By R. Larry Overstreet
The importance persuasion plays in various aspects of life was recognized by the ancient Greeks as far back as the time of Homer, and was a recurring subject through the following centuries.1 Numerous Greek writers refer to persuasion, both in formal and informal manners. Indeed, one of the Greek goddesses was Peitho, Persuasion.
In our postmodern world, does persuasion still have a place in preaching and witnessing for Christ? That question is answered in general terms by writers such as McCallum (1996) and Veith (1994), but it also needs an answer from the rhetorical perspective of preaching as delineated in the Scripture. This is relevant for many of today's churches which have ceased being aggressively persuasive in evangelistic outreach or in calling Christians to a full commitment to Christ.
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The discussion of "rhetoric" in ancient writers had consistent emphasis on persuasion, and those writers were acutely aware of the ethical questions that persuasiveness encompasses. Ancient writers observed the power of persuasion not only to convince with legitimate argumentation, but also to seduce (Homer, Odyssey 7.258; 23.337 and Iliad 6.360; Lysias, Fragments 7.21) and to deceive (Sophocles, Philoctetus 102). Indeed, Buttrick's opening paragraph on peitho includes these very elements (s.v. peitho, TDNT, VI, p. 1). As a result, such writers as Plato, Aristotle and Quintilian stressed the need for an ethical character to rhetorical persuasion. "For Plato, its purpose was to make known the will of God. Aristotle said that a major purpose of rhetoric was to make truth and justice prevail. Quintilian's definition of a successful orator as a good man, skilled in speaking, sums up the point" (R. Ross, 1974, p. 110).
The problems the ancient rhetoricians faced are still relevant in today's communication arenas. "People today are wary of persuasion, and well they might be, for we are drowned in it. It is estimated that two thousand persuasion messages come to each of us daily" (Larsen, 1989, p. 133), a large number in advertisements through the media, but others through public speakers and politicians. Many of these persuasion messages clearly intend to "seduce" the listener into buying a product, voting for a candidate, etc., and some cases probably present a degree of deception, which may be why the disclaimers are spoken so rapidly at the end or are placed in such fine print that they are virtually unreadable.2
Responding to Persuasion Questions
How is the biblical preacher to respond to questions concerning persuasion? One approach is presented by Litfin who briefly summarizes secular theories of persuasion as having "always been designed to enable men to influence their fellow men more effectively; that is, they are avowedly instrumental, utilitarian, or goal-oriented" (Litfin, 1977, p. 15). He then charges that many homileticians incorrectly "tend to hold that the goal of the preacher is similar to that of the secular persuader, to elicit a desired response from the listener, and that it is quite proper to use a broad range of rhetorical techniques to achieve this goal" (Ibid).