Preaching to Postmoderns

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I am making the transition from modern to postmodern preaching, and here's
what I have found to be most effective:

modern preaching uses stories to illustrate a point; post modern   the story
is the point (pointless preaching).

visual visual visual   movie clips, oral stories that paint a vivid picture

many hooks   like Velcro:  a good story engages the hearers at multiple
levels and doesn't need explaining

Identification with the congregation as a fellow traveler/struggler with the
issue

preaching that lets people experience rather than explain the mystery of the
divine

desired response not "you gave me something to think about" but "that
touched/moved me"

I've found it's not an age/generational thing.  Postmodern preaching opens
the gates for the Holy Spirit to touch people in those deep places where
words do not fit.



I think it is important to add to this discussion  that Post Moderns don't
want exegesis of a biblical passage, they want to enter into the life of the
biblical passage in an Ancient Future perspective.  One that leads to
experience then now and there decisions tomorrow.  

To preach post modern means entering into the event completely, it means
connecting that story of biblical times to the living life of the biblical
narrative in contemporary examples is natural.

But to just throw an illustration in, or a video clip in to have a little
sparkle goes over like throwing a rock through the window, they must flow
together, and have an intentional ancient future connection.

We are not story telling preachers in the postmodern sense, but we are
faithful guides to the worshipping congregation experiences the event first
hand both then and now.  



A lot of interesting techniques and opinions being offered on what makes
postmodern preaching. Guess I'll take a shot, too. Here's my take:

1. We don't want to do something called "postmodern preaching." We want to
preach to reach postmoderns. (Cf. Len Sweet's *Soul Tsunami* for more on
this nuance).

[I'm indebted to Stanley Grenz for the rest of this  I've adapted this stuff
from his book, *A Primer on Postmodernism*]

2. Preaching to reach postmoderns means preaching to reach people without a
single world view.

3. Preaching to reach postmoderns means preaching to reach people who
celebrate the local and particular at the expense of the universal. It's a
multiversal world.

4. Preaching to reach postmoderns means preaching to reach people who could
give a damn about the scientific method.

5. It means preaching to reach people who believe a plurality of truths can
exist alongside one another.

6. It means preaching to reach radically relativistic and pluralistic
communities of people. Note "communities of people" vs. individuals.
Postmodern relativism and pluralism is not individualistic.

7.It means preaching without trying to "prove you're right" and that others
are wrong because you're preaching to reach people who believe that beliefs
and truth are a matter of social context and what is wrong in one place
might be right in another.

8. It means preaching to reach people who couldn't give a rip if you're
systematic or logical. In fact, if that's your goal, postmoderns will likely
glaze over.

9. It means preaching to reach pessimists.

10. It means preaching holistically    i.e. integrating the intuitive and
the affective.

11. It means preaching to reach people who don't buy the notion of a
metanarrative. This, if for no other reason, is why we might not want to do
"postmodern preaching", per se. We can be as postmodern as we wanna be in
many respects...ultimately, though, we Christians have got to deal with the
Scripture thing and the Jesus thing    huge metanarrative.

12. Preaching to reach postmoderns means preaching that is not simply

utilitarian (like boomers in the 80s wanted it).

13. Preaching to reach postmoderns is preaching that is not a commodity, but
that provides and experience.

So how do we preach to reach postmoderns:

1. Be passionate and subjective vs. dispassionate and objective.
2. Deal directly with sin and misdirected will over/against the
Enlightenment notion that knowledge is always good.
3. Preach to reach communities as well as individuals. (This is a
challenging statement to any of us who have heard the very appealing and
reasonable claim that the kingdom of God advances one person at a time.
Postmoderns would challenge this).
4. Preach to reach the individual in relationship. Preach socially.
5. Preach non verbally. Verbal presentations of the gospel don't work with
postmoderns. Hence Al's suggestions: use pictures...use motion...use
smells...use bells...use it all...and, only when necessary, use words. And
use all this stuff to illustrate the embodiment of Jesus Christ in the lives
of people in community. (Ever seen a monologue on "Friends"?)
6. Take into account other dimensions of learning and experiencing besides
the cognitive. This doesn't mean that we should be anti intellectual. Take
that road and you'll bore postmoderns. But branch out beyond the cognitive
dimension.
7. Preach suppositionally, not propositionally.
8. Preach to the body as well as the mind, but never as if they were two
separate things. Don't preach dualistically (i.e. drop the distinctions
between body/mind, secular/sacred, soul/matter). Preach to unified
wholes  i.e. actual human beings.
9. Emphasizes the relevance of faith for every dimension of life. Preach
with zero tolerance for faith remaining merely an intellectual endeavor, a
matter solely of assent to orthodox propositions. Expect and command the
transformation of character (if that sounds presumptuous  it's also
biblical).

Anyway...that's how I see preaching to reach postmoderns