Welcome to this edition of ACTS 29 TODAY
(now its your turn)
The sermon is the center of the protestant service, and would die without it. But it is nothing like the preaching and teaching of the Bible, so lets take a look at where this came from.
The earliest recorded source for regular sermonizing is found in the late 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria lamented that sermons did so little to change Christians. But despite its recognized failure , the sermon became a standard practice among believers by the 4th century.
If the first century Christians were not known for sermonizing….then where did it come from?
The Christian sermon was borrowed from the pagan pool of Greek culture!
In the 5th century there were a wandering group of teachers called sophist. The sophist are credited for inventing RHETORIC ………. (THE ART OF PERVASIVE SPEAKING) .
THEY RECRUITED DISCIPLES AND DEMANDED PAYMENT FOR DELIVERING THEIR ORIENTATIONS.
WOW this explains a lot and I know you can see were this is all going, ah but its gets even better.
They were great debaters, MASTERS AT EMOTIONAL APPEAL, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, AND … CLEVER LANGUAGE … TO “SELL”THEIR ARGUMENTS.
I used to see these guys on TV….. ARE YOU BEGINNING TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER YET.
But it gets even better…………….In time, THE STYLE, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, AND CLEVER LANGUAGE….BECAME MORE PRIZED THAN THEIR ….ACCURACY.
They became a class of men who were MASTERS OF FINE PHRASES. CULTIVATING STYLE FOR STYLES SAKE.
The truths they preached were ABSTRACT RATHER THAN…TRUTHS THAT WERE PRACTICED IN THEIR OWN LIVES.
EXPERTS AT IMITATING FORM RATHER THAN SUBSTANCE.
I know the bells and whistles are going off in your head now, BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER.
Then came the special clothing, some had a fixed residence and some traveled to deliver their POLISHED ORATIONS. (these made a great deal of money)
They would enter the speaking forum already robed in the pulpit-gown, and then mount the steps to sit in his chair before he brought the sermon. If the sermon was well received he would call it INSPIRED. These were very distinguished men and some had statues erected in their honor.
About a century later Aristotle gave to rhetoric THE 3 POINT SPEECH, it must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The Greeks and Romans were intoxicated with this form. So much so that it became a SERMONETTE , an after dinner form of entertainment.
This rhetoric was viewed as one of the greatest form of art and given the glamorous status that Americans give to movie stars and professional athletes. They were shining stars of their day.
These orators could bring the crowd to a frenzy with their powerful speaking skills, and given celebrity status, and addicted to the pagan sermon just like many contemporary Christians are today.
WOW this is interesting and explains SOOOOOOOOOO much of what goes on today in the buildings on Sunday mornings. Well that’s all I can take for now, this is enough to chew on for a while.
Thanks for your journey thru church history with me it so informative to me and has changed the way I look at everything now.
REMEMBER KNOW ONE CARES HOW MUCH YOU KNOW……UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.
Larry
Acts 29 Today 