ORAL CLARITY IN PREACHING

ABSTRACT

This work makes the case that by design, from the beginning of time, God has intended His Word to be communicated orally.  Especially in today’s increasingly technologically impersonal age, women and men are starving to hear the spoken Word of the Lord delivered to them through the context of a warm, personal human voice.

This work gives the preacher a greater understanding of the nature of oral communication in general, and more specifically, the nature and potential of the oral communication of the gospel.  By tracing how God has chosen to have His Word communicated orally through Old Testament prophets, His Incarnate Son, and New Testament apostles and preachers, this work gives the present-day preacher a clearer view of his or her place in the continuum of oral gospel proclamation.

Practical principles of oral clarity emerge out of an understanding of the unique dynamics of oral communication.  Though preaching is intended to be an oral event, extensive means of written communication, such as manuscripts and outlines, have been employed for hundreds of years by preachers in the crafting and delivery of their messages.  This project, by drawing contrasts between literacy and orality, seeks to pull the preacher toward communication that is more truly oral.  It provides an exploration of both preaching resources and broader public speaking materials which address the particular challenges and potentialities of oral communication.  It challenges the present-day preacher to make the move toward oral clarity by trading tools of literacy for tools of orality.

A commitment to oral clarity makes a greater demand on the preacher’s time and energy.  This work examines how both the messenger and the message need to be prepared to facilitate a strong and proper connection between the timeless truths of Scripture and the needs of the listener.

This work also exhibits how a commitment to oral clarity complements a commitment to “Big Idea” preaching.  It shows how both these commitments share the united goal of the communication of one central idea.