The Practices of Christian Preaching by Jared E. Alcántara

Author:Jared E. Alcántara
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Preaching;REL080000
ISBN: 9781493419760
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

What Leonardo da Vinci Can Teach Preachers about Clarity

What can preachers learn from Leonardo? Perhaps the greatest lesson is to avoid false dichotomies. To improve at clarity, one does not have to choose length or depth, complexity or simplicity, breadth or concision. A preacher can be clear without being kitschy or trite. Leonardo liked to say it this way: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”9 Preachers who practice clarity in the delivery of sermons pursue sophisticated simplicity in the preparation of sermons.

The high level of sophistication in Leonardo’s paintings and inventions reminds us that one does not have to abandon complexity in order to achieve simplicity. That is to say, simplicity in preaching should not be mistaken for simplistic preaching. Some of us make the mistake of concluding that, if a person strives for simplicity, it will somehow water down the content of the message or turn profound truths into empty slogans. Do not underestimate how challenging it is to achieve sophisticated simplicity. The US Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is reported to have said, “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”10

Sophisticated simplicity strives for the simplicity that exists on the other side of complexity. Which is more difficult: to communicate abstract thoughts using abstract thoughts that make sense to those with your level of education or to communicate those same thoughts concretely to diverse listeners of various educational levels? For those who are training for Christian ministry, which is easier: to use language that sounds like it belongs in a textbook or to use language that is accessible to “common people”? If our goal is to preach a sermon that only the most highly sophisticated congregants can understand, what does it say about our priorities? Most preachers would agree that it is more challenging to communicate abstract ideas in concrete ways using language that people can understand. Sophisticated simplicity requires greater time, energy, and skill than does overly complex argumentation.

Leonardo supported his claim throughout his life and most especially in his work. He found a way to bring simplicity and sophistication together in his paintings, sketches, and inventions. Consider a painting like the Mona Lisa or a sketch like The Vitruvian Man.

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