Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 131:521 (Jan 1974)
Article: What is Expository Preaching?
Author: Haddon W. Robinson

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BSac 131:521 (Jan 74) p. 55

What is Expository Preaching?

Haddon W. Robinson

[Haddon W. Robinson, Professor of Practical Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary.]

[Editor’s Note: This article is reprinted in booklet form entitled We Believe in Biblical Preaching and is available from the Office of Publicity, Dallas Theological Seminary, 3909 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204. $5.00 per 100.]

The church in the twentieth century desperately needs biblical preaching. However, not everyone agrees with that verdict. The word is out in some circles that preaching should be abandoned. The moving finger has passed it by, we are told, and it is now pointing to other methods and other ministries that are more “effective” and up to date.

To explain why preaching has been discredited would take us into every area of our common life. For one thing, the image of the preacher has changed. No longer is he regarded as the intellectual and spiritual leader in the community. Ask the man in the pew what a preacher is, and his description may not be flattering. Kyle Haselden is afraid that some people have an image of the preacher that paints him as “a bland composite which shows the pastor as the congregation’s congenial, ever helpful, ever ready to help boy scout; as the darling of old ladies and as sufficiently reserved with the young ones; as the father image for young people and a companion to lonely men; as the affable glad hander at teas and civic club luncheons.”1

In addition, preaching has lost support because it takes place in an over-communicated society which bombards us with a

BSac 131:521 (Jan 74) p. 56

hundred-thousand “messages” a day. Television and radio feature pitchmen delivering “a word from the sponsor” with all the sincerity of the evangelist. In that context a preacher may sound like another salesman who in Ruskin’s words, “plays stage tricks with the doctrines of life and death.”

Add to these reasons the reality that liberalism has robbed the man in the pulpit of an authoritative message. Fads in communication have become more important than truth. Multi-media presentations, film strips, sharing sessions, colored lights, and modern music may be symptoms of either health or disease. Certainly, modern methods can enhance communication, but often they are used because there is no message at all—and the unusual somehow masks the vacuum.

Then too, action appeals to us more than talk and listening. “Stop preaching at me” we say, and that reveals our irritation with preaching. Preaching in some churches is regarded as little more than a “necessary evil” that goes with ...

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