ABSTRACT
Story telling is widely seen as the homiletic new wave … a movement in preaching with a dynamism and vitality which may finally supplant topical preaching’s three points and a poem. Its advocates point to the many advantages of the narrative sermon, ranging from foundational support in narrative theology and hermeneutics to the shift toward a new ‘personalism’ in the pulpit. 1 When the preacher begins a story on Sunday morning, ears are unstopped and scales fall from the eyes. If for no other reason, preachers are turning to a more frequent use of stories because their congregations become more alert and interested when [discursive] speech gives way to the narrative.
