Why all the fuss about inductive preaching? Is it preaching? Is it Christian)? Is it biblical?

While inductive preaching is not a new methodology, the rising interest in it seems to have been initiated, at least in recent times, by the publication in 1971 of Fred Craddock's definitive work on the subject, As One Without Authority. This was not the first book to address the subject nor was it the last. Earlier, inductive approaches were discussed by a variety of others (though the term was not always used) including Luccock (1944, 134-147), Sangster (1951, 84-87), Jones (1956,103-108), Davis (1958, 172-177), and Brown (1968, 87-132).

At the same time Craddock wrote his book, J. Daniel Baumann was writing An Introduction to Contemporary Preaching (1972). He includes a discussion of both deductive and inductive structures including five methods for preaching inductively (Baumann, 1972, 79-81). Other books discussing inductive preaching and published since Craddock's include Robinson's Biblical Preaching (1980, 125-127), the Lewis' Inductive Preaching (1983), Freeman's Variety in Biblical Preaching (1987, 171-174), Brokhoff's As One With Authority (1989, 158-164), the Lewis' Learning to Preach Like Jesus (1989), and this writer's Homiletical Handbook (1992, 97-103).

Still, it must be said that Craddock's book, more than any other, has been the chief catalyst for ongoing debate in our day. This is evidenced in much of the recent literature on the subject. A thorough presentation and critique of Craddock's philosophy and approach is found in Richard Eslinger, A New Hearing (1987, 95-132), a chapter well worth reading.

Some (many?) evangelicals remain wary of the inductive approach. Some fear it will lead to unauthoritative preaching, sermons that are primarily topical rather than expository, or sermons that conclude with a lack of definiteness of meaning and a lack of specific application. These are important concerns that must be addressed.

Definition of Terms

Two terms need to be defined: induction and exposition. Both are at the heart of the present discussion.

The term induction can be used of preaching in at least three ways. First, the term is used to describe sermonic elements such as narrative, analogies, examples, figures of speech, questions, drama and dialogue. Second, the term is used to refer to a particular kind of formal reasoning, an argumentation from specific instances to a general truth. Third, the term is used to speak of the structural plan of a sermon, one in which the proposition (the sermon's central idea) is announced formally only at the end of the sermon.

In regard to the latter usage of the term, this type of sermon would be one in which a broad theme is set early, issues and questions are raised, but the precise proposition is not revealed until the transition into the sermon's conclusion. Its outline might look something like this:

Introduction (questions, illustrations, Rhetorical questions, teasers, statistics, examples, etc.)