Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit (Rodney Wallace Kennedy) - A Review

DANCING WITH METAPHORS IN THE PULPIT. By Rodney Wallace Kennedy. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2024. 215 pages.

Many books have been written about the nature and purpose of preaching. Preacher’s shelves are often lined with books by Fred Craddock, Tom Long, and David Buttrick, to name but a few. These books cover many different areas of interest and concern. There are books written from perspectives that are rooted in various theological and contextual realities. In the end, there isn’t just one way to preach. As a preacher myself for several decades, I have developed my own style, drawing eclectically from various forms and theories, leading to a style that may or may not fit one of the usual categories. So, why should we pay attention to the latest books that speak of preaching? The answer is simple, we can always learn something new that might enhance our preaching. After all, the goal of preaching is to make known the gospel.

I have been tasked to review one of the more recent contributions to the list of preaching resources. That contribution goes under the title of Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit, which was authored by Rodney Wallace Kennedy. The author of this book is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches USA who teaches preaching at United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities. He is also the author of several books including Good and Evil in the Garden of Democracy, which I previously reviewed. This book, which focuses on preaching emerged out of Kennedy’s experiences as a preacher and a teacher of preachers.  and author of several books. He also teaches preaching at United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities. It is out of his experience as a preacher and teacher of preachers that he writes this book. It also reflects his academic preparation in rhetoric (Ph.D. from Louisiana State University), which is a major theme in this book.

Kennedy opens his book by reminding the reader that preaching is not easy. Preachers face many challenges when tasked with making known words from God to congregations that might not be receptive to the message. Therefore, preachers need sympathy when they offer up words “that threaten the habits, attitudes, opinions, and existence of the congregation. To preach they must look on death itself as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness and said, 'Look on death and live'" (p. 1). Despite the many challenges preachers face when they take up their calling to bring a word from God that is rooted in Scripture to such congregations, many people respond positively to the call.  Thus, in Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit, Rodney Kennedy offers preachers (and those interested in preaching) resources that might assist them in the task of preaching in four chapters. These resources include novelists, poets, philosophers, and rhetoricians. In other words, this is not a book about methods of preaching. Instead, Kennedy focuses on four resources that he believes can inform preachers as they take up their calling so they can boldly share a word with a congregation.

I will confess that as I ponder these resources, they are not as central to the habits that inform my preaching as Kennedy might like. In other words, I don’t read a lot of novels or poetry. While I read constantly, it’s mostly nonfiction. I know I need to expand my horizons, but I do have my habits. As for philosophy, I seem to have a love/hate relationship, though I recognize that philosophy, whether ancient or modern undergirds much of the way we understand theology (and I read a lot of theology). As for my training in rhetoric, it has been more indirect than direct. I expect that I’m not alone in this. Therefore, if we’re attentive to what Kennedy seeks to communicate, we’ll have much to learn from him.

As we move into the heart of Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit, we first encounter a conversation about "What Novelists Have to Teach Us" (Chapter 1). First and foremost, Kennedy believes novelists can help preachers learn to work with words. He writes that preachers need to be "truth-tellers." If they are going to do this, preachers must be readers. He even suggests that preachers should contract with their congregations to set aside a month each year for them to simply read and study. While the reading preachers undertake during these periods not only include novels, but their reading during these periods should also include novels/fiction. Why should preachers read novels? Kennedy suggests that novelists are in tune with human nature. He offers examples of novelists, such as James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. The value here is that great novels reveal moral imperatives. Novelists draw on their imagination to create characters and plotlines. With this in mind, preachers who wish to communicate imaginatively need to make sure that their reading lists include novels. If they do this, then they will be better able to create sermons that speak to the hearts and minds of the congregation, especially since like novelists, all we have are words.

In the second chapter, Kennedy speaks to "What the Poets Teach Us about Preaching." He believes preachers need to write poetry because it is basic training for preaching. Again, I must admit that I have not spent much time either reading or writing poetry, though I attend to the words of our hymns and the Psalms. Kennedy does focus on the Psalms and the way they speak to the heart. Poetry and the Psalms have also contributed to the development of freer styles of preaching. As to the power of poetry for preachers, Kennedy writes: “Never leave the poets behind in your ministry. The poems we read and love will stay with us forever and accompany us to the great transition from life to death to life again. Poets long dead and consigned to the grave live in me as ghosts that are alive” (p. 85). As one who doesn’t find poetry as impactful as does Kennedy, I will let other preachers decide for themselves as to their value. Though, I will admit I should be more attentive to them.

From poetry, we turn in Chapter 3 to "What the Philosophers Teach Us about Preaching." Here he draws on Plato, Aristotle, and others. So, why study philosophy as a preacher? Kennedy suggests that the reason for this is found in the very definition of philosophy—the "love of wisdom." He writes "As lovers of wisdom, preachers are thus open to finding wisdom wherever it is available" (p. 92). With that I heartily agree, so perhaps I’m not as averse to it as I might think (I’m really not!). Among the modern philosophers he draws upon here is Charles Taylor, who has become well-known for his work on secularism. Regarding Taylor, Kennedy draws on James K. A. Smith, who has written on Taylor's work. With Taylor and philosophy in general, Kennedy highlights the challenges preachers face when they attempt to preach compelling messages in this secular age. As such, Kennedy is uncomfortable with much of Enlightenment philosophy, which he believes emphasizes individualism at the expense of the community. With that in mind, he points to nonfoundationalism as a helpful philosophical resource. He writes that “Philosophically the preacher embracing an anti-foundational stance will realize that postmodernism is more ally than enemy and that the post-truth age offers the preacher multiple opportunities to bear witness with St. Paul and all the saints to ‘the resurrection of Jesus’” (p. 124). While once I was attracted to postmodernism, it seems as if it has gone off the rails of late, especially when it comes to living in this post-truth age when alternative facts are all the rage. I’m not sure how that helps us bear witness to the resurrection, but if we’re going to preach in this secular age, having a good understanding of philosophy will be important. Gaining that foundation is increasingly difficult as colleges and universities demote liberal arts/humanities as part of the curriculum. That is especially true among Christian colleges that often feed into seminaries.

Finally, Kennedy speaks of "What the Rhetoricians Teach Us about Preaching" (Chapter 4). He points out that homiletics (the study of preaching) is part of the family of rhetoric. In his view, "rhetoric is argument." It is the art of persuasion. According to Kennedy, since preaching is an expression of rhetoric, it involves a sustained argument. Kennedy goes into great detail, discussing how preaching is an expression of the art of rhetoric. It is good to remember that in the ancient world, rhetoric was foundational to any education. Thus, "the preacher, equipped with the gathered materials of analogy, metaphor, simile, example, and illustration—a veritable army of tropes—makes the claim of the gospel knowing that it is contestable and elusive. Yet despite all the twists and turns, the preacher remains confident that she/he speaks truth" (pp. 129-130). Therefore, as Kennedy writes, “rhetoric makes preaching human” (p. 125).

The conclusion to Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit is titled "For God's Sake Feel the Sermon." As he concludes this book on preaching that focuses on four resources, he believes every preacher should embrace, Rodney Kennedy tells us that preaching is not ultimately about technique. Instead, preaching requires an attitude. Preaching, in his mind, requires fierce boldness. The metaphor he draws on here is the Greek word "parrhesia," or boldness. In his mind, drawing on the preachers he finds in the book of Acts, "Safety and timidity are crimes preachers should never commit unless they desire only praise or elevation by a congregation to the status of 'beloved'" (p. 183). Speaking with boldness may not be the easiest skill to master, but in Kennedy’s mind, preachers must embrace it to be effective. Of course, speaking a word to the church with boldness can be dangerous (at least when it comes to keeping your job!).

Here is my final take on Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit: If you are looking for a book that will focus on technique and style, this isn’t the book for you. There are other books that focus on technique, some that are quite good. Instead, Kennedy focuses on building solid foundations so that preachers can preach the word of God with such boldness that will prove persuasive as they face congregations that aren’t always receptive to the message!