arnurnrbtu
mlJtnlngtral j{nut~ly
Continuing
LEHRE UNO VVEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLy-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. VII September, 1936 No.9
CONTENTS Page
Widmung ......................................... 641
Skizze und Schriften Dr. Theodor Engelders ............ 642
Pastoralkonierenzen. L. Fuerbringer. • . • • • . . • • • • • • . • • . • • •• 644
New Revisions of Comparative Religion. Th. Graebner. • • • •• 653
Der "andere Martin" und seine hohe Bedeutung fuer uns
lutherische Theologen in Amerika. J. T. Mueller • • • • • • •• 661
Doctrinal Preaching. J. H. C. Fritz •.••••••..•••••.••••••• 671
The Pastor and Secular Literature. M. S. Sommer •••••••••• 677
"Private Interpretation," 2 Pet. 1, 20. w. Arndt •.•••••••••
Recent Archeological Light on Nahum. w. A. Maier •••••••
Die biblische Theologie im Studium des lutherischen Theo·
logen. P. E. Kretzmann ••••••••••.••••••••••.••.•••••
Frederick August Craemer. w. G. Polack .••.••.•••.••.••••
The Blast that Wrecked the Pope's Power. Theo. Hoyer ••••
How will Radio.Preaching Affect the Regular Pulpit of Our
Church 1 E. J. Friedrich .••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••
685
692
699
704
710
713
Eln Prediger muss nicht aUeln weid ... ,
also dass er die Schafe unterwelse, wie
oie rechte Christen sollen eein, sondem
auch daneben den Woelfen we",,,,, das.
81e die Schale nlcht angreilen nnd mit
falscber Lebre verfuehren nnd Irrtum ein·
tuehren. - LutMr.
P. 1st keln Ding, das die Leute mehr
bei der Kirche behaelt denn die gute
Predi!;t. - Apolotrie, Art. Ii.
It the trumpet give an uncertain sound,
who shall prepare himself to the battle?
1 Cor.~, 8.
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
ABom
Doctrinal Preaching. 671
Doctrinal Preaching.
"In a restless nation and agitated times, in these days of some-
what bustling religious activity, there has come to be too little of
real doctrinal preaching." This description of conditions and the
complaint concerning too little doctrinal preaching, all of which so
well fits our own time, was not written by one of our contemporaries,
but is a quotation from the book Preparation and Delivery of Ser-
mons, by Broadus, page 77, published in 1870. Turning to Walther's
Pastoraltheologie, published in 1872, we find that Dr. Walther made
a similar complaint. He says: "Although a sermon may be filled with
words of admonition, rebuke, and consolation, yet, if that sermon
{)ontains no doctrine, it is an empty and a poor sermon, all of its
admonitions, rebukes, and consolations floating in the air. And no
Dne knows how many preachers are guilty and how much they sin
in this respect." Must we not also to-day complain that doctrinal
preaching is being neglected? Experience teaches that in the very
measure in which the teaching of Bible doctrine has been eliminated
from the preaching of the Ohurch, in that measure has the Ohurch
lacked virility and power.
I.
What is doctrinal preaching? Some will readily answer, The
preaching of doctrine. The answer is correct, but not sufficient.
Such statements as "Ohrist died for our sins" or "We are saved by
grace through faith" are doctrinal statements, and yet a sermon that
has such statements merely interwoven is not yet a doctrinal sermon.
A doctrinal sermon calls for the thorough exposition of some Biblical
doctrine or phase of that doctrine. Moreover, doctrinal preaching
calls for the preaching of all the doctrines of Scripture.
, Of course, the chief doctrines must be preached first and more
frequently, such as the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the pur-
pose and use of the Scriptures, the atonement, justification by faith,
conversion, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, the person and the work of
the Holy Spirit, good works as the evidence of faith, the Ohristian
Ohurch, the Ohristian ministry, false prophets, the trials and suffer-
ings of a Ohristian, the resurrection, the Judgment, eternal life.
But also such doctrines should be preached as the creation and
preservation of the world, the angels, predestination, the giving and
taking of offense, brotherly remonstrance, marriage, the Ohristian
training of children, the divine institution of civil government, the
relation of master and servant, Ohristian liberty, adiophora, sinful
amusements, the oath, the dangers of riches, the mysterious ways of
God in the life of a Ohristian, etc. A Ohristian preacher should be
able to say with Paul, Acts 20, 20. 26. 27, "I kept back nothing that
672 DoctTinal Preaehing.
was profitable unto you, but have' showed you, and have taught you
publicly and from house to house. , .. Vlherefore I take you to
record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have
not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."
II.
From the viewpoint of the purpose of the sermon we may classify
sermons as doctrinal, pastoral, and hortatory. The distinction we
make is not that some sermons contain doctrine and others do not.
Every sermon must contain both doctrine and the application of
doctrine. Doctrine without application does not serve its purpose;
and application of doctrine cannot be made without a knowledge of
the doctrine. But while the pastoral sermon stresses particularly
the application of doctrine to the Ohristian life, as does also the
hortatory sermon, the doctrinal sermon is ma,inly an exposition of
some Scriptural doctrine or, usually, of a certain phase of some
doctrine. The purpose of the doctrinal sermon is fully to acquaint
th(') hearers with the doctrincs of the Scriptures, or, as we say, to
indoctrinate them. The doctrinal sermon offers a popular course III
dogmatics.
The importance of a thorough indoctrination ana, therefore, of
the preaching of doctrinal sermons is readily understood and appre-
ciated whcn it is borne in mind that doctrinc constitutes the basic
part of Scripture. The fivefold use of Scripture is given in 2 Tim.
3, 16: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous-
ness," and Rom. 15, 4: "Whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope." v\Te therefore, according to the
Latinized Greek terminology speak of the usus didascalicus, eZench-
[·ictts, paedeutic1lg, epanm·thot·iC1lS, and pamcleticu8. The followjng
outline will help both the understanding and the memory: -
The Use of Scripture-
. S Teaches tl'ue doctrine. . {conects sinful life.,
Doctrme 1 Refutes false doctrine. LIfe Encourage~ godly hfe.
l Comforts tn troubles of life.
The tiSns didascaZicus is not only mentioned first by Paul, but is
basic for all the other uses of Scripture. False doctrine can be
refuted only on the basis of the true doctrine; a sinful life can be
corrected and a godly life encouraged only on the basis of the doc-
trines of sin and of good works; and comfort can be dispensed only
on the basis of whatever doctrine comes into consideration in a spe-
cific case. Timothy is told to