In Review
The Sermon: Dancing the Edge of Mystery
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997) Eugene Lowry

Eugene Lowry, professor of preaching at St. Paul's School of Theology in Kansas City, has become a popular guide on the homiletic highway. His notion of "the sermon as a narrative plot" that moves from "itch to scratch" (p. 19) has been articulated in three previous books: The Homiletical Plot (1980), Doing Time in the Pulpit (1985), and How to Preach a Parable (1989).

Dancing the Edge of Mystery begins with an excellent introduction to the paradigm shift that has taken place in preaching over the last three decades. Lowry describes the current shape of the "new homiletic" by overviewing six different sermonic forms. Each of these forms seeks to "shape experience rather than to assemble thoughts" (p. 20). The stage is now set for an intriguing presentation of his methodology, narrative plot. Insights from these other forms illumine his path.

Lowry aims to lead us into preaching that is "the evocation of an event" that "dances the edge of mystery" (p. 36). A plotting process guides his methodology. Beginning with conflict, a problem or dilemma in or around the text, the plot moves to complication, for "things always get worse" (p. 66). What problematic behavior needs remedy? A sudden shift reveals the remedy as the gospel shines forth through the text. The sermon climaxes in the unfolding of new promise for the future. While the preacher does not control the results of the proclamation, "the task is to facilitate an unfolding" (p. 89), a transformation born of the gospel.

This narrative plot takes the form of 3 broad stages in 10 specific steps. The first stage is attending. "Wallow in the text" (p. 91). Look for trouble: the weird, the strange, the out of place. Keep asking, "Why?" "Position yourself to be surprised" (p. 95). Second comes imagining, an artistic endeavor. Name important issues, images, incidents. Ask: "What is the passage trying to do?" (p. 101). What is the direction of God's action here? Listen to the voices of the congregation, clergy, and liturgy, as well as the Spirit speaking through the Scripture. Consult the scholars as well, but not too soon, for that stifles creativity.

The final stage is shaping. Name the sermon focus, the central issue of the sermon. Decide whether argument, image, or story shall be the strategy for the sermon. Identify the "sudden shift" of the sermon that will reveal the "grace of the Gospel" (p. 110) as it points to the resolution of the conflict. In planning the sermon process, the preacher may run, delay, suspend, or alternate the text. Identifying the aim of the sermon aids clarity, for there is "a difference between the indefinite and the mystery!" (p. 114). Seek to release the text to do its work in the congregation, as it draws the people beyond the message into "the presence of God" in proclaiming "a truth that is forever greater than our words" (p. 117).

Lowry's narrative methodology provides an invaluable resource for preachers who seek to proclaim the richness and depth of the gospel in a variety of forms. His homiletic path lies between the extremes of radical postmodernism and simplistic literalism. It is a superb introduction to the conservative side of the "new homiletic," and is well worth the price of the book.

Dr. Darrell Moore is a graduate of Bethany Peniel College, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Emporia State, and holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He pastored churches in Texas and Kansas for 12 years, was vice president of Institutional Advancement and professor of philosophy at MidAmerica Nazarene University, and most recently served as professor of Christian preaching at Nazarene Theological Seminary.