From Story Interpretation to Sermon Crafting: A Structured-Repetition Approach for Exegesis and Sermon Crafting of Old Testament Narratives

From Story Interpretation to Sermon Crafting was written by a preacher for preachers who have to deal with the competing demands of pastoral ministry. It takes some of the gains of the last seven decades of the literary approach to Scripture and applies them to a vital aspect of pastoral ministry-preaching. The book presents a text-centered and theological approach to analyzing Old Testament narratives. This approach lays a solid basis for interpreting the narratives, and demonstrates that the movement from examining the text to crafting the sermon is a continuous process. Making use of many examples based on narrative passages from the Old Testament that facilitate grasping the methodology, this approach to sermon crafting is rooted in the text, shaped by the text, and is characterized by sound and controlled exegesis. It provides the pastor with an approach that enables Old Testament historical narrative to speak to Christian believers in contemporary society in a way that addresses the issues, concerns, and struggles faced by the church and Christians. The writer to the Hebrews says of righteous Abel, "though he is dead, he still speaks" (11:4). Similarly, these ancient stories do speak and can still speak today. To make them heard effectively and relevantly is the purpose of the book.

Charles R. Dickson is Chief Executive of St. Dunstan's Association, part-time Lecturer at Cape Town Baptist Seminary, Editor of the South African Baptist Journal of Theology, and Associate Pastor at Blomvlei Road Baptist Church in Cape Town. He has published in academic Journals primarily in Biblical Studies.