The Preached Word: Heard and Seen

How Shall They Hear?The uniqueness of the universe of images that surround us is the sheer number of them: Ministers of the Word have their hands full in an image-centered culture. Says Jacques Ellul, "this proliferation has become the spiritual question of our day." Which begs the question: if homiletic optics are out of sync with our communications environment, do not preachers risk that very little if any of their intended message will get through? The Preached Word first digs deeply into the eternal principle that faith comes by hearing-sine qua non for the pulpit. It then scopes out in theo-logical, historical and scientific fields how the use or absence of illustrations and examples, electronic media or other portrayals may enhance or diminish the hearing event. For, according to Calvin, "God does not wish to be heard but by the voice of His ministers."