"It should be noted in passing that this is an important purpose in an announced or printed sermon title -- to help upset the equilibrium. Most titles tend to do the reverse. They appear to be drawn from the sermon's conclusion (the scratch rather than the itch). As a result, the preacher has to move backward from the announced title in order to arrive at the beginning of the sermon itself. A title known in advance of a sermon should itself be ambiguous -- making listeners wonder what the sermon will be about" (Lowry, The Homiletical Plot, p. 31).
What do you guys think? According to this, my titles have been pretty boring (usually a basic statement of the subject of the sermon). For example, here are my next four sermon titles as we work our ways through Romans 3:9-18:
Total Depravity - III
Total Depravity - IV
Total Depravity - V
Total Depravity - VI
Pretty creative, huh?
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8 comments:
Going by Wilson, I think you should change your next four to:
Total Depravity III
Total Depravity V
Total Depravity IV
Total Depravity VI
I try to get a little creative, but I'm not that good at it. Unfortunately, my creative looks like a creative person's boring.
This is similar to Dever's point about wanting to create interest with sermon titles.
My creativity is extremely weak (at best!). I'm not sure I see how important this is actually. I'll have to wrestle more, but why is the title so important? Maybe I'm too simple minded, but it seems to me that those who sit under your preaching week after week would already know whether or not they care to hear you.
Randy,
Dever says the use is mainly for unbelievers, to create interest. He says those Christians who sit under your preaching regularly will be interested in the text, while nonChristians may be drawn in by the title.
Jim,
I figured that was the reason, but I'm not sure I see that as clearly. Unless you're going to advertise it before the gathering time, they are already there, right? I'm not saying it's not important, I just don't think it's THAT important.
I'm terrible with sermon titles and think they are over-rated.
And just curious, why does it even matter whether or not a sermon has a creative title if the unbeliever is already sitting there... waiting for the sermon to begin?
Or is Dever talking mostly about promotion (signs or internet)?
Randy and Dan,
Yes, I think Dever is talking about promotion... as in the Christians have the text ahead of time and can study it, and so Christians can invite their nonChristian friends to a particular series' or topics.
And I think all of us are in agreement that sermon titles are not all that important.
At Dever's Church they publish little handouts with the coming week's sermons that members can hand out to people at work, etc. Also, they post the coming week sermon's title on their church sign.
I like sermon titles that come from the words of the text itself. Piper is the master at this.
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