Preaching and Preachers

CHAPTER FIVEThe Act of PreachingWE TURN NOW to what is called the 'delivery' of the sermon, or the'act' of preaching, what may be called preaching itself as distinct fromthe sermon. This is the second great aspect of our subject.I would like to make it clear again that at this stage I am only goingto deal with this in general. I am trying to give first of all a generalpicture of what preaching really is, and we shall then go on to more .detailed considerations. It is good to have a clear general picture firstbefore we begin to discuss the details.Now this matter of the delivery, or what is sometimes called preachingis, once more, something very difficult to define. It is certainly nota matter of rules or regulations; and much of the trouble I thinkarises because people do regard it as a matter of instructions and rulesand regulations, of dos and don'ts. It is not that. The difficulty is thatof actually putting our definition into words. Preaching is somethingthat one recognises when one hears it. So the best we can do is to saycertain things about it. We cannot get nearer to it"than that. Theposition is such as the Apostle Paul seems to have felt in 1 Corinthians13 when he tried to define love; it bafBes description. All you cando is to say a number of things about it, that it is this, and not that.However, certain things are true, and must be present when you getauthentic preaching.The first is that the whole personality of the preacher must beinvolved. Thatis the point, of course, thatwas brought outin thewellknowndefinition of preaching by Phillips Brookes, that it is 'truth81