The bible I have found to be a very personal book. There should be at least some things found in the scripture that we have faced. Jesus told us as he was, so are we in this world. He told us they would call us devils, this is one that I personally have encountered. The bible says, “he shall be called a Nazarene”. This one I faced while being persecuted in a baptist denomination, and I am in no way affiliated with the Nazarene Church. He told us they would speak evil against us falsely, which is another I have encountered. Whether or not we seek to make the bible personal is one thing, but if we are in Christ, we should have experiences with some degree of likeness to Jesus.

It’s true that Jesus used everyday images that were easily understood, except by those blind to the truth (but that’s another matter). But, there’s a difference between that and frequent egocentric examples. While we have no reason to think he didn’t use personal anecdotes, we also have no reason to believe he did. In his case, though, even a personal anecdote would have been God-centered.

Jesus used lots of examples that are easy to relate to. Oddly, they had so much more to do with farming than carpentry. They may not have been personal anecdotes (and we have no reason to believe he didn’t use those!), but he did use everyday images that were easily understood.

I don’t recall Jesus ever using a personal example during his teachings, except when commenting on his relationship with the Father. I’m also pretty sure that, whenever Paul preached, the only personal information he shared was his testimony of how he became a Christian. What this tells me is that, even when we share personal stories, the focus should still be God. If we have life in Christ, our testimony to that fact should be enough of a personal touch. After all, if people are genuinely concerned with relationships, what greater relationship to hear about than one with God?

Another great post, Lisa!

J.R., I’d agree that a cultural shift is a factor at play. The average U.S. household has its television on for 8 hours a day versus the second most country, Spain, of four hours. And after that, the number of hours drop off dramatically more on a percentage basis. The takeaway is that we are highly socialized in the U.S. to desire passive entertainment absent of any mind-processing requirements. And so I assert that this dynamic naturally flows into what people believe makes an optimal lesson or sermon.

I’ve become more aware of this issue by observing how my church trains bible study teachers; they are instructed to spend at least half the lesson time on life application of the text (which is virtually all stories attempting to make that connection with the audience), which of course comes at the expense of teaching the text. Further, I think this “dumbing down” to which you refer is more so an attempt to keep the message to where a first time church attender will understand what is being taught. Thus the challenge for our clergy is to balance the lower knowledge base of the first time attender with that of a long-time congregant but yet without diluting the experience for either while meeting that balance.

With this widespread desire for passive experiences permeating churches, I’d say the best we can do is to educate that the issue exists – thank you Lisa – and then for us all to do an introspective examination to see what areas of our own socialization redirect our church to attempt to meet “our needs” instead of focusing on glorifying our Lord.

I think that you have touched on something very valid, Lisa. I think that a fairly good measure of how self-centered our theology is: are we sharing the gospel with those who are lost? If the mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel; how are we going to accomplish that if we are absorbed in self-focused theology? We don’t tend to open our mouth and share the truth about Jesus with nonbelievers unless we care enough about them…love them enough…to take that ‘risk’. It’s a matter of obeying a command of Christ….not a side-option for a believer. Evangelism is Christ-centered and other-centered, and often involves much self-sacrifice (time etc.).

Lisa,
I’m not new to the church but I am ignorant to the systematic of homiletics. Why do many find it necessary to lead off with a story prior to engaging the biblical text? Could it be that there has been a shift in secular culture of more entertainment, less reading, less thought, less content, and less analysis? And in some ways this trend has found its way into the church as well and has begun the “dumbing” down of the church. It seems as though we have become a sound bite society and if we are not quickly entertained, grabbed, or amused by a story our thoughts go elsewhere. I believe one essential reality for the church which dictates its strengths and weaknesses is the character of its preaching and teaching.

Any thoughts?

I must confess, as I was reading your post one example sprung to my mind. I dislike prayer walks…. You know, when a group of christians gather together and parade around a campus or buildings asking God to bless everything in their sight and to pray with everyone and anyone they meet. I pray and have love for others but the whole processional thing seems to be more about the self-righteous warmth and feelings they get from this experience than for the actual people they may meet and pray for.

I’m hoping this is not the case but the exception, but the idea of coming up to a stranger and asking them if they could be prayed for leaves me a bit edgy. First of all how do we know of any needs a stranger may have. Secondly, it puts someone who is not a believer under the impression that they are inferior and need our help. I believe that getting to know someone and building relationships is vital to having them actually listen to your testimony. It just seems that these people’s prayer walk is about their personal interest….it makes them feel good…..

Excellent post. Thank you for sharing it.