41a) Preacher's Emotional Constitution/Activity #1

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues that emotions are vital for living oral communication, illustrating with a child's changing emotional states. He supports this with abundant scriptural references to…

A little girl first cries over her broken doll, then bursts with joy over newly hatched birds. This illustrates how emotions dictate the nature and ethos of oral communication, demonstrating their vital place in human interaction.

And though there is a paucity of available literature, on this subject of the emotions in relationship to preaching, we dare not be reluctant to address the issue with some degree of thoroughness. And if you ask the question, why do we not, can we not afford the luxury of ignoring it, I answer that a cursory analysis of our God-created humanity clearly reveals the vital place of the emotions in living, oral, communication. Think of a little girl who comes into her bedroom and finds her sobbing. And she comes over to her and says, Sweetie, what's troubling you?

6:00 - 6:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues that emotions are vital for living oral communication, illustrating with a child's changing emotional states. He supports this with abundant scriptural references to…

A humble woman describes McShane's preaching: 'He preached as if he were dying, to have you converted.' This illustrates how emotional energy and felt yearning conveyed his passion for souls, not just verbal statements.

As one seeks to ask and answer the question, from the human perspective, what was the secret of the great, and unparalleled power of Whitfield as a preacher? No one has addressed that question, with any degree of understanding of Whitfield, and of human nature, as it is set forth in the scriptures, without highlighting this element, of the emotional content of Whitfield's preaching. When you ask the question concerning McShane, remember the words of that humble woman, when someone asked her, what is the secret of McShane's power? He preached, she said, as if he were dying, to have you converte...

10:06 - 10:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm going to define our emotions, as the diversified, conscious, sensibilities, or feelings, of the soul.

Just as sweetness or sourness are conveyed by reference to an object (e.g., 'sour as a lemon'), specific emotions are understood by reference to that emotion itself, highlighting the difficulty of precise definition.

So if I'm going to say, something is sour, I'll say, it's as sour as a lemon. See, just thinking about it, is making some of you salivate. It's as sweet as, it's as bitter, this is what the, composed this wonderful, very helpful article, not wonderful, but helpful article, on the emotions, is written. Everyone knows, what is meant by love, fear, anger, worry, etc.

15:25 - 15:56 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm going to define our emotions, as the diversified, conscious, sensibilities, or feelings, of the soul.

Dabney's analogy of heat rays and light rays intermingled in sunbeams illustrates how feeling and cognition are ever combined in the human spirit, though intuitively recognized as distinct functions.

in volume three, of his discussions, that's where you will find, that essay, Dabney says, and here I quote from page two, I present a discussion, of the psychology of the feelings, in the Southern Presbyterian Review, of 1884. I wish to recall, a few of the fundamental positions, there, established. The function of feeling, is as essential to the human spirit, and as ever present, as is the function of cognition. Right, you see what Dabney is asserting, the function of feeling, is as essential to the human spirit,

17:17 - 18:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Feeling, is the temperature, of thought.

The statement 'Feeling is the temperature of thought' is used to explain how emotions register the intensity and nature of one's thoughts, contrasting thoughts about a neighbor with thoughts about one's wife.

Feeling, is the temperature, of thought. Now I can't find a more helpful, workable, definition and description, of the emotions. Feeling, is the temperature, of, thought. I can think, about my next door neighbor, and have some feelings, of, respect, a measure of love, a yearning for their salvation.

18:37 - 19:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Remaining sin still influences the emotions so that watchfulness for excesses and prayer that our emotions ought to be rightly regulated in the light of truth are always in order.

A man in the church, emotionally neutered by his upbringing, could not engage with the emotional content of 'Fiddler on the Roof.' An elder assigned him to watch it and 'throw himself on the crest of the sanctified innocent emotional content,' illustrating how sin can short-circuit emotional circuits that need mending.

remaining sin still influences the emotions so that watchfulness for excesses and prayer that our emotions ought to be rightly regulated in the light of truth are always in order and furthermore and this is an area where some of us may need particular help our remaining sin may be seen in that certain emotional circuits have had the wires crossed or disconnected we had a man in the church some years ago he's no longer here thankfully he didn't leave disaffected but God took him away in his providence by a job relocation and given the way

45:09 - 45:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: it's not enough then to produce feeling about the soul, we must aim to produce right feeling and this is only produced by revealed truth intelligently presented to the understanding and applied by a supernatural agent

The 'laughing record' where one person's laughter contagiously spreads through a room, even without cognitive input, illustrates Dabney's thesis that humans are emotionally contagious creatures, and that feelings can be aroused without truth.

God has made us emotionally contagious creatures and he masterfully treats that, we are emotionally contagious, I think of the illustration I've often used with men as a kid, we had very few records, we weren't cursed with the glut of media stuff available in our day and somehow someone put in our hands what was called the laughing record have you ever heard the laughing record? it was an old 78 thing and you put it on and a group of people sitting in the room and a guy starts and he starts laughing and the more he laughs and before long, five minutes, you'll have a whole living room of people...

54:50 - 55:34 Read in full sermon