A Man "Mighty in the Scriptures": The Hermeneutic of John A. Broadus and Its Impact on His Preaching

Abstract

Abstract

A MAN “MIGHTY IN THE SCRIPTURES”:

THE HERMENEUTIC OF JOHN A. BROADUS

AND ITS IMPACT ON HIS PREACHING

Howard Jared Bumpers, PhD

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018

Chair: Dr. Hershael W. York

This dissertation examines the hermeneutical presuppositions and principles of John A. Broadus and their impact on his theory and practice of preaching. Chapter 1 establishes the importance of studying preaching from a historical perspective and states the thesis of the dissertation. Chapter 2 provides a brief biographical sketch of the Southern Baptist pastor and professor John Albert Broadus. Chapter 3 focuses on the hermeneutical presuppositions that undergirded Broadus’s hermeneutic, particularly his view of Scripture. Chapter 4 identifies the principles that constituted Broadus’s hermeneutic and guided his exegesis.

Chapter 5 analyzes Broadus’s exegetical works in order to demonstrate he consistently employed the hermeneutical principles that he advocated. Chapter 6 briefly summarizes Broadus’s homiletical theory and then analyzes the sermons of Broadus to show the impact that his hermeneutic had on his preaching. The final chapter summarizes the key points of the dissertation and considers the value of Broadus’s approach to hermeneutics and homiletics for contemporary preaching.