The 1889 Lyman Beecher lectures on preaching and the recovery of the late homiletic of John Albert Broadus (1827-1895)

Abstract

This dissertation examines the content of the 1889 Lyman Beecher lectures on preaching and demonstrates their contribution to the recovery of the late homiletic of John A. Broadus. This investigation argues that the Yale lecture content serves as a late endorsement of the homiletic Broadus expressed in his homiletic text, Preparation and Delivery of Sermons . In these lectures, Broadus reinforces and expands his homiletic corpus, offering no substantial change in his philosophy of preaching. Indeed, the product of this project supplements the earlier writings of Broadus, providing a more comprehensive understanding of his late homiletic.

Chapter 1 introduces the thesis, as well as setting the background and methodology of research. Chapter 2 presents the first canon of Broadus's framework for homiletics---"Materials for Preaching." This chapter surveys and evaluates the lectures, "On Freshness in Preaching" and "On Sensation Preaching." Chapter 3 evaluates the second canon of Broadus's structure---"Arrangement of a Sermon." The materials considered include the formal and functional elements of Broadus's homiletic. Chapter 4 discusses the third canon of Broadus's framework---"Style." Yale lecture material considered in this chapter includes "The Minister's General Reading" and "The Minister and His Hymnbook." Chapter 5 surveys Broadus's fourth canon---"Delivery of Sermons," and the Yale lecture, "On Freedom in Preaching," is considered. Chapter 6 evaluates Broadus's final canon---"Conduct of Public Worship." This chapter will include materials from two Yale lectures, "The Young Preacher's Outfit" and "The Minister and His Bible." The substance of these addresses is distilled and surveyed for their contribution to Broadus's homiletic. Furthermore, each chapter contains a division of analysis and comparison with his homiletic text. Chapter 7 concludes the investigation with a summary of the evidence that the Yale lectures represent the culmination of his lifelong commitment to powerful and engaging preaching. These addresses serve as the pinnacle of Broadus's homiletic corpus, and the recovery of these manuscripts allows questions concerning Broadus's late homiletic to be answered concretely and with considerable precision.