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2 Tim 4: 3-4— “For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will
accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires;
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to
myths.”
• Hosea 4:1-10
v. 1
¾ Indictment by God
¾ Unfaithfulness among the people
¾ Unkindness among the people
¾ Loss of the knowledge of God
v. 2
¾ Swearing
¾ Deception
¾ Murder
¾ Stealing
¾ Adultery
v. 3
¾ Societal/natural consequences
v. 4
¾ Contention with preacher
v. 5
¾ Congregational sin
¾ Pastoral sin
¾ Divine judgment
v. 6
¾ Spiritual destruction
¾ Rejection of revelation
¾ Pastoral rejection from God
v. 7
¾ Sinful loss of pastoral dignity
v. 8
¾ Pastoral enslavement to people’s sin
v. 9
¾ Indistinguishable spiritual commitment among spiritual
leaders
¾ God’s judgment
v. 10
¾ Dissatisfaction with God’s provision
¾ Abandoning God
1
“Postmodernism” and “postmodernity” will be used synonymously in this seminar,
though some make subtle distinctions between the two. This era has also been called
“ultramodernism,” “supermodernism,” and “antimodernism” (Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay
[Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2000], 32).
2
For a succinct etymology and history of the word “postmodern,” see R. Albert
Mohler, Jr., “The Integrity of the Evangelical Tradition and the Challenge of the Postmodern
Paradigm,” in The Challenge of Postmodernism: An Evangelical Engagement, ed. David Dockery
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 67-88. Mohler traces the origin of the term to Frederico de Oniz in
1934 and the first significant treatise by Arnold Toynbee in 1939.
3
Graham Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-
first Century Listeners (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 24.
4
Craig A. Loscalzo, Apologetic Preaching: Proclaiming Christ to a Postmodern
World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 13.
5
David Dockery, “The Challenge of Postmodernism,” in The Challenge of
Postmodernism: An Evangelical Engagement, ed. David Dockery (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995),
13.
possible.”6 Further, Vanhoozer equates the designation of
“postmodern” to “the present culture of hermeneutics.”7 Put simply,
when the metaphysics of modernity failed to be the epistemological
grail, the most that could be hoped for was not knowledge, but
interpretation.8 Hermeneutics, then, is at the very heart of the
postmodern mindset. Significantly, it is the chief concern of the
expositor as well.
6
D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1996), 57.
7
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, First Theology: God, Scripture, and Hermeneutics (Downers
Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 329.
8
Ibid.
9
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Is There Meaning in This Text?: The Bible, the Reader, and the
Morality of Literary Knowledge (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 16.
that are themselves strongly influenced by postmodern thought.”10 In
juxtaposition to exposition, “ . . . where postmodern assumptions
predominate, it cannot be taken for granted that life is conceived of in
moral categories.”11 Yet, postmodern complexities do not erase the
universal issues of sin and salvation. They remain constant and require
expository attention.
10
Jon Hinkson and Greg Ganssle, “Epistemology at the Core of Postmodernism: Porty,
Foucalt, and the Gospel,” in Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, ed. D.A. Carson
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 68.
11
Ibid., 86.
12
Mayhue, 9.
13
Haddon W. Robinson, Making a Difference in Preaching, (Grand Rapids: Baker
Books, 1999), 64.
systematic preaching through a book can properly be called
“expository preaching.” One might have a series on temptation, for
instance, and preaching serially on the temptation of Adam and Eve,
the temptation of Joseph, the temptation of Hezekiah, the temptation of
Jesus, and so on—and in each case the sermon might be genuinely
expository. In this instance the organizing principle for the selection of
texts is topical, but the expositions themselves are expository. Nor does
this definition say anything explicit about the length of the passage.
One preacher may work through Romans 1-8 in eight years; another
may work through the same chapters in seven or eight sermons. I have
heard it done both ways, both very effectively. Different times call for
different styles; moreover, different literary genres in the Bible call for
different lengths of text. Narrative must be covered at a faster clip than
tightly-woven discourse or apocalyptic. For instance, Revelation will
not be handled the same way as Leviticus. But one non-negotiable
characteristic of expository preaching is that its subject matter emerges
directly and demonstrably from Scripture.”14
What God says in the Word, what God meant/means by what He says, and how the Word
connects by way of application unto the glory of God is the heart of expository preaching.
Nor is an expository sermon an independent discourse that ignores the rest of the Bible.
The sermon ought to seek to interpret and analyze the respective text(s) in the light of Scripture in
14
D.A. Carson, “The SBTJ Forum: Profiles of Expository Preaching,” The
Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 3, no.2 (Summer 1999): 95.
15
Mayhue, 13.
16
D.A. Carson, “The SBTJ Forum,” 95.
its entirety.
Conclusion
Graeme Goldsworthy is right when he observes, “Postmodernism and popular
relativism are expressions of ideological atheism that must be resisted.”17 For a contemporary
preacher to ignore the onslaught of the postmodern context, then, is to go AWOL in the battle for
souls.
Throughout the history of the church, the greatest preachers have been those who
have recognized that they have no authority in themselves and have seen their task as
being to explain the words of Scripture and apply them clearly to the lives of their
hearers. Their preaching has drawn its power not from the proclamation of their own
Christian experiences or the experiences of others, nor from their own opinions, creative
ideas, or rhetorical skills, but from God’s powerful words. Essentially they stood in the
pulpit, pointed to the biblical texts and said in effect to the congregation, “This is what
this verse means’ Do you see the meaning here as well? Then you must believe it and
obey it with all your heart, for God himself is saying this to you today!” Only the written
words of Scripture can give this kind of authority to preaching.19
In the end, the question at hand really becomes one of confidence in God’s revealed
means of grace. In His providence, He has chosen preaching as the best-suited method of making
His Person and gospel known. Arturo B. Azurdia construes:
17
Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: An
Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 13.
18
Schreiner, “The Perils of Ignoring Postmodernism,” 3.
19
Grudem, Systematic Theology, 82.
Preaching . . . is not the delivery of a learned and edifying or hortatory discourse in well-
chosen words and a pleasant voice. It is the declaration of an event urging acceptance and
compliance. It must be understood that the preacher does not share, he declares.20
So, as the faithful expositor preaches God’s truth in postmodernity, his calling is to
declare the excellencies of God (1 Pet 2:9), not to share his opinion among the smorgasbord of
postmodernism. He must know the culture, but he must know his God more intimately.
Postmodern preachers would do well to remember the words of Schreiner:
Evangelicals will likely be more effective in our culture if they have some
understanding of postmodernism, but understanding our postmodern world should never
be equated with preaching the gospel. The power of God, unleashed in the gospel, is still
the only means by which humans can be saved.21
20
Arturo G. Azurdia III, Spirit-Empowered Preaching: Involving the Holy Spirit in
Your Ministry (Geanies House, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 1998), 88.
21
Schreiner, “ The Perils of Ignoring Postmodernism,” 3.
B. Expository preaching defended.
• 2 Tim 2:1-8
• Also… Ezra 7:10; Neh 8:7-8; Acts 19:8-9; 20:18-25; Rom 10:6-
17; 1 Cor 1:17-25; 2 Cor 5:11-21; Eph 4:11-13; Col 1:28-29; 1
Thes 1:5; 2:1-13; 1 Tim 4:16…
Concluding Thoughts…
Graeme Goldsworthy is right when he observes, “Postmodernism and popular relativism are
expressions of ideological atheism that must be resisted.”24 For a contemporary preacher to ignore
the onslaught of the postmodern context, then, is to go AWOL in the battle for souls.
Schreiner’s warning is an appropriate conclusion to this chapter: “Those who are in the dark
about postmodernism may find themselves clutched by its tentacles.”25 The faithful expositor
22
John MacArthur, Jr., “The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: Expository Preaching,” in
Rediscovering Expository Preaching: Balancing the Science and Art of Biblical Exposition, ed.
John MacArthur Jr. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), 23.
23
Ibid., 23
24
Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: An
Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 13.
25
Schreiner, “The Perils of Ignoring Postmodernism,” 3.
needs to be able to make the proper adjustments in his contextualization, style, and delivery to
communicate the Scriptures in a postmodern world. But great care should be taken to be sure that
this attention is an adjustment and not an accommodation. Grudem explains:
Throughout the history of the church, the greatest preachers have been those who
have recognized that they have no authority in themselves and have seen their task as
being to explain the words of Scripture and apply them clearly to the lives of their
hearers. Their preaching has drawn its power not from the proclamation of their own
Christian experiences or the experiences of others, nor from their own opinions, creative
ideas, or rhetorical skills, but from God’s powerful words. Essentially they stood in the
pulpit, pointed to the biblical texts and said in effect to the congregation, “This is what
this verse means’ Do you see the meaning here as well? Then you must believe it and
obey it with all your heart, for God himself is saying this to you today!” Only the written
words of Scripture can give this kind of authority to preaching.26
In the end, the question at hand really becomes one of confidence in God’s revealed means
of grace. In His providence, He has chosen preaching as the best-suited method of making His
Person and gospel known. Arturo B. Azurdia construes:
Preaching . . . is not the delivery of a learned and edifying or hortatory discourse in well-
chosen words and a pleasant voice. It is the declaration of an event urging acceptance and
compliance. It must be understood that the preacher does not share, he declares.27
So, as the faithful expositor preaches God’s truth in postmodernity, his calling is to declare
the excellencies of God (1 Pet 2:9), not to share his opinion among the smorgasbord of
postmodernism. He must know the culture, but he must know his God more intimately.
Postmodern preachers would do well to remember the words of Schreiner:
Evangelicals will likely be more effective in our culture if they have some
understanding of postmodernism, but understanding our postmodern world should never be
equated with preaching the gospel. The power of God, unleashed in the gospel, is still the
only means by which humans can be saved.28
26
Grudem, Systematic Theology, 82.
27
Arturo G. Azurdia III, Spirit-Empowered Preaching: Involving the Holy Spirit in
Your Ministry (Geanies House, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 1998), 88.
28
Schreiner, “ The Perils of Ignoring Postmodernism,” 3.