By R. Larry Overstreet
Lamenting the loss of effective argumentation in preaching in 1963, Faris Whitesell observed that the trend in that direction began before 1911 (Whitesell, 1963, p. 63). In contrast to that, he advocated that "there is still a place for argument in preaching, especially when we think of it as a means to persuasion" (Ibid., p. 64). Vines and Shaddix are examples of modern homileticians who identify that the motive of biblical preaching is "to see people respond positively to God's Word," the "eliciting of behavioral change," and that "every sermon must be prepared and delivered with the intent of persuading people to say yes to the message" (Vines and Shaddix, 1999, p. 26). Fabarez is another contemporary writer who strongly advocates that a "good sermon is one that bears fruit — a message from God that transforms believers' lives," and that we "as pastor-teachers, need to focus on our call to preach messages that change lives" (italics his, Fabarez, 2002, p. 9). Writers such as Vines and Shaddix and Fabarez correctly focus on many positive elements of expository preaching, but do not explicate a direct persuasion approach which will accomplish the goals they affirm. This article takes steps in that direction.
Various words related to the subject of persuasion appear in the Scriptures in numerous texts of the Old and New Testaments. In "The Priority of Persuasive Preaching" (Preaching, July-August 2003, pp. 50-57), I specifically examined the various NT words related to persuasion, including their usage in secular literature.
In addition to the NT words, specific OT words are relevant to the study: the verbs, chazaq, sooth, pahtzar, pahthah, shasa; and the noun leqach. A brief consideration of these terms shows the breadth of the idea of persuasion as it was practiced in ancient times. This broad use of the concept is consistent with the comparable Greek terms of the NT.
"The Priority of Persuasive Preaching" focused on the NT emphasis concerning the validity of persuasion. There it was demonstrated that persuasion can be by argument (logos), by emotion (pathos), by character of the speaker (ethos), and by style of speaking. It was also shown that the outcomes of persuasion include yielding or being obedient to someone as a resulting action of persuasion, and of exercising belief or trust because of being persuaded. Furthermore, the NT stresses that persuasion should not rest solely on the self-reliance of oratorical skills, but should be done in a clear and cogent style in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the message and not the preacher (Sunukjian, 1972, pp. 171-75).