speech.” He is referring to the practice of one person alone in a study preparing a message to be delivered to a crowd without dialogue and the conclusion pre-determined. His thesis for this book is that preaching is too valuable to be handled by speaching. He suggests an alternative which he calls, “progressional dialogue.”
He draws a subtle but important distinction between application and implication claiming that preaching should implicate the hearers. One illustration he gives to show the difference is based on a kidnapped child. If you read about it in the paper you make application by deciding how to better protect your children or even children in general. This, he says, is how most preaching is done. On the other hand, if you are driving along and see an AMBER Alert on the digital sign with a description of the vehicle involved you immediately take action and begin looking for the vehicle. Thus you have been implicatedby the alert.
Pagitt says that speaching isn’t likely to accomplish this. Thus the need for progressional dialogue. There are two basic elements.
First in the preparation stage, others should be drawn in for insights, discussion, feedback, etc. The method may not be important but it must be done.
Secondly, even in delivery others should be drawn in to participate. Basically, (an oversimplification) the sermon time takes on the atmosphere of a round-table discussion. He states emphatically that this is much more than a post-sermon Q&A.
Of course, Pagitt spends over 200 pages laying out his reasoning and elaborating on what I have described in a few paragraphs.
The style of the book is unique. I get the impression he has modeled it from web-surfing. Let me explain: In the first few chapters he lays out the entire idea. In the remaining chapters he explains and elaborates. Then in those first few chapters he provides in-text indexes to the elaboration chapters. For example when it says, “… but where we get the content [21, 22, 34].” That means he elaborates on the statement in chapters 21, 22, and 34. Having included the indexing in this manner he then encourages the reader to jump around and skip, etc., based on the readers interest. (Sounds like web-surfing to me!) He also points out that the edition includes more white space than normal to encourage remarks in the margins, etc. There’s even a link to a blog about the book for further discussion among readers.
Preaching Re-Imagined, receives my recommendation.
Wilson