Principles and methods in the homiletics of John R.W. Stott

[摘要] 1. The purpose of this studyA closer specification of the aim of this study is threefold:* To undertake a closer investigation of and to describe his exegetical,hermeneutic and homiletic principles and methods.* To arrive at a descriptive analysis of his homiletic principles and especially, toexamine his views concerning the application in a sermon, i.e., 'BridgeBuilding'.* To interpret and evaluate his principles and methods of sermon in the contextof the biblical and Reformed theology.2. The method of this studyIt is imperative to undertake an intensive analytical study of his published worksbecause all of his principles and methods concerning exegesis, as well as hermeneuticand homiletic questions are contained in his extensive number of sermons and thetreatise on preaching (/believe in preaching).The method of this study is threefold:* To investigate John Stott's works in literature by means of analysis andinterpretation.* To examine the recorded tapes of his sermons, have a personal interview withhim and closely scrutinize of all materials published by him on the overallsubject of preaching.* In our presentation it is sometimes inevitable that many quotations andexamples have to be used in order to elucidate his principles and methods.3. Stott's biographical backgroundThe influences that his home (parents), the various schools (high school anduniversity) that he attended, and the other primary factors (Nash, Simeon, Ryle,Morgan) had on John Stott molded the characteristics of the greatest preacher andevangelist of the late twentieth century.4. Stott's exegesis4.1. He stresses that without a proper basic understanding of the Bible, both theprinciples and methods of exegesis cannot help a preacher in attaining hisgoal: discovering the original meaning of the text.4.2. His characteristic attitude to the study of the Bible is governed by at least threebases:* The exegete should study the whole Bible using the comprehensive method.* The preacher should face Scripture as far as possible with fairness and an openmind.* The pastor has to be expectant in his Bible study, i.e., God is going to speak tohim through the text of the Bible.4.3. We sum up all biblical exegesis as Stott's characteristic principles in three ways:* 'Scriptura sui ipsius interpres' - The Scripture is its own interpreter. This isnot just a formal, technical rule. An obscure and doubtful passage of Scripturemust be interpreted by another clear and certain passage.* The expositor must pray for the illumination of the Spirit of God beforereading the Bible. Because without prayer we cannot understand the Word ofGod. Therefore, the important key to the exegesis of Stott is the confession'Spiritus Sanctus est Verus Interpres Scripturae' (the Holy Spirit is the trueinterpreter of Scripture).* The preacher has to discern what the original writers meant by discovering theoriginal sense or the natural sense, which may be either literal or figurative. Hemust also represent the precise meaning of the text as intended by the biblicalauthors. These are respectively the principles of history and of simplicity.4.4. We summarize Stott's characteristic method of all biblical exegesis by statingthat he does not use new exegetical procedures, but he reminds one afresh ofthe time-honoured exegetical practices:* The preacher must derive the text for his sermon from the Holy Scripture.* The expositor has to meditate on the text for as long a time as possible.* The exegete should approach the Bible inductively. Stott calls it the art ofdiscovering the original meaning of the text.4.5. Ultimately, exegetical aids (e.g., semantic and syntactic analysis) help thepreacher to analyze a word's tense, case, and number so that its specificgrammatical features can be identified or researched by a grammatical aid orlexicon. The exegetical tools will guide preachers to the original-languagemeanings and uses of the biblical words, and then they are available to helpgrant pastors confidence that they are preaching what the Holy Spirit wantsthem to say.5. Stott's hermeneutics and the process of hermeneusis5.1. His hermeneutics' prominent elements is described as follows:* His principles and methods of hermeneutics persist in the traditional viewpointof interpretation of the Reformers. In that regard Stott concentrates on graspingthe meaning of the passage of the Bible in which He speaks to us.* His deepest concern is to consider the context as part of any text. The first taskof hermeneutics is to interpret precisely what a biblical author's statementmeans in its context.* The principles of his hermeneutics are dominated by guidelines of threeteachers, e.g., the Holy Spirit, the preachers and the Church. It is by receivingthe illumination of the Holy Spirit, by using our own reason and by listening tothe teaching of others in the Church that we grow in our understanding ofScripture.* Stott emphasizes that the principles can be dominated by the threefold rules ofhermeneutics, that is, the natural meaning, the original meaning and thegeneral meaning. Each of his characteristic principles of hermeneutics is notonly common but also an immutable rule in biblical interpretation.* Stott does not neglect the basic methods of hermeneutics, but he sticks tothem. With regard to the meaning of the text, he emphasizes the preeminenceof the contextual, the grammatical and the verbal approaches. In the case ofthe significance of the text, he stresses the theological and culturalunderstanding.* His principle of the salient features of hermeneutics is the Christ-centredapproach. He consistently attempts to extract redemptive truths from all ofScripture. So his idea of a message from the text highlights the central themeof the atonement as it relates to all the issues of faith and life. The Bible isindeed the cradle that brings Christ to us.* Stott uses the principle of the 'analogy of faith' to guide his hermeneutics, asthe Protestant Reformers did. This standard requires preachers to useScripture alone as the basis for their exhortation. Stott determines the biblicaltruths intended for the persons addressed by the text and then identifiessimilarities in our present condition that require the application of precisely thesame truths.5.2. We sum up Stott 's characteristics in the process of hermeneusis:* The purpose of his hermenuesis does not merely obligate preachers to explainwhat the Bible says; it requires them to explain what the Bible means in thelives of people today. Therefore, he always tries to apply the original meaningof the text to the modem situation.* According to Stott essential elements in the process of hermeneusis are theindicative, the imperative and the promise in the text, because hermeneusisdeals with the meaning of the text ' then' bridging the gap to 'today'.* The aim of Stott's hermeneusis not only inspires us by its example, butprovides the principles and methods for the interpretation of the Bible bywhich the Church today can do what he has done during his life time, as theReformers of old did.* The central elements in the process of hermeneusis are the revelation of theTriune God that the author makes known about God, i.e. His will, His mercy,His wrath, etc. and about His grace in Christ and His Spirit within us.6. Stott's homilesis6.1. He stresses that an expository sermon must be established on a soundtheological foundation. The principles of the theological foundation are thedoctrines of God: the Holy Scripture, the Church, the pastorate, and thepreaching as the ground work.6.2. The practice of preaching cannot be separated from the person of the preacherbecause the whole theology of a preacher lies beneath the practice of hissermon and a whole lifestyle stands behind it. Therefore, the preacher'spersonality and competence are of such vital importance to the delivery of thesermon.6.3. His characteristic form of preaching is governed by a few basic homileticprinciples:* The sermon must arise out of a text the preacher has chosen. Within hissermon Stott is committed to the idea that the text should dominate. Heemphasizes that the text should always furnish the message and the theme ofthe sermon, regardless of the length of the text.* The sermon needs to have a sound and functional structure, i.e., theintroduction, the body and the conclusion in a sermon. For Stott, formulatingthe sermon is of vital importance to creating a sound sermon structure. Hestates firmly that no sermon is really strong which is not strong in structuretoo. Just as bones without flesh make a skeleton, so flesh without bones makesa jellyfish.* For Stott, the purpose of the formulation of the sermon is an essential processto convey the message of the text and to lead the audience to face God. Forthis purpose the preacher has to study and develop his sermon. And then hehas to be sure at all times that he must depend upon the Holy Spirit, and notrely only on his own skill.6.4. Stott emphasizes that the preacher should interpret the Bible as Christcentred,as well as preach the kerygmatic message, because there are some unbelievers among his congregation. Moreover, Stott thinks that preaching not only tells us about Jesus Christ but also stresses the presence of Christ in Christian communities. This has been at the very heart of John Stott's life and message.6.5. The core of Stott's methods on homilesis is bridge-building as the applicationin a sermon. He describes the deep rift between the biblical and the modernworld. His particular concern of bridge-building can be summarized asfollows:* The preacher must understand the cultural background of the text in order tobuild a bridge.* The preacher also has to know the listener's contemporary situation (culture,politics, ethics) in order to make bridge-building comprehensible to him.* The model of bridge-building in a sermon is the incarnation of Jesus Christ.* The methods of bridge-building as an application in a sermon are governed bythe direct and indirect way of application throughout the content of a sermon.* The final purpose of the bridge-building is to lead the people of God intomaturity.6.6. The way to improve our expository preaching is not to emulate Stott'shomiletical principles and methods directly, but to imitate his passion andtender heart for the people of God. Above all, the real secret of his sermon isnot the mastering of certain homiletic principles and methods, but the fact thathe is being controlled by a consuming pastoral love for the people to whom heis preaching.6.7. Finally, we want to conclude this thesis by quoting Stott's prayer that he hasbeen praying for the past number of years before mounting the pulpit (Stott,1982a:340):Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence.May your Word be our rule,our Spirit our teacher,and your greater glory our supreme concern,through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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