Bedhead Theology

  Text-driven expositional preaching transcends style but serves as a lightning rod for the conviction that the Holy Spirit speaks through the text. Moreover, the text of Scripture informs the sermon’s meaning through the substance, structure, spirit, and summons. Therefore, a faithful, expository preacher must represent the text—employing explanation, illustration, and application—in the same manner of persuasion as the original author and allow the text’s nature to drive the sermon’s meaning. [1] I. A. Richards wrote, “Persuasion is only one among the aims of discourse. [Exposition] is concerned to state a view, not to persuade people to agree or to do anything more than examine it.” [2] The text-driven model demonstrates that exposition alone cannot move the congregation toward further godliness. Instead, complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit through recreating the original declaration of the text lies at the heart of text-driven preaching’s conviction that God has spoken. ...

Considering the summons, the single greatest need of the non-believer is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Coincidentally, the single greatest need of the believer is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both applications rest firmly within the summons of each passage of Scripture. The most significant issue then lies in the call of the text to respond. The summons—reproof, rebuke, and exhortation—is a call to the emotions and will, not just to inform the mind.  The summons is pleading, persuading, and urging the hearer to respond in obedience to the Word of God by anchoring to the effect of Scripture upon the whole person. The summons precedes the suggestions of a personal application with the definitive call of the text. Richard Baxter charged, “Next this, conclude the whole [preaching] with a practical exhortation, which must contain two parts: (1) The duty of the heart in order to a closure with Christ, and that which is contained in that closure [salvation]. (2) The use of external means for...

The text-driven preaching model provides an exceptional foundation for preaching the text as re-presenting the author’s intent. The theological foundation of the text-driven preaching model is that God has spoken; the substance elucidates the critical role of exegesis; the structure expounds the linguistic meaning; and the spirit explicates the meaning associated with the feel of the text through genre sensitivity. Nevertheless, the reproof, rebuke, and exhortation (hereafter referred to as the summons) remain neglected from his preaching model.  The lack of emphasis on the summons has left preachers conflating the ideas of application and summons. J. Josh Smith addressed the concept of exhortation in his book  Preaching for a Verdict : “The role of exhortation appears to have been overlooked in the past twenty-five years; however, this has not always been the case in the history of the pedagogy of homiletics.” [1]  The difficulty in defining the distinction between the...

                                One of the most significant challenges within each generation of the church is adapting to engage with the next generation. The values that impacted the “ Boomer Generation” (1955–1965), “Generation X” (1966–1977), “Millennials” (1978–1994), and “Generation Z” (1995–2012) vary wildly. [1] However, knowing which values are essential helps contextualize the gospel, revealing its relevance to the person to whom you are speaking. This approach moves beyond just engaging Gen Z. This article strives to illuminate the values of Gen Z and provide conversation points for bridging the gap and connecting to Christ. Understanding the Gen Z Culture To reach Gen Z with the gospel begins with a critical understanding of their culture. Understanding the culture of Gen Z gives clues into what they have deemed to value. Gen Z has been identified as the most racially diverse generation and ...