Some think that it was inevitable that we should have experienced a crisis in expository preaching, if not in all preaching, since that had been the pattern in most other theological disciplines in recent years. Indeed, ever since 1970 we have been warned about a crisis in almost every other theological discipline: e.g., there was the crisis in Systematic Theology,1 another in Biblical Theology,2 and one in Biblical Exegesis,3 and one in just ordinary Bible knowledge.4 But perhaps the one that precipitated all these crises in the theological curriculum was in the discipline of exegesis, just as George M. Landes had argued in 1971.5 We will return to this later.

But aside from these crises, one wonders if this twentieth century ever had a great moment for preaching, or if the full exposition of the Biblical text ever had a time when it shown forth in all its uniqueness for any extended period in the 1900s? Certainly, there were always a few exceptions that could be pointed to here and there, but there was never anything like a national or international surge and demand for the genuine laying out of the Biblical text for twentieth century moderns who were confronting two World Wars, a Depression, and a constant threat of a third World War. Therein lies the burden of this lecture: there is a continuing crisis in that expository preaching has lain dormant and without many advocates, practitioners, or even demands from the pew during this critical century that could ill afford such a tragic loss.

A Definition of Expository Preaching

But before we go too far into detailing the crisis that has now emerged as we are now half way through the last decade of the twentieth century, it is necessary that we define our terms.

First of all, what do we mean by "Expository Preaching?" Expository preaching is that method of proclaiming the Scriptures that takes as a minimum one paragraph of Biblical text (in prose narrative or its equivalent in other literary genre) and derives from that test both the shape (i.e. the main points and subpoints of the sermon) and the content (i.e. the substance, ideas, and principles) of the message itself. Each of the items in this definition are worthy of some further argumentation.

A Rationale for this Definition of Expository Preaching: Why, some will ask immediately, must the sermon be based on at least one paragraph (or its equivalent in other literary genre) of Biblical text, and in most circumstances the full teaching block or periscope of the Scripture? There are two reasons this is necessary: (1) a paragraph (or its equivalent) is the simplest, most concise statement of a single idea; and (2) if the sermon is to have any authority in this day and age, it must have the divine authority claimed in the text as its warrant.

What such a tactic rules out are the following: (1) bumper sticker slogan preaching, derived either from Scripture or elsewhere that becomes little more than psychological boosters; and (2) preaching from market-driven forces that dictate what will and what will not "go over" with certain age groups, clienteles, or classes of listeners. The Scriptures must be given priority in setting the agenda and the diet for our spiritual welfare.