Nielsen’s Nook

The following is a book review by Brent Swanson. Mr. Swanson is a graduate of Yale Divinity School, serving a one year internship at Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Dallas, Texas. Brent’s Blog is τελος

In Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon Bryan Chapell argues that if our sermons are to be effective, they must always be centered upon Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. While the entire book is full of insightful instruction, Chapell’s distinct contribution lies in the final section of the book entitled, “A theology of Christ-centered messages.” Here Chapell constructs a theology of preaching which focuses upon the depravity of both the ancient and modern readers as well as the solution to this depravity in the person and work of Jesus Christ. As Chapell develops his theology, he reveals that justification by faith (and not just any doctrine concerning Christ’s person and work) is the true center of good preaching.According to Chapel, all sermons must be unified through what he calls the “Fallen Condition Focus (FCF).” Every passage of scripture speaks to a specific area of fallen humanity that both modern and ancient readers have in common. Once the FCF is identified, the main purpose of our sermon is to address this particular sin in both the ancient and modern audience. For Chapel, finding the FCF is important because “until we have determined (a text’s) FCF we do not really know what a text is about even if we know many true facts about the passage.” Identifying the FCF not only provides unity to our sermons, but also “makes listener response –rather than the static acquisition of information-the goal of the message.”Identifying the FCF, however, is only part of the task of Chapell’s Christ-centered preaching. Just as all sermons must have an FCF, so all sermons must contain the remedy that God provides for the particular human sin. In fact, the very reason Scripture points out our sin is so that we can see the remedy God has provided for our fallen condition. Thus, as Chapell explains, “the Bible’s ultimate aim is beautifully positive. Scripture addresses features of our incompleteness only because such a focus concurrently signals the work of Christ that makes us whole.” No sermon is complete without this double thrust towards uncovering the particular sin identified in the passage and the remedy of this sin supplied in the gospel.Chapell is not unaware of the problems created by his method of preaching the work of Christ in every text. One issue he addresses is the problem of how to get Christ’s work out of a passage that does not mention Christ at all. Chapell admits that “no single verse, no single passage, no single book tells us all we need to know about Him (Christ.).” Yet, he explains, all texts are linked in some way, shape, or form to the overarching theme of God’s redemption through Christ. Preachers must learn to connect each text to the Bible’s overarching redemptive theme. A familiarity with the insights of Biblical theology is imperative for this task. Once we understand the theological unity of the Bible we will be able to place a text properly in the context of the redemptive framework.Chapel ends his book with a discussion of the methodology of “redemptive exposition.” In this helpful section Chapell provides practical steps such as how to discern the redemptive purpose in a text. Topics covered include: how to bring Christ into the sermon without feeling like he is “tacked on,”and how to recognize the “key marks” of a redemptive sermon. In the end, Chapell hopes that his theology of Christ-centered messages will counter-act what he sees as a negative tendency in evangelicalism towards “sub-Christian” moralistic preaching.Chapell’s theology of Christ-centered preaching offers helpful ways to incorporate Christ into our sermons. His methodology is sound, as he shows how a redemptive historical approach offers a framework for preaching Christ that stays faithful to the text. However, Chapell’s understanding of what it means to preach Christ is too myopic. After reading his work, one gets the sense that for Chapell, “preaching Christ” means nothing more than “preaching justification.” He mentions several times the problem of “works righteousness” in the Christian life. While self-righteousness is indeed a problem for many Christians, there are more elements to redemption than simply the issue justification apart from good works. Aside from this one critique, Chapell’s book offers many insightful methods for the task of preaching and is an invaluable addition to any preachers library.