Customer Reviews

Overhearing the Gospel: Revised and Expanded

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For a time this book slipped under the radar. I couldn't find it in the late 90's, but it's finally being rediscovered. I think this is because it expresses so well the method of communication that has made Hollywood one of the most compelling story tellers on the planet, far overshadowing the impotence of the Church in telling the greatest story ever told, and yet one used almost exclusively by Jesus himself.

Inadvertently a postmodern text, Overhearing the Gospel exposes the modern illusion of direct communication-the idea that each one of us perceives the world and communicates ideas exactly the same.

Through the stories of Søren Kierkegaard, Fred Craddock shows us how to draw listeners into the very act of constructing their own meaning (always analogically). Through art and story listeners hear more with their heart (holistic perception) and understand more deeply when in their own uniqueness they are allowed to complete the meaning. He exposes what Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein have been shouting for years: people are moved more by what is compelling than reasonable. As Kierkegaard mused, 'I don't have a problem with reason, as long as you understand it only works backwards.'

In respect of how we communicate, the Church needs to catch up with--heaven forbid even learn from--Hollywood. It needs to explain less, trust the heart of the listener and learn again how to tell its story in a more meaningful and compelling manner. As Queen Victoria was purported to have said, "If all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable."

Overhearing the Gospel does not deal with the ethics of communication, though it calls the Church to the next level of love and respect for the Other. Neither does it open the door to the underlying philosophical and theological discussions, which in fact lie beneath his more practical lessons. Craddock doesn't even suggest `direct communication' and reason be done away with, he thinks they are indeed necessary. What he offers us, however, is a start at understanding how indirect communication through the use of art, story, analogy and metaphor can be far more meaningful than explanations, especially when communicating the grace and truth of God in Christ-that which no person can directly communicate to another.

Greg Gorsuch, Common Ground Seattle

Craddock puts the question quite right: "How do we proclaim the gospel to people who have heard it all before--and have done so for years, and decades, and eons?!?!" How might we phrase our remarks so that the gospel just might be overheard by those not intending to "hear" the gospel at all? But this is God's work and not ours--yet Craddock invites us, as the master preacher that he is to think about these matters carefully and to allow Kierkegaard to be our guide. Sometimes one doesn't need all the answers to questions answered, or even a paint by the dot book in order to reap the benefits--one just needs to hear the question articulated in order to stop and think about how brilliant the question really is...Craddock does that for us here--and we are in his debt.

Fred Craddock's "Overhearing the Gospel" is a must-read for anyone preaching the word. Craddock shares Soren Kierkegaard's thoughts and methods, as well as his own. Once you become engaged with this book, it is difficult to set the reading aside. The reader is challenged with the truths of preaching, and the desire to incorporate all this information into his/her own style of preaching.

"Overhearing the Gospel" addresses method, the listener, the teller, and the story. The read ends with three of Craddock's sermons which illustrate many of the points made in the book. From the author's illustrations, a preacher has the opportunity to glean ideas for many future sermons and the method to apply those ideas.

The book is an enegizing, teaching, and sometimes humorous read for a pastor who might have reached a "dry place" in their preaching period. Anyone who reads "Overhearing the Gospel" can't help but be inspired and called forth to preach the gospel with spontaneity and authenticity.

Craddock's purpose in writing this book is to give his readers a new perspective on teaching and preaching the gospel. He is trying to answer the questions "How can we teach those who already know? How can we preach to those who have already heard?"

Most of the author's reflections center around the work of Søren Kierkegaard. A fact which, if I'd thought on it beforehand, would have led me to reconsider selecting this book for its' brevity! I found myself reading, re-reading and re-re-reading paragraph after paragraph as I struggled to ingest the points the author was making, since what he is trying to teach us is not expressible in simple or direct language. This, in fact, may be the greatest weakness of the book, that he spends an inordinate amount of time on Kierkegaard and his theories, and in the end races through the task of actually writing and giving sermons according to the pattern and tactics he proposes.

Craddock argues that traditional "direct" methods of preaching are not as effective as they should be for reaching modern audiences. Using Kierkegaard's writings as a model, he proposes we resolve this by framing our messages as if they are being overheard. Instead of directly confronting the hearer, speak as though talking with yourself. Or, use parables as Jesus did - where the listener hears a story about someone else, giving them the freedom to see themselves in the story in some way of their own choosing.

He also makes a big point, as did Kierkegaard, on the listener's experience as they journey to meet the story. The whole idea is to effect the listener's experience. The speaker has to be willing to allow themselves to evaporate from the listener's inner world as they go through this process, if for no other reason than it has to be their journey - owned by them.

The last section of the book consists of three example sermons, apparently transcriptions from Craddock's own preaching.

Overall, I felt the book was an excellent one. I learned a great deal, but I was not satisfied with the sermons at the end. Although enlightening and wonderfully written, the reader is left to determine how the concepts expressed in the book relate to the example sermons: there is no guidance or footnoting to help; nor any specifics on how each of the three messages evolved from initial concept to finished product. Doing so would have been extremely useful in helping the reader see how everything ties together.

This book is definitely worth the read. However, despite its status as a classic and groundbreaking work in the field, I would not class it as a "must have" for most potential readers. While the author's analysis of Kierkegaard's work and their application to preaching is valuable, it is daunting. He does a great and fascinating job of illustrating why and how "overhearing the gospel" is a valuable approach, but is a little weak on showing us how to execute that approach. So, I'll give it four stars.

Two great books were first printed in 1978: Overhearing the Gospel, by Fred Craddock and The Prophetic Imagination, by Walter Brueggemann. Although it took me 13 years to become familiar with either one, they were both worth the waiting!

I cannot remember when I heard Dr. Craddock tell the story of gathering the fallen stars in the backyard of his home and storing them in his Grandma's clothes basket; But this story is placed in poignant conclusion to his first chapter: "Concerning Method." Anyone familiar with reading Kierkegaard knows that it requires telling a good story for a parallel metaphor!

Unusual as it seems for Craddock, he focuses upon the quote by Kierkegaard: "There is a lack of understanding in the land...a something which the one cannot directly communicate to the other." This quote is stated at the beginng of each chapter: Concerning the Listener; Concerning the Teller; Concerning the Story. As only Dr. Craddock can do, the quote is used as a large part of the foundation for each chapter. This does not appear to be true for any other Craddock or Brueggemann book! In chapter 4 on Concerning the Story, Craddock touches the peak with, "Stories of Abraham, the Exodus, of Moses, of David..." Again quoting Kierkegaard, which is for me a reminder of Brueggemann. Two pages later he refers to S. K. having "recaptured beautifully this characteristic of the Bible to make one point at a time, with no anxiety about harmony, balance and symmetry!" (Bruegge again.)

When he describes the communicators of the Christian faith with words such as intensity, discipline, passion, pathos, he is also reminding me of the ways in which both he and Prof Bruegge communicate.

After 40 years since Seminary, I have been searching for such a clearly understandable, thoughtful and inspiring book to motivate preaching. Eureka! I finally found it!
Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood