Philip Arthur Bence PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

273
the personality through which truth must pass, the
broader picture shows two other features greatly
overshadowing 'the preacher as a person'. To be
considered subsequently is Lloyd-Jones's view on the
necessity of the Holy Spirit's participation in effective
preaching. But, first, we consider, the priority he
gives to "the Truth."
This emphasis on "the Truth" may, in fact, explain
why survey responses from 'Lloyd-Jones lecturers' yield
lower statistics in relation to 'the preacher as a
person'. It is not that they consider 'the preacher'
unimportant; it is that they, like their mentor, consider
other factors more essential.
Again, Lloyd-Jones (and lecturers following his
model) consider communication factors essential to
preaching, but subsidiary to other concerns. This fact
could explain an apparent contradiction in 'Lloyd-Jones
lecturer' survey responses. In reply to question eight,
this group gave 'communication skills' a higher
statistical priority than the other lecturer groups.
Even so, they listed, in their important lecture
concepts, fewer points (less than any of the other three
groups) relating to 'communication' (tables 26,28).1e
Lloyd-Jones's writing documents the manner in which
he dogmatically asserted the pre-eminence of content over
form. In a chapter entitled, "Illustrations, Eloquence,
Humour," Lloyd-Jones spoke approvingly of these and other
such sermonic devices, if preachers "make sure that what