Eugene Lowry's The Homiletical Plot: The Sermon As Narrative Art Form
Eugene Lowry. The Homiletical Plot: The Sermon As Narrative Art Form (Expanded Edition). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. 138 pages $14.99
Eugene Lowry is an extremely accomplished homiletician who has written extensively on the subject of preaching. In addition to authoring several books, he has lectured across the country at various institutions covering such topics as narrative preaching, what’s the matter with preaching, experience as a bridge to preaching, and many more. He has several degrees and affiliation with some of the most prestigious professional organization in the country. Dr. Lowry is a great communicator and it shows up through his writings. The book is divided into three sections that concern themselves with making the case for narrative preaching, explaining the process of doing it well, and other considerations that must be taken into account to do this kind of preaching and the challenges that come with it. This review is intended to summarize the book and extricate a few major points of consideration surrounding to benefits and challenge of preaching every sermon as narrative art form.
Lowry begins by challenging the methodologies ascribed to what is deemed “good preaching” through the illustration of the brick wall. He says that students are taught to organize their sermons as the bricks in the wall but what is seen is the mortar (6). He says that good sermons have the quality of producing a generative idea which gives life to the message being communicated. Messages of this sort has naturally unfolding qualities (2). Lowry believes that the “task of preaching is to facilitate the homiletical birth and development of such an idea grounded in the gospel” (11). The author wants the preacher to seriously consider how people hear sermons based on an understanding of how people are engaged with other mediums of communicating information. He believes that what the playwright and the novelist does well is build a plot and capture the attention of the audience from the beginning. He suggests that sermon preparation and delivery should model what happens in those other disciplines.
The book is arranged into three sections with the first focusing on The Sermon As Narrative. Dr. Lowry sets out to give clarity on the image of a sermon. He describes the most probable process of sermon construction that takes place from sermon idea to sermon delivery as it has been taught several times over in bible colleges, seminaries, and workshops. He outlines the typical sermonic format consisting of an introduction, three movements, and a conclusion. Lowry says that every sermon should be seen as a narrative (13). He argues that there is little interest to remain engaged to the message if the plot is given away at the beginning. He says that “a sermon is not a logical assemblage; a sermon is an event-in-time which follows the logic born of the communication interaction between preacher and congregation” (8). The sermon’s plot must take on some form and Lowry describes this in five stages that will be discussed at length in the next section.
The five stages that were introduced at the end of the first section are “Oops,” “Ugh,” “Aha,” “Whee,” and finally “Yeah” (26). The “oops” is the upsetting of the equilibrium where the listeners are jolted into engaging the sermon theme (28). Analyzing the Discrepancy is where the preacher takes the congregation on the journey where he wrestles with why the discrepancy exists (39). He notes that it is important to take the listener along for the ride and not just simply state the findings without allowing them to wrestle alongside of the preacher (50). He suggests taking the congregation along prepares them for the “Aha” moment (51). The “Aha” moment in the message is also known as the principle of reversal (54). He argues that the “resolution comes only by reversing the assumption of common sense” (61). According to the five stages of plot development, the listener is ripe to hear the gospel (74). This stage is known as “Whee.” This stage is where the homiletical bind is worked out to the point where the congregation realizes that the application of the gospel affords even them an opportunity to draw closer or be drawn closer to God. “Yeah” is the last stage where closure can take place (80). Not only is there closure but a new equilibrium. The stage answers the question of how life can be lived in light of this new truth or new revelation (83).
The third and final section in the book deals with Variations. There is the question of developing another approach that becomes rote and boring as he considers deductive linear preaching to be (90). He discusses where he believes exceptions to be necessary. He then concludes with twelve pointers on how to tell a good story (107-15).
Dr. Lowry did a masterful job at stimulating interest in narrative preaching. His various stories and sermon ideas were told in a way that was generative as they sparked sermon ideas in the reader. The book was arranged in such a way that each idea built upon the preceding idea and pointed to the next concept to be discussed. The writing flowed and made understanding the concepts easy to grasp.
There is an obvious connection to Craddock’s thinking that is made evident as he hints to the method of leaving the listener hanging with unresolved tensions in the narrative (91). He pushes the envelope but he does not go as far as to leave the listener to wrestle alone with the homiletical bind that was carefully crafted and employed by the preacher who would use the narrative method as explained in this book. Lowry describes a process where both the listener and the preacher begin and end together. He is partial to Craddock but at least in this work does not usher the reader to the point where Craddock goes in As One Without Authority even though he quotes him a few times throughout the book. For Lowry a resolution is necessary for his narrative form to be effective even if that resolution is that new equilibrium that may not last for very long before being upset again.
The chief strength of the book is its treatment of transposing any genre into a narrative to communicate in the manner in which listeners are accustom to hearing information. The various literary and cinematic allusions went far in pressing the claim of how interest and intrigue is built into the narrative simply by developing its plot. In preaching “the homiletical plot must catch people in the depths of the awful discrepancies of their world-social and political” (25). It is what humanity, regardless to background, identifies with. It is the parallel of the issues of life that attracts the attention to the message when there is a homiletical bind that is relatable. Having the privilege to walk alongside of the proclaimer as he untangles the ball of conflict is what excites the imagination. When the preacher has done all of the tough work of analyzing but merely seeks to describe he has offered the listener what J. Ellsworth Kalas coins as a “half-a-logue.”[1] Just as in the case for Kalas, it becomes a distraction for the listener of the sermon as they struggle to remember if perhaps they missed a step while traveling with the preacher.
A second strength of Lowry’s work is found in chapter entitled Biblical Narrative Preaching where he takes the time to lay out twelve insights to good storytelling. For those who are not comfortable telling stories, this is a great rubric to follow. The author shares the various nuances that are frequently overlooked by those who are not given to such mediums of communication. The tips he shares go beyond the superficial, surface ideas into the psychology of the audience participation. The manner in which he prescribes for narrators locks the listener in where they want to participate and even anticipate what the speaker will say next. He again reminds the reader of the responsibility to maintain ambiguity and sustain interest while looking for the diagnostic reversal which prepares them for the gospel (115).
Though this was a great read, the book left some to be desired and was somewhat underwhelming near the end where he dealt with the Variations relative to where this might not work as well. His sharing of the failures of others while attempting this could have been addressed earlier in the book and added no real value to his argument. Also, reiterating the need to ensure ambiguity and interest had been emphasized several times throughout the book as well and appeared not to need another round. The redundancy of those points that had already been solidly made almost felt like he was undermining his own plot to the book. These minor infractions do not in no way take away from the powerful insight he brings to the discussion on sermon delivery.
Any speaker, particularly preachers who want to change from the mechanical method of delivery to a more relatable way of communicating should read and re-read this book. This book is not for those looking for insight on exegesis of biblical text, it is for those who wish to improve the artfulness of their preaching. Works like this reaffirm the natural, cultural practice of storytelling in my context and gives permission to do what comes more natural to both preacher and people. It alleviates the guilt of feeling like every message must fit into Haddon Robinson’s deductive box or go as far as Fred Craddock’s inductive free-for-all. There is great value in sharing with people in a manner in which they are familiar with while adding the element of an unexpected but eventually obvious reversal that makes good preaching better.
[1] J. Ellsworth Kalas. Preaching In An Age Of Distraction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2016. p.14