Ernest Hemingway has something to teach preachers. For years, Hemingway has fascinated me at two levels. First, I am haunted by his quest for love and deep healing. As D. Bruce Lockerbie points out in his book, Dismissing God, Hemingway abandoned his Christian upbringing and turned to the worship of a rugged masculinity. Yet neither bull-fighting, big-game hunting, nor booze brought him the hope and healing for which he longed. Second, I am intrigued by the way Hemingway wrote his novels and short stories. The way he communicates in A Farewell to Arms (my favorite Hemingway novel) or Big Two-Hearted River (my favorite ‘Nick Adams’ short story) models something which I must master as a preacher of Scripture.
What Hemingway modeled is the ability to paint vivid pictures through strong words and striking analogies. He once remarked: “Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.” Hemingway never pursued elegance or cleverness. He captured the imaginations of readers even though his prose was lean simple. It boiled down to words and analogies.
Hemingway was a genius at enlisting concrete terms rather than depending on adverbs and adjectives to prop up bland words. For example, he used “climbed” instead of “went up,” and he described blood as “dripping” and “pattering.” Hemingway also created simple but pointed analogies. For example, he writes: “The drops fell very slowly as they fall from an icicle after the sun has gone.” That analogy is short yet thought-provoking. Yes, I noticed that Hemingway used a couple of adverbs in his sentence! But read a few paragraphs of his, and you’ll be struck by how few modifiers he used. He simply used words and analogies to press his point.
That’s my challenge as a preacher this Sunday! God has called you and me to work with words. The purpose is not for us to appear clever or literary. The purpose is for the message to reach its destination. Whether or not this happens depends, in part, on word choice.
If your manuscript or outline for this Sunday’s sermon is finished, take time to read through it with an eye for the language you use. Are the nouns bland? Are they specific enough? Do you punctuate your delivery with a couple analogies? Suddenly, you’ll see that “unpleasant smell” can become “stench.” “Good food” can become “corn bread” or “pizza.” “Terror” packs more punch than “great fear” or “very great fear.” To be sure, there are weightier issues – exegesis, theology, prayer, sermon form, etc. But I thank Ernest Hemingway for modeling how to use the right words and analogies. Like a personal check made out to your mortgage company, a biblical sermon must reach its destination in order to make any difference. The right words and analogies help your sermon reach that destination.
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 11:16 AM on June 22, 2007
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Unfortunately if you don't read Hemingway it is very difficult to write or speak like him. My wife and I home school and we were very interested to figure out why some of our kids were good writers and others were not as good. The answer was obvious. Kids that read, especially those that read a lot, are by far better writers.
As a seminary student it is really easy to get so busy with school and work that the only thing that I ever read is textbooks. I recently visited an 85-year-old man who was in the process of dieing, and as we talked he constantly quoted poetry, Robert Frost, Burns, Blake. What a rich vocabulary he had, and what an amazing man to talk with. I went in hopes of blessing him and received a greater blessing myself.
So I am guilty as charged, but this week I picked a book of poetry and started reading, and now based on your post I will read some Hemingway as well. I truly believe you have to read great writing to be a great writer.
Posted by: Steve on June 24, 2007
Why would any called son or daughter of God find their inspiration to preach from one who obviously denied the very God Who gave him such a marvelous gift and yet used it for his own glory? God's encouragment to Joshua I believe stands far superior in its inspiration....."turn not to the right hand nor to the left, but meditate upon the Word day and night; so shall you make your way sucessful". And what about 2 Tim. 3:16? "For every Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Poetry and stories may be nice, but give me a preacher with God's Word in his heart every time. " For the Word that God speaks is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword."
Posted by: Char on June 26, 2007
Char,
You might wish to ponder a quote taken from an address John Wesley gave to pastors. It is wise counsel. Wesley said:
"To imagine that none can teach you but those who are themselves saved from sin, is a very great and dangerous mistake. Give not place to it for a moment."
Posted by: Mark Mathewson on June 26, 2007
Thanks, Char, for reminding us of Joshua 1:7-8 and 2 Timothy 3:16. I fully agree that NO child of God should find inspiration to preach from one who denies God's Wore and God's gifts. Our inspiration comes from the glory of God and the life-transforming power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17).
I am not for a moment suggesting that I find inspiration to preach from Hemingway. But there's a huge difference between looking to someone for inspiration and taking away insights from somone (even an unbeliever) which can be applied to the glorious task of preaching. My theological base for the latter is the matrix of general revelation, the nature of Old Teestament wisdom (how the biblical writer took the wisdom of Egypt and ran it through the filter of 'the fear of Yahweh') and the creation of all people in the image and likeness of God.
The question is, can we ever look to fallen people for insights about handling money, managing our time, working productively, and even communicating?
Also, I want to point out that like you, I want a preacher with God's Word in his heart every time! I want to be that preacher! But this does not rule out or devalue an awareness of what people in the wider culture are doing or saying. Paul's statements in Acts 17:23 and Titus 1:12-13 demonstrate this.
Thanks again, Char, for raising this issue.
Posted by: Steve Mathewson on June 26, 2007