Category Archives: Exhortation

Seven propaganda devices

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In 1937 Clyde Miller and others founded the Institude for Propaganda Analysis.  In an article ‘How to Detect Propaganda’, seven devices were described.

I describe these seven devices below, largely following the summary found here.  I have attempted to provide some examples of my own (in italic) that might be relevant to the modern-day preacher.

1. Name calling – The propagandist conjures hate or fear by attaching unattractive labels “to those individuals, groups, nations, races, policies, practices, beliefs, and ideals which he would have us condemn and reject.”…

Exhortation in the New Testament

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Exhortation in the preaching of Jesus

Characteristics of Jesus’ preaching:

  • Appeal to the OT (32 times in Matthew, quoting 11 different books).
  • Practical application of the text.
  • Use of illustrations.
  • Preaching for a verdict.

The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7) presents practical applications of the law (e.g. anger (5:21–26), lust (5:27–30), loving your enemies (5:43–48), giving to the needy (6:1–4), and so on), but Jesus does not stop there.  He concludes his sermon with a series of exhortations (Mt 7:13-27):

‘As Jesus began his conclusion, he gave a powerful word picture showing that his sermon does, in fact, demand a response.

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A theological foundation for exhortation

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What follows is based on

Preaching for a Verdict: Recovering the role of exhortation, by Josh Smith.  B & H Academic, 2019.

Chapter 2 – A theological foundation for exhortation

A. God has spoken

(i) God’s word is inspired.  2 Tim 3:16 – ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God.’

(ii) God’s word is authoritative, because the One who speaks it has all authority.  All things were created by him and for him, Rev 4:12. …

What happened to exhortation?

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Preaching for a Verdict: Recovering the role of exhortation, by Josh Smith.  B & H Academic, 2019.

Truly biblical preaching does not just involve explanation, illustration and application.  It also seeks to persuade.  It presses for a verdict.  It involves exhortation.

Put another way, authentic preaching addresses the will, as well as the mind.

The recovery of exhortation is the burden of Josh Smith’s book.  What follows is based on:

Chapter 1 – What happened to exhortation?…