conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

Welcome back!

Not to kill your buzz, but: what about those forms of Christianity that don't employ sermons or preachers? (This vis-a-vis your phrase, "the place of the sermon in the life of the Christian."

Don't you mean "the life of the Baptist"?

Glad to hear that your appreciation for the stakes in preaching has risen even higher. Welcome back!

You are right in that the brand of Quakerism that you are acquainted with was not represented. Are there other Christian denominiations that do not employ preachers/sermons?

But there were many other denominations present...RCC to ABC...Hey, there was even a Unitarian there! Who knew?! Heh.

It was good.

I don't know whether there are other Christian denominations that don't employ preachers.

But since there is one, my point stands -- you can't generalize about "Christians" in the way you did. It doesn't hold up, it's lazy thinking and speaking, and I know you can do better. :)

Ah. I see.

Okay, Quakers preach. Or, they have the option. The movementr of the Spirit that encourages someone to share in the midst of the meeting is the "sermon" if you will. Quakers have a different theology of how the Spirit works, perhaps a fuller theology than other Protestant groups. Nevertheless, the belief that the Spirit calls us to speak (or preach) is something that the Quaker meetings are founded upon.

Well, that is the history at least.

So, in that sense, Quakers have a higher theology of the sermon or even the preacher (through the priesthood of all believers) than the rest of us. In this regard, you might be inclined, through affiliation with the Quaker tradition that I know of, to actually agree with what I said even more fervently than I said it.

But there are several strains of Quakerism and I do not know which one you are engaging even if only occasionally. It would be interesting to know.

Mine is an unprogrammed Meeting, which is affiliated with the Friends General Conference (FGC) and the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association (SAYMA).

I think you're stretching it to say that Quakers who rise to speak in Meeting, are preaching sermons.

My experience of sermons runs thusly:
1. They're long
2. There's only one of them per worship service
3. They're delivered by people who have been contracted in one way or another to do so on that particular date, and have prepared their remarks

None of these are true of Quakers rising to speak in response to the prompting of the Spirit in Meeting.

Where's my definition departing from yours?

Okay...cool.

But you saying that is similar to my saying that a play must be in three acts, last 90 minutes and employ one sound tech.

These may be tools, but they are not rules.

A sermon is essentialy a spirit-inspired proclamation of Christ...There are many ways to play inn these waters. The 45 minute moralist stuff in an evangelical baptist congregation to the five-minute homily in some catholic parishes to the inspired declaration or sharing in a Quaker meeting. I think that beyond this we are talking structural tools.

Does this make sense?

Only if one wants it to. Which I think you do. ;)

It's a stretch. A big S-T-R-E-E-E-E-T-C-H.

Is every "spirit-inspired proclamation" a sermon?

Every?

Yes.

I would say so. A sermon is a liturgical divice and a "moment" in the liturgy. But it is also a gift from the Spirit. Sermons can be pastoral, prophetic, didactic...any myriad idea...as long as it somehow, someway proclaims the gospel.

So, a 98 year old woman telling of the love of Christ for the world from her hospital bed is a preacher...even if she were never ordained.

I disagree with your definition, but I appreciate your making it clear.