Prophetic Preaching, reviewed by Jonathan Downie
The third and fourth chapters move from these general concerns to their application, here centred on sermon design strategies (chapter 3) and sermon structures (chapter 4). Some of these, she admits, are newer and more experimental and yet none of them are beyond the reach of any church. Examples such as “Inviting Someone Personally Involved in the Concern to Participate in Preaching on it” (p. 55) require depth in relationship between both the preacher and the congregation and the preacher and the invited guest. Not all preachers will be ready for this step. Preachers may usefully turn to the fourth chapter as a resource for building sermons on challenging subjects and for refining ones they are preparing. The only approach that is missing in both of these chapters is the traditional and respected expository sermon. Some homileticians will find this a considerable loss.
The fifth and last chapter deals with the need to align actions with prophetic witness. This chapter, like the second, makes a welcome contribution to modern homiletics. Here Tisdale argues that the power of our sermons can only be reinforced by accompanying them with actions that demonstrate our commitment to social justice. Some readers may find particular examples, such as joining anti-war protests (p. 91) or subverting a government system (p. 100) somewhat troubling but the overall argument is both scriptural and relevant.
It was mentioned that this book missed vital emphases and these form the major flaws of this book. Firstly, Tisdale’s claim that social justice is “the heart of the gospel” (p. 11) is debatable. Surely the “heart of the gospel” is Christ Himself as both the Prophet Jesus (a title used by Tisdale throughout the book) and the Lord and Saviour Jesus (titles never mentioned by Tisdale). Putting social justice as the heart and not the outflow of the gospel simply leaves unanswered questions such as why Jesus spent more time criticising the Jewish religious system rather than the Roman military and judicial system. It also begs the question as to why He spent time with both the oppressed and the oppressors alike, even to the point of welcoming tax collectors and praising a centurion, both of whom would, in Jewish minds of the time, have represented the oppression and injustice they were suffering. In the case of Matthew, it is vital to note that the call to follow Christ preceded any call to correct injustice, which itself occurred as a result of following Christ.
The timing of the correction of social injustice in the life of Matthew leads to the second missed emphasis in Tisdale’s book. Tisdale repeatedly urges preachers to publically name and correct systemic injustices (pp. 27, 28, 77, 87 etc.) yet never addresses the point that the vast majority of the words delivered by both the Old Testament prophets were addressed to those who were or should have been God’s people. Like Jesus’ criticism of the Jewish religious system, the call to social justice was normally delivered as part of a call back to God and not merely a political plea (see e.g. Isaiah 58).
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