As One Without Authority 3rd edition by Craddock, Fred B. (1979) Paperback

by Fred B. Craddock

Craddock, Fred B.

Genres: Church, Nonfiction, Teaching

Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Wim Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit is een overtuigend betoog, inclusief voorbeelden en reacties op eerdere kritiek, om in moderne tijden niet deductief maar inductief te preken. Dus niet starten met een geloofspropositie (en drie punten) om vervolgens een kant-en-klaar gerecht op te dienen. Beter: toewerken naar een idee in het genre van de bijbeltekst. De langere introductie (contra K. Barth), het uitstellen van de conclusie en het samen zoeken activeert de (volwassen) hoorder.

Het maken van een inductieve preek vraagt om lef en een brede, literair-culturele interesse. “Nothing is reflected more obviously in the content, mood, and dimensions of a preacher’s sermons than the variety of his own reading.” (p. 66) Wie inductie aandurft zal ontdekken dat humor automatisch meekomt. Humor ontstaat daar waar het gewone leven een plek krijgt. “... humor is directly related to the experience of concrete reality.” (73)

Misschien is dat wel het belangrijkste bezwaar van deze aanpak. Het vraagt om overgave. De voorganger kan niet buiten schot blijven en gaat met de billen bloot omdat de gelezen literatuur en poëzie en de gekeken films doorsijpelen in de verkondiging. Ook persoonlijke twijfel en worsteling met weerbarstige bijbelteksten worden gedeeld goed. Niet alle gemeenteleden zitten daarop te wachten. Ook niet alle voorgangers.

[JD Waggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another tools-of-the-trade book that probably won't be a fun read for you if you're not a preacher, as the whole thing is about the benefits and how-tos of inductive preaching. The book was originally published in the 70s, I think, and was a watershed moment in how folks think about preaching because it was a totally new idea to bring the congregation along with you to a conclusion rather than tell them how they should read a text. The first chapter or two are all about how we think of preaching and how it's in dire straits because no one respects sermons anymore and it's just weird reading that in 2020 and thinking well, yeah.

The punch of it, then, is a little lessened by the fact that our current religious culture is way different and this is now a mainstream idea. It's part of how I learned to preach without realizing whence it came, but the book is still very useful. The new sermons included are great because they really helped me understand how flexible Craddock was making the medium. This is a good balance of theory and practical tips and, once you get past the first couple of chapters, is very readable and applicable. I'll hang onto it, especially because it's pretty short as homiletics books go and the suggestions are handy, but I think now it's more of a classic than a groundbreaker.

[Will Waller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great work by Craddock. Love him!

Chapter 3: a minister who preaches effectively is one who understands "movement." does it move and in what direction?
There are 2 types of movement: deductive-thesis stated to have practical utilization. And inductive: the reverse.
Criticism of the deductive method: how to get from the end of point 1 to the beginning of point 2.
Induction: can allow the listener to have the same intellectual trip as the minister.
Induction is the stuff of life. We are not instrinsically concerned with the “thingness” of life but the concrete details. Induction incorporates anticipation.
We must be dutiful in our preparation – that is the key. Unity, clarity, tight constraint. These work together to move it along consistently with brevity and choice words. Singlenss of theme breeds interest and intrigue. We mustn’t be swayed by the attraction of handing out a theme to each person like Tylneol. Two parts to most sermons: 1) historical / bible 2) application/practical.

[Ian Bordenave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred Craddock’s As One Without Authority is as timely a book in 2019 as it was when it was first published in 1971. Whereas many preachers conceive of a sermon as deduction in which a conclusion is stated and then shown to be true in its parts, Craddock argues such a structure saps the life out of a sermon and causes people’s attention to fade. Instead, Craddock argues sermons should be inductive in which an experience leads to a conclusion—either explicit or implicit. Craddock says stories are the stuff of induction and are usually good at sustaining listener or reader interest, because one is waiting to find out how the story will end. Craddock says if sermons were also inductive, they would stand a better chance of maintaining listener interest.

Craddock delves into a good bit of theory in As One Without Authority. One can become bogged down in that theory, but to the reader who stays the course and finishes the book, he or she is rewarded with a refreshing outlook on preaching.

[Andrew Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that put Fred Craddock on the map, and I can see why.

It’s hard to blend theory and instruction. I don’t envy authors of “preaching” books for that very reason. Still, Craddock balanced it well. Compelling explanations for the strength of inductive preaching coupled with wise counsel in assembling a sermon with unity and movement. The appendices in the end were very helpful.

The example-sermon he provides in the end is, in my opinion, not his best work (I have the unrevised edition). If you don’t have the newest edition, I would recommend purchasing a copy of the Cherry Log sermons for reference.

[Griffin Swihart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Craddock’s work, his storytelling, his passion, his argument for inductive preaching—he was a gifted communicator, and his work in this short book is incredibly helpful in improving my own preaching. I’m certainly not smart enough to understand everything Craddock says, but what I do understand is always helpful, inspiring, and enlightening.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening and thought provoking justification for and clarification on inductive preaching.

[Justin Dewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craddock proclaims the choice of inductive preaching is a commitment to a different lifestyle of ministry. This book energized me to preach in a way I've done before but with new life!

[Edward Bellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and read. He got a bit technical and verbose as he tried to be analytical in his craft. Glad I read it!

[Fr. Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A case for inductive preaching.

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a classic.

[Clelio Simoes · Rating 2 out of 5]

MY FIRSTS IMPRESSIONS FROM READING THE BOOK.

In a sense, Craddock's diagnosis was correct. The modern mind may well be opposed to authority and disinclined to trust the "wise men of the pulpit." However, his prescription, the way in which the preacher should deal with this problem, is completely wrong. The author's proposal to resolve the impasse between the authority of the biblical text and the postmodern man's disinterest in authority, can only be resolved if we rethink how we understand and communicate biblical texts.

The author prefers to sacrifice interpretation (exegesis) rather than having to demand that listeners conform to the truths of the text. For me, the emphasis on practical application and the desire to rethink homiletics and reinvent exegesis have a close connection with theological liberalism that causes more harm than good to preaching.

On page 42, for example, we read: "The Word of God is God's speech to the listener who sits before the open text so that it becomes the Word of God. More importantly, the Word of God is the Word of God to the reader/listener, not a word about God that must be selected from the biblical documents." In other words, for Craddock, the Bible is not the Word of God in and of itself. Rather, it needs the movement of the preacher and the listeners to become the Word of God.
And yet, according to Craddock, more important than transmitting knowledge, the sermon seeks to affect a practical experience. For me, it is clear that for the author, the person who listens, and not the content of the text, is at the center and should be seen as the starting point of the theory of preaching. This causes the inspired text to lose its relevance to the detriment of the practical factors that it can cause in the listeners.
Craddock makes it clear that he is a defender of the new homiletics. This way of interpreting the biblical text has its roots in the hermeneutical work of Gerhard Ebeling and Ernst Fuchs. For both, there was a separation between the theology of the pulpit and the people in the pews. The concern of the new homiletics is not the biblical text, but rather to answer how the Word of God can become a living and meaningful word for the listeners of our day. In the homiletical model that Craddock outlines here, the main objective is to invite the people/listeners to take part in the unfolding of the sermon and to allow space for them to reach their own conclusions. While in the expository sermon the preacher's quest is to be faithful to what the sacred author said to the primary readers, leaving it up to the preacher to make the appropriate bridges of application for the listeners in the present day, for Craddock the quest is to be relevant to the listeners. His quest is for acceptance, not fidelity. In the end, regardless of the reception of this book, both at the time of its original publication and now, I could not recommend it to fellow preachers. If I did, I would only recommend it to show the problematic nature of hearer-oriented, exclusively inductive preaching. For a more balanced work, I would recommend John A. Broduz's classic, Preaching and Preachers, Dennis Prutow, among others.

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it. I agreed with most of the arguments in the book, but found myself thinking that after reading this I wasn't sure I cared anymore. The prose is incredibly stilted and written almost entirely in the third person. I got really tired of reading something written to "her" and "him" instead of to me. Then I came to the sample sermons and found myself thinking that were I to have been in the service where the first sample sermon was preached that I'd run screaming in frustration at the silliness and cutesiness of the language. I really did want to like this book though.

[Demetrius Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've known about this work for a long time. It's a classic in the field of homiletics - particularly in what's known as the new homiletic. Not so new anymore, apparently, because the book was originally published in 1971. Basically, Craddock is arguing that since Christian ministers are now operating in a relativistic, dialogical milieu they need to preach "as one without authority." So that means speaking less declaratively and more democratically. Therefore he mounts quite the eloquent polemic against the traditional deductive 3-point sermon. Okay, fine. But here's the problem- authority was never vested in the preacher in the first place. It's always been located in the text. So preaching as one without authority doesn't really work. I see what he's saying, but there is still authority resident in the Word, and that's why we seek to expound it. (Forget about the preacher!)

So although I disagree with the premise of the work and am uncomfortable with the conclusion (inductive preaching all the way), it's still a fascinating book and worthy of interaction. I marked my copy extensively. Wise nuggets abound in every chapter. I believe there are times to preach inductive sermons. I just don't like the either/or thinking. Craddock depicts deductive preaching as the boogeyman, but why be exclusive? Do them both! Employ variety. Makes for a well-rounded preacher.

And one last thing, I knew pretty well what he was against, but wasn't quite sure exactly what he was for... until I got to the appendices - where four examples of his sermons were housed. To be honest, I didn't really like them. They seemed too coy and clever. And there was no real unpacking of the text. Most of it was framed in imaginative personal anecdotes and theological reverie. Interesting, but I felt I was getting more Craddock than I was getting Scripture.

So aside from his premise, conclusion, and examples.... the essence of the work is actually really helpful and I would love to learn more about the "new hermeneutic."

[Dustin Bagby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Fred Craddock is truly a master of preaching. I read his books and I feel both encouraged and destroyed at the same time. :)
Reading this has once again made me thankful for my preaching education at Lincoln under two preachers who were clearly influenced by Craddock in their creativity, storytelling, and the ability to hold a tension to keep interest. I long to preach like them!

[Seth Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing...so much amazing...will need to re-read many times.