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In Review
The Certain Sound of the Trumpet:
Crafting a Sermon with Authority,
Samuel D. Proctor
Review by Oliver Phillips
The late Samuel D. Proctor served as Professor Emeritus
and Pastor Emeritus of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City,
and had been a visiting professor at Duke and Vanderbilt Universities
and Princeton Theological Seminary.
The Certain Sound of the Trumpet offers Proctor’s
response to the ongoing demand for a “how-to”, step-by-step
approach to powerful sermon development. The author is convicted that
sermon preparation is the critical challenge for those who face a congregation
every Sunday with a weekly dialogue that is clear, concise, credible,
cogent, and convincing. While Proctor warns that his method is not a
homiletical elixir, he insists that after many years of spiritual winnowing
with traditional and classical methods, he found this Hegelian practicum
to be worthy of consideration by those who are called to sound the trumpet
with relevance and conviction.
According to this technique, the sermon moves from one
thought to another in a manner that can be more easily followed by the
listeners, and it defies the traditional understanding of “points”,
making such only ancillary to the development of the text. The sermon
can then have one major point or four points, all determined by the
chosen text.
Proceeding from the proposition, the following process
is developed:
Antithesis—this is the real-life situation grounded in the meaning
of the text and juxtaposed with the present situation. It is often referred
to as the “isness” of things.
Thesis—this is the ideal situation as reflected in
the text and mirrored in the community’s history, and is an expansion
of the proposition. It is often referred to as the “oughtness”
of things.
The relevant question—what does this scripture tell
us about the nature and structure of the dilemma faced by the congregation?
If the dialectic is recognized between the thesis and the antithesis,
then how does the text shed light on a resolution?
Synthesis—the body of the sermon is the resolution
of the impasse. The synthesis becomes the reconciliation of the concurrence
that was recognized between the thesis and the antithesis.
Used to develop a theme, subject, or proposition, the
integral strength of this approach is that it effortlessly addresses
the needs of the congregation. In the application of Proctor’s
method, the preacher begins by choosing a text and a subject based on
the text, and then proceeds to the writing process. The preacher engages
a proposition (an abbreviated form of what will become the thesis),
as Proctor says, “what you shall have said when the sermon is finished.”
It is the sermon in a nutshell!
I loved the book but had some problems with its lack of
treatment of the necessary exegesis that would apply using this style.
Having used this method for the past ten years, I am aware that the
preparation of expository sermons presents unique challenges. The method
fits better into narrative, topical, and textual genres. That being
said, Proctor’s approach lends itself to preaching that is biblically
sound and contextually relevant.
Proctor’s years of proclaiming the Word of God, pastoring,
and effective classroom instruction to pastors, teachers, and seminarians
make this a must-read for even the seasoned pastor. I recommend this
book without reservation.
(Judson Press, 1994. 138 pp., ISBN #0817012028.)
Oliver R. Phillips is the Director of Mission Strategy in the USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism department at Nazarene Headquarters.
