Ethos
What was Saint Patrick's ministry strategy? It was pretty simple: he walked among them.
In his book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, George Hunger III says, "The Faith is about three-quarters caught and one-fourth taught." The Celts caught Christianity from St. Patrick.
Aristotle defined rhetoric as "an ability in each particular case to see the available means of persuasion." Patrick redeemed celtic signs, symbols, and traditions. He spoke in their language. He understood their ethos. On at least one occasion he blessed a river and prayed for the people to catch more fish. Unorthodox yet orthodox!
There are several keys creating ethos with an audience: dynamism, good will, identification.
One factor is dynamism. Hunter says, "They have to receive energy from the communicator to maintain their interest." This may be the most important intangible in communication. There has to be an authentic intensity. There has to be an energy and enthusiam that is supernatural in origin. The word "enthusiasm" comes from two Greek words en and theos. It means "in God." The more you get into God the more enthusiastic you become. That enthusiasm expresses inself in many ways--courage, confidence, intensity, charisma.
Peter and John passed the litmus test in Acts 2:13. "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus."
Another factor in creating ethos is the "good will" test. Listeners inately ask the question: is this communicator for me? Some communicators seem to be against everyone and everything.
Another factor is the "identification" test: is this communicator with us? This is why the pronoun "we" is so much more powerful than "you." You aren't preaching "at" people. You are talking "with" them.
If a communicator doesn't pass these two tests the message will fall flat. But if a communicator establishes rapport via shared images and shared experiences then the speaker and listerner experience "consubstantiality".
St. Patrick experienced all of the above with his listeners just by virtue of his courageous return to the place of his slavery. He had a natural rapport because he risked his life to come back. He passed the "good will" and "identification" tests with flying colors.
Soren Kierkegarrd made a great distinction between "direct" and "indirect" communication. Often a direct approach makes people defensive because it is seen as a frontal attack. Kierkegaard recommended "indirect" communication that engaged the imagination via narrative. Kierkegaard said "indirect" communication helped people "discover the truth for themselves" and would "wound from behind."
Read St. Patrick's prayers and sermons and his mastery of "indirect" communication is evident. The Celts were incredibly imaginative to begin with. St. Patrick practiced what I would call "right-brain Christianity." Hunter says, "The Irish were predominantly right-brained and, in reaching them, Christianity adapted remarkably from its earlier Roman reliance upon words, propositions, concepts, and theological abstractions." That is precisely the shift we need in postmodern America. Hunter says, "Celtic Christian Communicators spoke from their imagination to the imaginations of their hearers." America needs more imaginative preachers to reach postmodern generations.
George Hunter observes, "Storytelling and other appeals to the imagination are effective with many pre-Christian and post-Christian populations, and a sole reliance on propositional speaking is seldom as effective as it should be anywhere."
Kierkegaard made five recommendations: 1) engage and speak as though personally to individuals rather than to an audience en masse. 2) Speak concretely--poetically and imaginatively--not in abstractions. 3) Speak to yourself as well as your audience. 4) Stress possibility--what a person can become. 5. Reject all temptation to pressure people to decide now.
Thomas De Quincey likened speech to a ship. You need a rudder (understanding) and sail (passion) to move the ship. Without passion you aren't going anywhere! Without understanding you're going everywhere!
Hunter says, "You cannot engage people without engaging their motivational and emotional agenda." Them's the facts. That may sound human-centric, but people get out of a message what they want to hear. It always passes through the filter of where they are in life--their needs, desires, hurts, goals, problems.
We can answer questions that people aren't asking, but no one will hear us.
Scottish Rhetorician, George Campbell had four goals: 1) to enlighten the understanding, 2) to move the passions, 3) to influence the will, and 4) to please the imagination.
Hunter argues that Jesus comes to every people to fulfill, not destroy, their religious tradition. That is how St. Patrick operated. He "Christianized" some of their holy days, festivals, and ceremonies and "grafted" the new into the old. He infused them with Christian meaning. His approach was "religion-friendly" and "culture-friendly." So Christian priests dressed much like their pagan predecessors. Of course, the question is: how far is too far?
How much should a speaker reflect an audience? How much should the church reflect the culture? Hunter argues that, in some respects, the personality of the church ought to reflect the personality of the culture.
John Smith, founder of the Jesus movement in Australia, observed, "The Irish know how to celebrate--with minimum resources and with minimum reasons." He said, "the Church should feel something like an Irish pub--festive, music, participatory--with everyone welcome."
In his book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, George Hunger III says, "The Faith is about three-quarters caught and one-fourth taught." The Celts caught Christianity from St. Patrick.
Aristotle defined rhetoric as "an ability in each particular case to see the available means of persuasion." Patrick redeemed celtic signs, symbols, and traditions. He spoke in their language. He understood their ethos. On at least one occasion he blessed a river and prayed for the people to catch more fish. Unorthodox yet orthodox!
There are several keys creating ethos with an audience: dynamism, good will, identification.
One factor is dynamism. Hunter says, "They have to receive energy from the communicator to maintain their interest." This may be the most important intangible in communication. There has to be an authentic intensity. There has to be an energy and enthusiam that is supernatural in origin. The word "enthusiasm" comes from two Greek words en and theos. It means "in God." The more you get into God the more enthusiastic you become. That enthusiasm expresses inself in many ways--courage, confidence, intensity, charisma.
Peter and John passed the litmus test in Acts 2:13. "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus."
Another factor in creating ethos is the "good will" test. Listeners inately ask the question: is this communicator for me? Some communicators seem to be against everyone and everything.
Another factor is the "identification" test: is this communicator with us? This is why the pronoun "we" is so much more powerful than "you." You aren't preaching "at" people. You are talking "with" them.
If a communicator doesn't pass these two tests the message will fall flat. But if a communicator establishes rapport via shared images and shared experiences then the speaker and listerner experience "consubstantiality".
St. Patrick experienced all of the above with his listeners just by virtue of his courageous return to the place of his slavery. He had a natural rapport because he risked his life to come back. He passed the "good will" and "identification" tests with flying colors.
Soren Kierkegarrd made a great distinction between "direct" and "indirect" communication. Often a direct approach makes people defensive because it is seen as a frontal attack. Kierkegaard recommended "indirect" communication that engaged the imagination via narrative. Kierkegaard said "indirect" communication helped people "discover the truth for themselves" and would "wound from behind."
Read St. Patrick's prayers and sermons and his mastery of "indirect" communication is evident. The Celts were incredibly imaginative to begin with. St. Patrick practiced what I would call "right-brain Christianity." Hunter says, "The Irish were predominantly right-brained and, in reaching them, Christianity adapted remarkably from its earlier Roman reliance upon words, propositions, concepts, and theological abstractions." That is precisely the shift we need in postmodern America. Hunter says, "Celtic Christian Communicators spoke from their imagination to the imaginations of their hearers." America needs more imaginative preachers to reach postmodern generations.
George Hunter observes, "Storytelling and other appeals to the imagination are effective with many pre-Christian and post-Christian populations, and a sole reliance on propositional speaking is seldom as effective as it should be anywhere."
Kierkegaard made five recommendations: 1) engage and speak as though personally to individuals rather than to an audience en masse. 2) Speak concretely--poetically and imaginatively--not in abstractions. 3) Speak to yourself as well as your audience. 4) Stress possibility--what a person can become. 5. Reject all temptation to pressure people to decide now.
Thomas De Quincey likened speech to a ship. You need a rudder (understanding) and sail (passion) to move the ship. Without passion you aren't going anywhere! Without understanding you're going everywhere!
Hunter says, "You cannot engage people without engaging their motivational and emotional agenda." Them's the facts. That may sound human-centric, but people get out of a message what they want to hear. It always passes through the filter of where they are in life--their needs, desires, hurts, goals, problems.
We can answer questions that people aren't asking, but no one will hear us.
Scottish Rhetorician, George Campbell had four goals: 1) to enlighten the understanding, 2) to move the passions, 3) to influence the will, and 4) to please the imagination.
Hunter argues that Jesus comes to every people to fulfill, not destroy, their religious tradition. That is how St. Patrick operated. He "Christianized" some of their holy days, festivals, and ceremonies and "grafted" the new into the old. He infused them with Christian meaning. His approach was "religion-friendly" and "culture-friendly." So Christian priests dressed much like their pagan predecessors. Of course, the question is: how far is too far?
How much should a speaker reflect an audience? How much should the church reflect the culture? Hunter argues that, in some respects, the personality of the church ought to reflect the personality of the culture.
John Smith, founder of the Jesus movement in Australia, observed, "The Irish know how to celebrate--with minimum resources and with minimum reasons." He said, "the Church should feel something like an Irish pub--festive, music, participatory--with everyone welcome."
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