Volume 2, Number 4
The Dialogical Element in Preaching
We have been conditioned historically to think of preaching as a monologue. …He (Reuel Howe) contends that preaching is more effective “when it is dialogical, when preacher and people become partners in the discernment and proclamation by word and action of the Word of God.”
Dialogical Preaching
At first glance, the concept of “dialog preaching” with one preacher is nonsense. A sermon is a monologue. … And yet, within those limitations, some degree of interactivity is possible. …If a preacher wishes to use “interactive” communication tools in what is essentially a monologue, what might they be? Attitude, Manuscript, Response
Reuel Howe’s Observations
When the monological principle is employed, one person tells another what he ought to know, and the communication is content-centered. … When addressed dialogically, the listener knows that he is being addressed by another, and that the content is living truth which speaks to meanings coming from his own experience. He experiences an invitation to participate even though at the moment he cannot speak aloud.
What Others Have Said
If theological reflection is to take place at all in our preaching during the next several decades, it wpill take place as dialogue, not monologue. … The generations brought up on computer games and interactive television will no longer find it meaningful to be talked at for 15 minutes.
Examples of Dialog Preaching
May I let you in on a little secret? … Do you hear not just a command, but a promise? … Did you get that?