Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 149:595 (Jul 1992)
Article: Audience Relevance in Expository Preaching
Author: Keith Willhite

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BSac 149:595 (Jul 92) p. 355

Audience Relevance in Expository Preaching

Keith Willhite

Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Temperance, Michigan

Expository preaching seeks to communicate biblical concepts derived from the historical, grammatical, and literary exegesis of scriptural passages.1 A faithful presentation of the biblical text is primary, as the preacher seeks to bring to listeners the message of definite units of Scripture. Liefeld contends that the “essence of exposition is explanation. If I explain something, I am reasonably free to choose my own method, but I must be faithful to my subject.”2 Without an appeal for a response, however, expository preaching lacks distinctive theological purpose and may function merely as a form of public address.3 The preacher must relate the Scriptures to people who face diverse situations and needs. Unfortunately much of expository preaching is merely pedantic explanation, almost to the extreme of being an oral commentary.4 Many expositors attempting to

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communicate the biblical text faithfully, fail to demonstrate its relevance to their listeners. This is lamentable, for nothing is more relevant for human beings than the revealed Word of the living God. Scripture does not need “to be made relevant”; it is already relevant. Often, however, that relevance must be demonstrated rather than assumed evident to the audience. How to demonstrate the relevance of the biblical message is the subject of this article.

Contemporary rhetorical theory provides grounds for blending two of the preacher’s essential tasks: accurately explaining the biblical text, and clearly demonstrating the relevance of the text to the audience.5 Argumentation, one aspect of rhetorical theory, can help expositors demonstrate the relevance of their sermons more effectively. Stated in another way, demonstrating the relevance of the biblical message is an argumentative task. Various elements of language may function argumentatively in a communication process to

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help the preacher demonstrate relevance in expository sermons. Whether listeners accept or reject a message may depend on how effectively the expositor uses “argumentation” in showing the relevance of the Word.

Argumentation as a Communication Process

Argumentation is a communicative process in which the speaker seeks to posit claims that recreate meaning that is “simila...

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