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A THREE-LEGGED STOOL
A THREE-LEGGED STOOL – All expositional preaching rests on a three-legged theological stool, 1) exegetical theology, 2) biblical theology, and 3) pericopal theology. These three legs are all necessary for expository preaching.
FIRST LEG: EXEGETICAL THEOLOGY
In 1981, Walter Kaiser sounded a grim warning about a growing crisis in evangelical preaching. The crisis has only grown worse since he warned us about it 40 years ago. The crisis in evangelical preaching is the loss of exegetical theology as a foundation for our sermons.[1]
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ISAIAH 55:11 PREACHERS
“No one knows the Bible today, so talking about the Bible is boring to people.”
“The Bible is not relevant to my daily life. Who cares what happened to Hosea?”
“Our world has changed, so we need sermons that relate to our changed world?”
“You have to preach about what people want to hear if you want to help them with what they need to know.”
“Why do you spend all that time in the exegesis of the text? All that work studying the Bible won’t help you understand the needs of people.”
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PREACHING TO MAKE DISCIPLES
SHOCKING STAT: Less than 10% of evangelical sermons mentioned the words sin, salvation, heaven, or hell!
The statistic comes from a database of almost 50,000 sermons compiled by the Pew Research Center, which were delivered between April 7 and June 1, 2019.[i] Much evangelical preaching today identifies human needs and proclaims Christ as a need-fulfiller. It is a man-centered gospel. Bill Hull nicknamed it “gospel Americana.”[ii] The message is simple. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” The result of such a reductionist message is that many people become converts who want no part of the demands of being a disciple.[iii]
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A BEELINE FROM THE CROSS
C.H. Spurgeon supposedly said that he took his text and made a “beeline to the cross.” The purpose of every sermon, then, should be to preach the cross. There is no evidence that Spurgeon ever said these words, but they represent a common viewpoint used to justify a singular purpose for all preaching.[i] Every sermon has one purpose, in this view, and that purpose is to lead people to Christ on the cross. Every individual Scripture text intends to point us in some way to redemption in Christ.[ii]
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THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CHRISTIANITY
A recent Gallup poll is sending shockwaves through the evangelical world. For the first time in Gallup’s polling history, church membership fell below 50% in 2020. It was 70% in 2000, but twenty years later it is now 47%.[1] The numbers are worse if you look at them generationally. Only 8% of white millennials identify as evangelical compared to 26% of seniors.[2] Our world is increasingly secular, and young people are increasingly turning away from the church.
Russell Moore points out an astonishing reality. People are turning away from the church not merely because they reject the doctrines of the church but because they think the church rejects the doctrines of the church. It is sad when people turn away from the church because they do not believe in the authority of the Bible. It is tragic when people turn away from the church because they do not believe that we believe in the authority of the Bible. Our preaching has become secular in our quest to attract the world to the church. Moore writes:
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