In the May-June 2000 issue of Preaching, the Rev. Timothy Peck makes a passionate plea for "Salvaging the Old Testament Biographical Sermon."1 In a biographical sermon, typically, the character described in the preaching-text is proclaimed as a positive model for imitation or as a negative model for warning. Since Rev. Peck has designated me as "perhaps the most vocal" in criticizing this kind of preaching, I not only feel some obligation to respond but hope that my rejoinder to his article may serve to clarify some of the hermeneutical/homiletical issues and promote the cause of sound, biblical preaching.

Happily, Rev. Peck is aware of some of the hazards of this popular form of preaching. He agrees that one should not adopt biographical preaching "simply because it captures attention, is relevant, or pleases the congregation" (p. 28). He also seems to agree that preachers should do justice to the intention of the biblical author, for he acknowledges that "much character preaching has twisted incidental details into significant homiletical points" (p. 29). And he also appears to agree that moralizing should be avoided, for he writes that "much preaching today has become reduced to good advice instead of good news" (p. 30). Yet, in spite of these flaws, he wishes to salvage the biographical sermon.

The reasons why preachers seek to salvage an acknowledged hazardous form of preaching are not always transparent; they frequently have to do with unexamined presuppositions The main reason set forth in the article is that "Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 are foundational" (p. 28) in that they offer a "clear biblical example of the use of Old Testament characters as examples to be avoided" (p. 29). Paul writes, "God was not pleased with most of them [the ancient Israelites], and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples [tupoi] for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did.... We must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example [tupikos], and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall (1 Cor. 10:5-12)."2

A closer look at this passage will show, however, that this New Testament basis for biographical preaching is not convincing.

The New Testament Does Not Support Biographical Preaching

First, it is dangerous to base a doctrine or ecclesiastical practice on a single text,3 especially one that is not entirely clear (e.g., the meaning of "the rock was Christ" (v. 4) and of the words tupoi / tupikos in this context (vv. 6, 11)).4

Second, it is clear that Paul here does not intend to give us instructions on how to preach Old Testament narratives. Nor does Paul here have an Old Testament narrative that he develops into a sermon. Rather, his obvious intention is to warn the Corinthians not to fall from God's grace and come under His judgment (v. 12).