Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Reading 360 Degree Preaching and discussing its content with Dr Quicke has contributed to both my understanding and experience of the Trinity in sermon preparation. In short, it has propelled me towards preaching as worship.
Summary
Quicke defines preaching as, "sharing the in-breaking of God's good news to create a new people in new community." He takes a fourfold approach in describing the nature and purpose of preaching: Prophetic, Transformational, Incarnational, and Diverse. These four elements can be briefly summarized as follows: 1) Prophetic - parallel between prophets and apostles in that they speak God's Word and understand God's Word to be God's deed (Greidanus). 2) Transformational - Jesus' preaching both amazed and antagonized people. Preaching should convict and convert, strengthen and encourage. 3) Incarnational - Jesus incarnational ministry was both to peoples and cultures and his preaching. He is the hinge of history intersecting every culture and people with His story. Jesus never wrote a book but he lived as story. He is the Story. 4) Diverse - Nearly 30 words in Scripture are used to convey preaching. There is no one model of preaching, instead there should be a variety of preaching styles and models.
He also provides a historical summary pointing to several key figures in the history of preaching. He notes Origen's seminal influence, the combination of three senses by which a reader could understand Scripture: literal, moral, mystical. As a result exegesis became intertwined with preaching and living. Augustine was a forerunner in understanding the text correctly in order to preach it persuasively (Greater existential and spiritual authority accompanies such preaching). Shifts in communication have also influenced preaching from 15th century moveable type to 20th century electronic text. After making a case for relevant preaching, he offers a modification of Stott's 180 homiletical model (Preaching Between Two Worlds) calling it the 360 degree model. Quicke writes, "The preacher's prime responsibility is to be immersed in the dynamics of Trinitarian preaching."
The 360 degree model stresses holistic preaching from the initial selection of a text to post-sermon reflection. This holistic model calls for a more Trinitarian approach to preaching by encouraging the preacher to depend more earnestly upon the Holy Spirit through hearing, listening and living the Word. He writes, "Twenty-first century preaching needs less function and more unction...(I couldn't agree more!)" The second half of the book develops the "preaching swim", a step-by-step model that fosters this holistic, Trinitarian approach to sermon preparation.
Contribution
Quicke is incredibly well-read, offering his readers a plethora of un-distracting and illuminating quotations which, if traced, lead to a number of homiletical goldmines that have proved valuable in the formation of his holistic, Trinitarian model. He attempts to fill out Stott's 180 degree model of preaching (preacher's responsibility to bridge the biblical world to the contemporary world) by emphasizing several additional key components in the preaching event: the Trinity, words, preacher, listener, and worship context. Quicke's refreshing and unfortunately unique contribution among contemporary literature is his emphasis on the preacher's swim within the flow of the three persons of the Trinity. Using the swim metaphor, he illustrates the function of each additional element, developing a more holistic picture and process for sermon preparation.
Effective preaching should be shaped by a Trinitarian dynamic in which the Holy Spirit anoints preachers and convicts listeners. All too often preaching becomes an exegetical regurgitation instead of thoughtful, Spirit-led, exhortation. Increased pressures also account for half-baked sermons and harried preachers. Preachers are found modeling their lives too closely to the cultures' definition of success instead of cultivating an integrated spiritual life. Holistic, Trinitarian preaching based on good models can remedy the present atrophy in effective preaching. However we must be careful not to reduce "ineffective preaching" to the responsibility of the preacher. Often it is the hardness of the pew that refuses to relent and receive the Word no matter how powerfully or relevantly it is delivered. Preaching is two-way communication through a three-way Person.
Critique
Preaching Defined: While Quicke's definition of preaching is concise and theologically accurate, he fails to unpack the definition for the reader. I found myself desiring more explanation. By using theologically loaded terms such as "in-breaking", "new people", and "new community" Quicke invokes theological concepts and categories such as inaugurated eschatology and new creation. However, one is left to wonder whether such theological ground is intended to serve as the foundation for his preaching.
Preaching to Changing Times: While Quicke makes an excellent case for relevant preaching suggesting that we should listen to the listeners, he fails to offer a paradigm for evaluating to what degree we should integrate cultural models of secondary orality into the church. What limits, if any, should be placed on the presence of secondary orality and technology in the preaching and worship event? What about the notion of sacred space? Jesus appears to have drawn some lines in what is and is not permissible in the worship context in his cleansing of the temple. Is there something to be said for guarding the church from excessive interpenetration with the culture? Where do we draw the lines? What about the corrosive affects of technology-driven preaching upon community?
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With 360-Degree Preaching, veteran preacher Michael Quicke brings expository preaching to a postmodern world. He has witnessed the transforming power of preaching firsthand for more than thirty years and seeks to encourage students and pastors as he teaches them the art of preaching. Quicke examines the scriptural roots of preaching and its importance throughout church history. He analyzes the current situation and suggests that the way forward lies in a recommitment to preaching's trinitarian dynamic, which Quicke calls 360-degree preaching. The author then focuses on preaching practices and invites preachers to join in the "preaching swim": immersion into Scripture, interpretation, sermon design, sermon delivery, and outcomes. 360-Degree Preaching is a vital resource for preaching students preparing for ministry and pastors looking for fresh insight into communicating to postmodern listeners.
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