unfortunately for reasons getting prepared for some church stuff and the worship service on thursday i had to choose to miss the sermon by fred craddock. all words i got once i got there were that fred was awesome! i did get to take in jim wallis, who i thought was average. he stirred the crowd, but didn't say anything dynamic. what he did say was rather dynamic and got many in the crowd stirred.
thank goodness there are some folks who are putting out their notes to fred.
Craddock talked about the "reduction language" used by preachers – ‘promotional’ preaching. No surplus of meaning. Giving the impression “they walked all the way around God and took pictures.” Sermons just are not big enough, Craddock said, quoting someone (?) who said: “I’d rather be a pagan . . . just to have some size to faith.”
Craddock concluded by daring us to imagine what would happen if we actually believed all the hyperbole and exaggeration in the gospel. What if we took it all seriously? He was very facetious in his presentation here, and had us all laughing, at the same time we were soul-searching. "Go sell what you have and give to the poor." Some young foolish preacher took that seriously, Craddock said, and led his congregation to bring all their stuff to the church to sell, and they raised $2 million dollars. Didn't he know it was hyperbole? Dietrich Bonhoeffer read "Take up the cross," and he gave up his life. Didn't he know it was exaggerated speech? Craddock talked about William Sloane Coffin preaching on “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Craddock teased, "If you start saying whoever, whoever will show up!
Craddock's closing words: "Refuse to lose the hyperbole."
