Narrativity in Action: Language, Culture and Text

Narrativity in Action: Language, Culture and Text
STUDIES IN LINGUISTICS, ANGLOPHONE

LITERATURES AND CULTURES
Edited by Robert Kietyka and Agnieszka Uberman
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VOLUME 8

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Narrativity in Action:
Language, Culture and Text
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Magdalena Grabowska
(University of Gdask)
Enacting Identity in the Conversion Narrative.

The Case of Evangelical Testimony
Abstract: In evangelical Christianity conversion testimony is considered an essential part

of the religious ritual. Its purpose is to do justice to the claim that one has been touched
by Gods spirit and has undergone deep transformation. However, whenever one tells the
conversion testimony, the audience feel urged to think that the purported transformation
no longer belongs to the past but is closely related to the very act of expression, the mo-
ment an individual opens up before some audience to reveal ones inner self. This is the
moment of reenactment of identity.
Keywords: conversion, evangelicalism, identity, narrative, testimony
Introduction
Stromberg (1993) in his ethnographic research on the fabric of evangelical con-
version narrative (testimony) advances a view that rather than being a mere ac-
count of past events, conversion narrative should be considered a performance, a
reenactment of deliverance from conflict. The experience of conversion, according
to Stromberg, embodies the moment of convergence of a historical event and
persons immediate reaction to it. From the believers perspective, the moment
of conversion is a miracle, the moment of Gods intervention and the subse-
quent transformation that the believer experiences validates this moment. To a
researcher of conversion narratives, these stories lack the air of objectivity mainly
due to their emotional character. They reflect emotional reactions accumulated
from the time of conversion. In other words, for Stromberg the conversion nar-
rative, unlike the conversion itself, is an observable event which is available as
evidence to the researcher.
Bearing in mind Strombergs findings on the nature of conversion narrative,I
would like to focus my attention on the question of identity and how it is enacted
in the narrative about religious transformation. This task is very much at one
with my current research on language and communication in evangelical com-
munities in Poland. Conversion narrative apart from sermon and prayer belongs
to the three most common speech genres in evangelical churches. What follows,
presenting ones conversion story has become part of the religious ritual. In ad-
102 Magdalena Grabowska
dition, the necessity to convert is one of the cornerstones of evangelical ideology

on which the whole transdenominational movement actually rests and which
guarantees formal ingress of a new believer into a community.
Stromberg notes that narratives reveal a peculiar feature about conversion,
namely its ritualistic character which creates certain social reality and gradually
induces the transformation of a persons identity. One learns to construe him or
herself in terms of the so called canonical language which disposes one to depict
the consequences of conversion in terms of self-transformation.
Indeed, the stories about conversion reveal a regular pattern of events and always
imply a change. They are set in particular time and space dimensions and relate to
ones life experiences. In the majority of cases, the moment when one decides to con-
vert coincides with some breakdown in life. This fact finds its reflection in the con-
version story, in which the moment when the main hero opens up to faith is when
s/he desperately seeks help. Conversion is said to evoke a universally transformative
effect. Narrators underline that Gods grace has made their life fuller, happier and
more purposeful. They have been liberated from bad habits, addictions, ruinous
relationships, diseases and the like. The stories often grab the listeners attention,
because within a relatively short period of time (c. between 6 to 20 mins.), narra-
tors expound their lives from origin till present, often making the story sound truly
dramatic. At times, one may develop a feeling that the story is more like an exciting
autobiography with its ups and downs than a narrative about religious matters.
Identity
Capturing the essence of whoI am
Identity seems to be a complex issue, one that evades precise elucidation. However, it
is always associated with one fundamental question, namely: Who amI?. In search for
the essence of the notion, Bamberg asks other very basic questions, i.e.: () when do
identities start? Do identity and the sense of self encompass whole lives all experi-
ences ever made? Or do they consist of memories and maybe only memories that
are considered relevant enough to feed into ones life story? (Bamberg (2010, p.3))
Delving into its hallmarks, one discovers that identity incorporates features pertaining
to two domains, namely the personal and the cultural (Nikitorowicz, 1995).
Znaniecki (1971) as cited in Nikitorowicz (1995, p.67)) portrays identity as a
sort of reality which exists in the minds of those who participate in it and create
it. Nikitorowicz (1995) would say that identity is an encounter between the pre-
sent, the past and the anticipated future. For Turner (2014), on the other hand,
identity has four dimensions. There is core identity which pertains to fundamental
Enacting Identity in the Conversion Narrative 103
cognitions and feelings that people have about themselves which come to light in
various situations. Secondly, there are social identities which refer to cognitions
and feelings people have as members of social groups. Thirdly, we may enumerate
group identities understood as feelings about oneself which activate once people
become members of organizations. The fourth identity is called role-identity and
has to do with roles people play in social contexts.
In Turners view (1968), the definition about self that humans develop in the
course of life reveals a binary nature. One of its faces is self-image, which could
be compared to a photograph of self, taken at one point in the history. The other
dubbed self-conception changes slowly, is more time-stable and coherent. Self-
conception is considered a more permanent characteristic of self than self-image
(cf. Nikitorowicz (1995, p.6970)).
Social psychology captures identity as a self-conception composed of a set of
images, memories and projections about oneself. In turn, sociology directs its at-
tention to the basic human need, namely the sense of belonging. It manifests itself
through the necessity to feel closeness and relation with others, when people strive
to take root and stability, but also in the moment when they need to identify with
the heritage and achievements of their ancestors (Nikitorowicz, 1995).
In fact, the essence of identity rests upon the idea of continuation of features or
certain personality. It underlines the drive to remain unchanged, to be the same
person as before, so to reflect the same set of values, to have the same thoughts
and to act in the same way as before (Nikitorowicz, 1995). Self-actualization is
what enables one to experience ones existence in a proper way. It is essential that
one pursue the goal of self-discovery as it leads him or her to the appreciation of
the essence of human existence (Nikitorowicz, 1995).
Ones cultural identity results from the interaction with a different group. Peo-
ple gain awareness about their cultural identity when they realize their unique-
ness and define their existence against the background of other social groups.
Differences across social groups may be of varied origin, e.g.linguistic, religious,
related to customs, history, anthropological features, style of life, personal features,
territory, and the like. Identity manifests itself through behavior and is associated
with symbols (Nikitorowicz, 1995).
The narrative
Dimensions of the narrative
As Bamberg (in press 2012) rightly points out, through story telling narrators give
narrative form to experience. There are characters and scenes set in a particular
time and space. Events happen in a particular order. It seems that narratives offer
an attempt to explain and normalize experience. They lay out why things are the
way they are or have become the way they are. (Bamberg (2012, p.77)). Narrative
according to the author, offers a portal into two realms: a. the realm of experience
and b. the realm of narrative means.
Bamberg (2010) raises the following questions in order to relate identity and
narration, namely: What are identities made of and where (or better: when) do
identities start?, Do identities and sense of self encompass whole lives all expe-
riences ever made? Or do they consist of memories and maybe only memories
that are considered relevant enough to feed into ones life story? (Bamberg (2010,
p.3)).
For the researcher, life stories do not have to be fixed. They are told for pur-
poses, for instance to avoid harmful situations. What is more, Bamberg asks,
would it be possible to think about our current self as starting on a certain day or
in a particular year, e.g.1993? Stories people would make to illustrate time before
and after this date would drastically differ because there would be no agreement
as to which content in terms of lived experience or events is relevant to be admit-
ted to this story.
Many scholars have noted the significance of narrative thinking. Erikson (1963)
as cited in Bamberg (2010)) claims that the moment a person is able to conceive
of his or her life in terms of integrated narrative forms marks the emergence of
so called ego identity which lays the foundation for later identity development.
At some point in socio- and ontogenesis life is perceived as formed of building
blocks, which, if placed in the right order, cohere. Pointing at the analogy between
life and story stimulated the emergence of the current interest in the role of nar-
ratives (Bamberg, 2010).
In addition, Bamberg (2010) makes a point about narrative thinking in cogni-
tive psychology. Bruner (1986) and Polkinghorne (1988) noted that there is a cog-
nitive mode of making sense of the world through narrations. McAdams (1985,
2006) as cited in Bamberg (2010, p.10)) sees a link between story telling and
identity. Life stories are not just recapitulations of past events but they also have
defining character. Our narrative identities are the stories we live by. (McAdams,
Josselson& Lieblich (2006) as cited in Bamberg (2010, p.11)).
Hallmarks of conversion narrative (testimony)

According to Modnicka (2013) conversion testimony is a category of linguistic
performance through which an individual expresses what she or he conceives as
the moment of Gods profound intervention in his or her life.
In evangelicalism, testimony being an act of declaration of faith, is given be-

fore a person joins a community. The significance of this act comes down to a
conviction that faith requires expression. In addition, it constitutes evidence of
the truthfulness of the claim that one has undergone a transformation. Notewor-
thy, conversion testimony contains a persuasive appeal. As a validation of inner
metamorphosis, a testimony is meant to serve as a source of encouragement and
incentive to those who disbelieve and who remain outside Christianity (Mod-
nicka, 2013).
The moment when someone openly declares his or her beliefs is in many cases
accompanied by emotional reactions. Moreover, they not only manifest them-
selves as physical reactions, but also in the language which is used (Nowak, 2004).
Emotionally laden elements may arise on various levels of language organization.
They penetrate lexicon, syntax, whole texts but also layer the very foundation of
utterances (Nowak, 2004).
Conversion testimony has its specific form, a tripartite schema that recurs and
is often paraphrased using three adverbs of time: before then now. There is
a depiction of the time before the moment of transformation, then, i.e., when it
happened and now, i.e., after the change (Nowak, 2004). Having been exposed
to a number of narratives,I can agree with Nowak, who claims that typically a
conversion story is joyful, rather short and Christ-centered. Content which reveals
authenticity of experience dominates formal criteria of utterance. Speakers do
not pay much attention to language correctness. They are driven by the necessity
to articulate how this experience has affected and transformed them, how it has
improved the quality of their life or relationships. Listening to a conversion story,
one may gain the understanding that the life of the person has really changed. The
individual no longer deals with problems that concerned him or her in the past.
This transformation means even more than that because there is the impression
that it has also affected the very person, his/her behaviour and character.
Conversion narrative and the struggle for

identity exemplification
Premises
Planning to scrutinize the emergence of purported identity change under the
impact of conversion experience and having at my disposal conversion narratives
and not the actual events of conversion,I admit that as a researcherI must take
as evidence what is available to me at a given moment.I am entitled to study only
the accounts of transformation and not the transformation itself. In this respect,I
agree with Stromberg, who claims that what the researcher has is the conversion
narrative alone.
In this section,I would like to scrutinize a 16.39 minute long evangelical con-
version narrative that is available through the YouTube video-sharing website.
The names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of
the individuals. The testimony of Katarzyna was given before the community to
which she belongs. The analysis will take into consideration linguistic and extra
linguistic factors. It will delineate all the necessary facts concerning the narrator
that an observer may take note of and the settings in which the narrative occur.I
will begin from enlisting subsequent facts and stages that constitute the content
of the narrative. Then,I will pinpoint decisive turns, characters involved and
transformative effects. The narrative will be given a title which should illustrate
the essential feature of identity cravings. Eventually, my attention will be drawn
to identity, its types and how it is enacted in the story.
Katarzynas Grounded faith

Listening to the storyI am tempted to seek answers to the following question,
namely IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF RE-
JECTION IN THE PEER GROUP, KATARZYNAS PROBLEMS WITH SELF-
ESTEEM AND THE EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFROMATION?
Below there is a bulleted list naming the key stages in Katarzynas testimony.
Biographical stages
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dangers of excessive use of the Internet by the youth these days.
In her story Katarzyna presents herself as a religious woman. From the narrative
we learn that her family has always encouraged her to seek authentic relationship
with God. Her parents have been deeply convinced of their Christian beliefs and
also practised their faith. As a very young girl, Katarzyna decided to convert.
With her dad by her side, she prayed to Jesus to come into her life and save her.
The woman portrays her early childhood in a very positive light. She presents
herself as a cheerful and open child who was always ready to share the Gospel
with everyone. She felt accepted by her surroundings.
However, her life changed drastically when Katarzyna started primary educa-
tion. She says the following words: () To sielankowe dziecistwo si skoczyo, bo
poszam do podstawwki () (This idyllic childhood was finished becauseI went
to a primary school). Katarzyna seems to perceive this moment as critical in her
life because it marked the beginning of a series of misfortunes. In this testimony,
the narrator highlights a causal relationship between the start of schooling and
the end of idyllic childhood. Katarzyna substantiates it saying that at school she
faced rejection because of her beliefs and experienced conflicts with peers.
The following stage of education looks more optimistic in Katarzynas account
because at that time she attended a youth group in her local church community.
The people there set a good example of religious devotion. Everyone offered help
and support to one another. Katarzyna seems to have good memories from that
period.
This positive experience was interrupted the moment Katarzyna started tech-
nical high school, which she considers the worst, most difficult time in her life.
It was then that she was made to confront her faith with reality. The new school
requirements and amount of workload made her spend a lot of time at school. In
addition, Katarzyna faced learning difficulties. All in all, her problems intensi-
fied even more because, as she puts it, she did not seek help from her parents and
God at that time. She talks about addictions which she fell into and the resultant
depression. According to this account, Katarzyna became addicted to watching
movies, reading books and sleeping. Katarzyna shows that she is very critical
towards herself. Her self-criticism grows as she interprets her behaviour in nega-
tive, escapist terms. She links her problems with the hidden necessity to avoid
accepting and confronting the difficult reality she faced.
Despite sounding very emotional, Katarzyna manages to rationalize her be-
haviour and control tears that keep coming to her eyes. She says the following:
Rodzice, moi kochani rodzice, po prostu nie zdawali sobie sprawy jak wielkim
zagroeniem jest komputer z Internetem w pokoju nastolatki. (My parents, dear
parents, did not realize how dangerous it was for a teenage girl to have Internet
access in her bedroom.). By saying this, Katarzyna shows that what she has been
through has given her the ability to discern good from evil and is a source of
authoritative voice for people younger than her. In other words, she is willing to
warn teenagers and their parents against the dangers of uncontrollable access to
the Internet these days.
Katarzyna underlines that she was left alone in her depression, because the
youth group she attended ceased its existence. Yet, she was still active in the
church. She says: nadal dawaam z siebie (I still gave my best in church). She says
that she knew God was with her despite sorrow, pain and tears. She admits she
prayed for the answer to the question: God, why?. Now she considers this ques-
tion and the attitude she then had to God as egocentric. She says that she turned
away from God, although she did not really want to. After some time Katarzyna
decided to give up on church activity because, as she says, she did not want to act
like a hypocrite before children.
Contemplating her situation again, Katarzyna eventually wished for it to
change. She was so determined to execute this change that she cut off the Inter-
net cable in her bedroom. At this point, Katarzynas situation gradually started
to change. She begins this part by saying that she decided to get involved in the
week of prayer and fasting in her community. She considers her engagement suc-
cessful at the beginning. She regularly prayed and fasted, however, at one point
her diligence foundered. Due to school activities, Katarzyna did not manage to
maintain the resolutions of prayer and fasting, which deepened her depressive
behaviour even more. She makes a point about the devils contribution in this
respect. Katarzyna stops her monologue for a while, which gives the impression
that she feels it very intensively and adds: diabe mnie tak zniszczy, e przestaam
w ogle chodzi na modlitw, bo stwierdziam, e, diabe mi mwi, przecie ty
nawet poci nie umiesz, to ty tego chcesz, czy nie chcesz? ()(devil destroyed me
so much thatI stopped attending prayer meetings, because,I thought, the devil
told me: you cannot even fast, so do you really want it or not? ()).
The narration that follows prepares the audience for the moment of change. The
first indication of it is visible in that Katarzyna focuses her attention on a specific
day. She begins her speech addressing one Friday, when she suddenly realized
there was no computer to use at home. Eventually, we learn that she decided to go
for a walk during which, as she puts it, her depressive mood grew. She even inter-
rupts to ask the audience if they have ever had such pessimistic thoughts about
the validity of Gods promises described in the Bible. She reiterates her internal
monologue from that time saying: () wszystko nie ma sensu, Bg widocznie
piszc obietnice nie mia na myli Ciebie, jeste wyjtkiem. (nothing makes sense,
apparently when God made his promises, He did not mean you, you are an excep-
tion!). Katarzyna experiences a variety of emotions while recalling this moment.
Again, she interrupts the flow of speech and rationalizes her experience. She ad-
dresses the audience: Nie pozwlmy si oszuka diabu, nie ma wyjtkw, jeli Bg
mwi tak to jest tak i amen. (Dont let the devil cheat us, there are no exceptions,
if God say yes, it is so. Amen.). Katarzyna keeps sobbing and continues her nar-
ration: W pewnym momencie zaczam paka, to nie byo ze mnie, dowiadczyam
aski, aski pokuty, aski opamitania. Moje serce byo na tyle obojtne, e ja nie
byam w stanie aowa. W jednym momencie padam na kolana, na rodku pola
zaczam paka, paka, paka i mwi, Boe ja nie chc, ja nie potrafi, ja nie
mog. Ja chc y albo z Tob, albo moje ycie nie ma najmniejszego sensu (At one
pointI started to cry, it wasnt because of me,I experienced grace, the grace of
repentance,I came to reason. My heart was so indifferent thatI wasnt able to re-
gret, then at the same momentI fell onto my knees, in the middle of the field and
cried, cried, cried and said: God,I do not want to,I cant.I want to live with you
or my life is pointless.). Eventually, Katarzyna decided to go to church for prayer.
Katarzynas account again undergoes a slight transformation. She gives away
symptoms that the breakthrough is on the way. We learn that in church Katarzyna
knelt and prayed. When she stood up, she realized that nothing had changed. She
reveals an ironic attitude to herself as she speaks the soliloquy: no widzisz, nic si
nie zmienio. Znowu bdzie tak samo jak zawsze.(You see, nothing has changed.
Everything will be just like before.). However, right after this pessimistic account,
Katarzyna adds: Nagle podszed do mnie pastor Arek. Powiedzia sowa, ktrych
do koca ycia nie zapomn, Woaj jak rodzca. Padam na kolana, padam
na kolana, zaczam paka, zawodzi, nie wiem, ja tego nie syszaam. () Ja
wiedziaam, e dowiadczyam aski, (wzruszenie) pokuty i Boe, tak bagaam
Boga, eby moje ycie si zmienio. Nie wiem jak dugo pakaam. W pewnym
momencie poczuam, jak cay ciar (wzruszenie) moich grzechw zostaje zdjty
(wzruszenie). Chwaa Bogu (gos si amie, pauza). Jestem Bogu tak niezmiernie
wdziczna, e dowiadczyam tak ogromnej aski. (Suddenly, pastor Arek ap-

proached me. He said the wordsI will never forget, Cry out like a woman in
labour.I fell onto my knees, fell onto my knees, started to cry, wail,I dont know,I
didnt hear it. ()I knewI had experienced grace (moved), repentance and God,I
begged God to change my life.I do not know how longI cried. At one momentI
felt that the burden (moved) of my sins was removed (moved). Glory to God
(speaks with voice vibrant in emotion, pause).I am so grateful to God for this
enormous grace.)
In the following part Katarzyna says she has been asking God why she had to
go through this hardship. Trying to recall this conversation with God, her voice
sounds pessimistic and is emotionally vibrant. She pauses and continues giving
an account of one testimony she has recently listened to in which the narrator
admits to converting after fourteen years of missionary work. Katarzyna believes
that thanks to this story, she finally realized that being exposed to depression led
her to full understanding of her own nature. She says:I tak sobie pomylaam,
Panie, jeli ja miaabym y wasn sprawiedliwoci nie zobaczywszy nigdy, kim
ja jestem, e jestem nikim, e moje serce jest obrzydliwe, e ja z siebie nie jestem w
stanie nic zrobi eby zasuy na ask (voice is vibrant with emotion, sobs, pauses),
to dzikuj ci za to, e to przeszam. (I thought, Lord, ifI had relied on my own
self-righteousness, not learning the truth about myself thatI am a nobody, that
my heart is awful, thatI am not able to do anything to deserve your grace,I thank
you for whatIve been through.)
In conclusion, Katarzyna turns to teenagers sitting among the audience with
an appeal. She says she knows that being in junior high school poses a lot of dif-
ficulties. She seems deeply touched, her voice is breaking with emotion as she
pleads for their adherence to God. She separately appeals to girls saying: Jedynie
w nim dziewczyny macie swoj warto. (He is the only one who can make you feel
valuable.) She also pleads to parents and grandparents for their understanding
of the situation facing young people today. She underlines the fact that one does
not need to leave his or her room in order to break the rules of the Decalogue.
What Katarzyna means are temptations which are difficult to resist these days.
She exhorts parents and grandparents to pray for the youth. She remembers her
parents who, as she claims, used to wage a spiritual fight for her.
Katarzynas enactment of identities

Katarzynas account reveals her struggle with and for identity. What predomi-
nantly comes to the fore is her emotional attitude to the story she is telling. This
fact leaves an impact on the reception of this narration. Seemingly, Katarzyna is
trying to share her life story with the audience and also to use it as an opportunity
to prevent others from making the same mistakes she did.
From the story we learn that as a young girl Katarzyna converted to Chris-
tianity. Her early childhood was very positive. However, in the course of time
Katarzyna changed. Having experienced peer rejection and certain conflicts, she
developed addictions. This enabled her to gain insights into her true nature. She
considered herself awful and sinful, however God eventually provided her with
the grace of repentance.
From the very beginning Katarzynas speech reveals traits of the influence of
Christian evangelical identity. What is more, it is noticeable that the narration is
infiltrated with a specific discourse markers. It becomes evident that Katarzyna
is not willing to abandon this tone. She sounds determined to maintain this fea-
ture in her narration. By this she makes it explicit that whatever happens, she
will always be willing to confront her life and behaviour with what the Christian
faith proclaims.
There is a specific line of thinking that keeps surfacing in Katarzynas account.
Evangelical ideology props on four assumptions, i.e. biblicism, crucicentrism,
conversionism, activism (so called Bebbington quadrilateral). In Katarzynas
speech all four are clearly active. She keeps referring to her familys Christian
roots founded on the premise of biblical faith. There is a place for conversion in
her narrative. Katarzyna makes it very clear that she is attached to the doctrine
of conversion. She knows it and respects it. Giving an account of the conversion
prayer, she mentions she invited Jesus into her heart. When she elaborates on the
hardest period of her life, she underlines her vivid involvement in church life. She
even says:I still gave my best in church.
Katarzyna considers her depression primarily in terms of a breakdown in her
relationship with God, the moment when her attachment to Christian beliefs
and religious values, kindled by waning confirmation of their validity, declined.
Despite being able at some point to notice other reasons for her problems, for
example, school, she eventually resumed her routine thinking which told her to
blame herself and her own sinful nature for the problems she had been facing. She
felt guilty, yet helpless. She continued praying asking God for intervention. She
admits that she knew God was with her, however her self-absorption prevented
her from experiencing that. Occasionally, Katarzyna tends to control her emotions
and rationalizes her past actions and decisions. In such moments Katarzynas
construal of reality takes on a different dimension. She seems to distance herself
from the problem, putting herself in the position of an informed person, sort of
a teacher or mentor who is driven by the necessity to warn others against danger-
ous situations. One of the dangers she notices is associated with unlimited access
to the Internet. In other words, Katarzyna seems to attribute the cause of her
misfortunes to herself but also to the Internet.
In general, Katarzyna has an air of deep concern about her genuine attach-
ment to faith. It seems that Katarzyna is determined to guard this sphere very
carefully. She sounds thankful to God and her parents and at the same time
strongly disapproves of herself. Listening to this emotional story, one may de-
velop a feeling that this woman struggles to stimulate and maintain her attach-
ment to faith. Paraphrasing her internal monologue Katarzyna relives those
event for the second time. In the decisive moment she says:I want to live with
you or my life is pointless. Clearly, by saying this Katarzyna enacts her native
identity. Primarily, what she is doing is retrieving the dearest identity, the one
she developed as a young child. It has temporarily been lost but she manages to
relive it and put it in place.
The question posed at the beginning requires to be addressed now. Apparently,
Katarzyna is aware of the impact her school problems had had on the subsequent
events. She openly admits that the start of primary education was critical in her
life because it ruined her well-being. However, it is noticeable that Katarzyna does
not blame any particular person or groups for her troubles. She mentions she had
some conflicts with peers in her early school period and a grading issue with one
teacher in high school. Nevertheless, in neither case the blame is laid on external
factors or people. In actual fact, Katarzyna takes the sole reason of her misfor-
tunes on herself. It transpires that the experience of foundering self-esteem and
the subsequent breach of attachment to her beliefs eventually leads Katarzyna to
renew her commitment to the true faith. In fact, in retrospect, Katarzyna expresses
appreciation of the hardship she has experienced because it enabled her to see her
own self in the proper light and consequently to seek Gods help.
On the other hand, Katarzyna reveals certain symptoms of identity strug-
gle, other than just religious. Once the youth group to which she had attended
terminated its existence, Katarzyna felt that she was lacking in peer support. It
transpires that the group secured not only her religious identity, but also her
social and group one. Sobbing, Katarzyna openly admits that she lost the com-
munion with people because the youth group she used to belong fell apart. Here
Katarzyna indicates that although she did not have a chance to identify with
peers at school, she did it in her youth group. It was the source of consolation
at that time. Unfortunately, the group ceased its existence, which contributed to
her depressive mood.
Positioning herself in the present moment, she conceives of her situation as
better. By the end of the story Katarzyna sounds more confident. She knows its
conclusion and the consequences. She is no longer in depression, however she

knows what that means. She perceives herself as an experienced person, ready to
offer advice and when she does it, she transforms leaving behind her emotions.
One may venture a claim that Katarzyna has gained a new identity, that of an
informed adult.
It transpires that Katarzyna while narrating the story of her life, enacts a num-
ber of identities, however only one of these dominates. Throughout the narration,
Katarzyna strives with pangs of conscience. She feels guilty for not being able to
remain faithful to the lesson she received as a young girl at home. It seems that
the Christian identity overrides the rest and for that reason it will be the umbrella
term for me. This identity has eventually laid the foundation for Katarzynas inner
self. The necessity to belong to a peer group and feel like one surfaces at times,
however, all in all, she does not seem to be exceptionally attached to that idea.
What emerges, though, is the necessity to pass on her knowledge and experience
to others. In actual fact, in earlier phases of her narration, when Katarzyna men-
tions her involvement in the church Sunday school ministry, she already exhibits
certain traits of teaching oriented attitude. We may conclude that this moment
gave an incentive and led to the emergence of Katarzynas keen interest in sup-
porting the Christian youth in their struggle with temptations.
Concluding remarks
Katarzynas story serves as an illustration of what Nikitorowicz (1995) consid-
ers to be the essence of identity, namely the continuation of features or certain
personality. Katarzyna reveals a drive to remain unchanged, to be the same per-
son as before, but she is not able to do this. It transpires that for the person,
self-actualization equals living, thinking and acting in accordance with Christian
beliefs. In Katarzynas account, this attitude shows a proper realization of ones
inner needs, drives, including the necessity to feel valuable.
On the other hand, it becomes noticeable that identity cannot be treated ()
in terms of fixed positions that are a apriori, pre-discursively, rationally defined.
(Bamberg (2010, p.15)). In turn, narration should be viewed as embodied talk that
requires analysis in terms of multimodal engagement (Bamberg, 2010). In addition,
Bamberg distinguishes between the sense of self, which is enacted synchronically,
while narrating, and identity, which should be seen in diachronic terms.
Katarzynas narration occurs as immersed in the context of the local commu-
nity. The selection of topic and terminology reveal the relational awareness. Her
performance is very authentic and honest. Katarzyna is courageous enough to
impose her emotional disposition on the content or to initiate dialogue with the
audience by asking questions and offering advice. Apparently, she is constructing
herself by means of fashioning and refashioning according to the local interac-
tive practices (Antaki& Widdicombe (1998) as cited in Bamberg (2010, p.14)).
The final product that the audience receives is attuned to the local, interpersonal
purposes. It comes along with a sort of dynamism, in the course of mutations
concerning participants, in this case Katarzynas, actions and events. This interac-
tive factor needs to be taken into account while analyzing narrations, because, as
Bamberg (2010) puts it, it enables one to reflect on the relational constructedness
of the content.
Narrating may be conceived as a navigation process between different dilem-
matic positions, and as rooted in bodily interactions with others. Narrators draw
on positions that have been previously practiced in various discursive settings.
These positions may in a course of time become personally inhabited and habitual.
In a given case of narration, we see that these practices are contextually situated.
The construction of identity which is enacted through the narrative performance
is an open-ended process and often seems inconsistent. However, as Bamberg
(2010), concludes that does not mean that we cannot talk about one having a
sense of self or identity.
Magdalena Grabowska
(University of Gdask)
Traces of Narrative Preaching in

Evangelical Sermons. The Case of a
Charismatic Church Preaching
Abstract: Visiting a charismatic evangelical church one may be struck by the sort and
range of techniques and methods used by preachers during sermons. The scale and range
of solutions is of special interest here because Pentecostal Christians reveal a great degree
of creativity in this respect. Groups and churches united around Pentecostal tradition are
especially willing to progress and advance new ideas and trends. One such novelty may be
observed in the way sermons are delivered. Preachers use various motivation techniques
to stimulate reflection and induce change in the lives of those who listen. It is noticeable
that preaching methods have been touched by the spirit of the so called New Homiletic
(also known as Narrative Preaching).
Keywords: charismatic church, evangelicalism, homiletics, narrative preaching
Introduction
Indeed preaching the Gospel of Christ in Poland-based evangelical churches and
communities has become very diversified in the last years. The traditional exposi-
tory tone is gradually suppressed by a more hearer-centred, problem-solving and
experience-orientated approach. All these novelties have long been recognised
in traditionally Protestant cultures, mostly in communities that oscillate around
the Pentecostal tradition.
In essence this paper is meant to highlight the distinctive elements of sermons
heard among evangelical Christians representing the charismatic stance. Eye-
witnessed services and available recordings serve as a source of inspiring material
for the sample analysis of verbal and non-verbal tools popular among preachers. The
observed tendencies gravitate to the trend in homiletics called Narrative Preaching
or New Homiletic. Among its main assumptions are an inductive, problem-solving
approach and a focus on the needs of the congregation. These are often contrasted
with the traditional expository preaching in which deductive reasoning, based on
the content of the Bible constitutes the starting point (Park, New Homiletic, n.d.).
In addition, one can observe a host of instances of persuasion which partly
result from the commonly accepted dogmas pertaining to the major pillars of
the charismatic movement. On the other hand, they reveal influences from
other disciplines and fields such as marketing or the art of public speaking.
It should not escape our attention that charismatics owe a lot to the so called
Faith Movement.
All things considered, we must underline that the approach to sermon giv-
ing, referred to as Narrative Preaching/New Homiletic, has been the subject of
scrutiny by many respectable theologians and Bible specialists in recent years.
However, what the sources offer evades precise elucidation. Hence we are left with
an ultimately unresolved question as to what the precise parameters of a narrative
sermon are. With this in mind, let us adhere to the most transparent and recur-
ring features which suffice to pinpoint the distinctive elements of contemporary
evangelical sermons. They comprise: the focus on the congregation, inductive
and problem-solving approach, the use of stories as a method of illustration, vivid
imagery, humour, the application of all sorts of nonverbal techniques, mainly
vocalics and kinesics, to mention the most obvious ones.
The main tenets of evangelicalism

Evangelical Christianity has its origin in the spiritual awakening of the Protestant
circles in Europe and the United States. Eskridge (1996/2001/2005/2011/2012)
perceives the term in question as a wide-reaching definitional canopy which
encompasses a number of different traditions, organizations and churches. Origi-
nally, the name evangelical church was used with reference to the Lutheran
Church in Germany. However, in the English-speaking world the modern under-
standing of the term pertains to a host of movements and denominations that have
emerged during a series of spiritual and moral revivals in the Anglo-American
society during the eighteen and early nineteenth centuries.
Ultimately, the evangelical message oscillates around the idea of redemption
and mans free access to it at any time (Zieliski, 2004). The specific hallmarks of
Evangelical Christianity include: conversionism (the belief that one has to change
his or her life), biblicism (Bible is the source of ultimate truth), crucicentrism (a
particular stress is placed on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross) and activism (the
effort of the believer to express the truth of the Gospel) (Zieliski, 1995 as cited
in Pasek (2004, pp.1314); Eskridge (1996/2001/2005/2011/2012)).
In Eskridge we read that contemporary understanding of what evangelicalism
is comes down to three senses. Firstly, there are so called evangelicals who accept
the fundamental doctrines resulting from the Gospel. Secondly, evangelicalism
can be seen as an organic group of movements and religious traditions. In this
Traces of Narrative Preaching in Evangelical Sermons 117
sense evangelicalism is associated with a style and a set of beliefs, but also an
attitude which people involved in the movement recognize once they encounter
it somewhere else. Thirdly, the term is used with reference to a Midwest-based
coalition that emerged during the Second World War as a reaction to the anti-
intellectual, separatist and rebellious character of the movement in the 1920s and
1930s. Personalities and organisations representing this stance have played an
important role in integrating the movement.
Charismatic evangelicalism
Contemporary evangelicalism has many facets, however, one can roughly state
that alongside the more traditional evangelical churches and communities, there
are churches, organisations and individuals who seek to have a more vivid expe-
rience of faith1. They have been commonly dubbed charismatics or charismatic
movement. Packer (1980) extends this nomenclature by adding the name Neo-
Pentecostalism. Most distinctly, the movement underlines the necessity to expe-
rience post-conversion Baptism in the Spirit and reflects an appeal to embrace
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It has grown of the Pentecostal denominations and
become the most popular evangelical denomination worldwide. Pentecostals have
always underlined that the Baptism in the Spirit should be considered an essential
Christian experience, other than conversion alone (Zieliski, 2004).
The main pillars of the movement are encapsulated in five points. They are:
A decisive enriching of personal Christian experience (The divine work that
starts the moment a person has begun to respond to God.)
Speaking in tongues (Glossolalia, i.e.uttering sounds that are unintelligible to
oneself; it is believed to be the sign of Baptism in the Holy Spirit.)
Spiritual gifts (The capacity to communicate the knowledge and power of
Christ in order to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth; the term also per-
tains to the so called sign-gifts such as the gift of interpretation, miracles,
healing powers, receiving direct communication from God through visions or
dreams.)
Worship in Spirit (It is a personal realisation of the fellowship with the Father
and the Son through the Spirit. When the congregation meets the structure of
the meeting should be loose enough to allow for spontaneous contributions.)
1 Evangelical Christianity displays two tendencies, one that leans towards the more
conservative, Baptist-evangelical roots and the other which reflects propensity to the
charismatic stance (Pasek, 2004).
Gods strategy of renewal (It is believed that the charismatic renewal is central
in Gods plan to revitalize the church. People identifying with the movement
feel obliged to think and talk big even at the cost of being perceived as nave.)
(cf. Packer, 1980)
Among the barriers hindering the development of evangelicalism there is the
tendency towards the experience of sensual and psychotic spirituality. Accord-
ing to Zieliski (2004), the danger that lurks in this type of spirituality comes
down to a gradual process of denying the Bibles authority in favour of human
leaders who become entrusted with prerogative powers. Packer (1980) strikes
a balance between features that call for unambiguous approval of Charismatic
Christianity and those that seem to impede that corporate maturity in Christ.
He applies tests to examine whether there really is a place for God. On the whole,
he concludes, despite certain instances of occult or counterfeit spirituality, the
charismatic movement promotes Trinitarian faith, personal fellowship with
the Saviour, repentance, obedience, and love to other Christians. However, he
balances this positive view with certain shortcomings of the movement. He
enumerates such features as: elitism (having the sense of being a spiritual aris-
tocracy), sectarianism (limiting oneself only to the experience of charismatic
topics, fellowship, literature, etc.), emotionalism (sharing in group emotions,
overt liveliness and warmth.), anti-intellectualism (preoccupation with expe-
rience and inhibiting a more theological and ethical reflection.), illuminism
(claims to direct divine revelation), charismania (OConnors word; measuring
spiritual health, growth and maturity by the number of spiritual gifts and the
extent of power manifested in public), super-supernaturalism (constant expecta-
tion of miracles), eudaemonism (God wants man to spend life in the fallen world
feeling happy), demon-obsession (vivid awareness of the reality of supernatural
personal evil) and conformism (the pressure to live up to the expectations of
the peer group).
The faith movement

Contemporary Pentecostalism, in the opinion of experts, draws a substantial
inspiration from the initiative called the Faith Movement (aka: the Word of
Faith/ Faith). Pasek (2004) acknowledges that this is one of the most interest-
ing and at the same time influential tendencies of the current evangelicalism.
The term refers to a number of different communities and religious groups. Its
principles are best expounded in the names Prosperity Gospel, Word of Faith
or Health and Wealth. There is a widely held belief that faith is a connecting
element between man and God and as such has an almost substantial nature.
Hence it is proclaimed that the uttered word is powerful and can change reality
or influence mans spiritual domain. Members of the movement advance the
belief in the positive confession the essence of which is reflected in the slogan
Name it, Claim it and Take it. On the website devoted to casual slang of modern
Christians (Dictionary of Christianese), under the entry name it and claim it,
we read that the idea of the slogan amounts to saying what one is going to re-
ceive. If one has enough faith, then whatever one says will happen or will have
to happen. Supporters of this concept quote Biblical examples such as the one
when Jesus tells a fig tree that it wont bear fruit, and the tree immediately dies.
Although the teaching associated with the movement is typical for televangelists
of the 1980s, it has been practised by church leaders encouraging their followers
to act accordingly. Christians today tend to make declarations or confes-
sions concerning their current situation with the intention of influencing it.
This tendency has become apparent among Neopentecostal denominations in
Poland and abroad.
The traditional approach to preaching

In the handbook devoted to homiletics, Hamilton (1992) tries to respond to the
question about the sense and purpose of preaching. Later he notes that through-
out history, church has failed to offer people effective preaching. Nevertheless,
this method still persists. One of the reasons why it still holds true is the specific
character of the religion of Israel which is based on hearing more than seeing. In
contrast to the God of Israel, gods of the nations are mute and are represented by
means of visual images. What is more, in the Scripture the revelation is associated
with speaking and hearing, because God Himself revealed his message primarily
through spoken language.
Hamilton (1992) explains that the biblical understanding of preaching draws
from a few other concepts. Old Testament has the word naba meaning to proph-
esy. In the New Testament there is kerusso, to proclaim, euaggelizo to declare good
news, kataggello to tell thoroughly, and didasko to teach. To this list we can add the
word parakaleo which translates into English as: to beseech, to comfort, to exhort.
The preaching in the Old Testament involves direct revelation from God. In the
time of the exile, preaching started to take the shape of textual exposition. In the
New Testament, the words kerusso and kataggello emphasise the very activity of
preaching, whereas euaggelizo and parakaleo highlight the idea and purpose of
the message. In the case of didasko the concept had to do with didache, that is the
teaching of doctrine and ethics of Christianity.
By and large, preaching is meant to convey biblical truths with the purpose of
eliciting behavioural change (Baumann). Gage (n.d.) in the manual for preachers
enumerates the following elements which he considers necessary ingredients of
preaching:
It should be prepared.
It should contain a message.
It should have its form.
It should stimulate to action.
People have the mandate given by God to preach.
The purpose of preaching, according to the aforementioned manual, props on
the assumptions that:
It is meant to define faith and proclaim the truths of the Scripture.
Preaching should defend faith.
It should evangelize the lost.
It is meant to point out sins.
It should challenge the Christian.
It should meet the needs of the audience.
Packer (1986) offers a more thorough picture of the uniqueness of preaching. He
mentions the following aspects:
It should present Gods message
It should inform, persuade and encourage an appropriate response to God.
It should be applicable.
Authority is the integral part of the notion of preaching.
It mediates Gods authority, presence and power.
It is worth noting that the act of preaching, according to the biblical tradition, is
not to be equalled with public speaking. The latter owes much to the tradition of
ancient Greece and goes beyond the heritage of the Old Testament (Hamilton,
1992). Let us focus for a while on the most conspicuous parameters distinguish-
ing biblical preaching from the public act of speaking. In 1 Letter to Corinthians,
chapter2, verses 45, apostle Pauls makes it clear that his preaching had not been
meant to persuade using eloquent words but rather to demonstrate the works of
the Spirit to build up peoples faith in God. Secondly, the ministry of believers
relies upon the power of God and his appointment. Thirdly, there is a unique
authority in the Word of God. Public speakers use their own cleverness, however
preachers should rely on the truth of the Word of God. Interestingly, the Bible
claims that the word of God is unchained (2 Timothy 2:9) and it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). So the word of God ut-
tered before centuries and reiterated by preachers has a different function to play
than a persuasive word spoken by a public speaker (Hamilton, 1992).
Riley (1948) suggests three types of preaching. A topical sermon would belong
to the first of the mentioned types. The distinctive feature of it is the reference to
many Scripture passages instead of one. It then emphasises a certain theme rather
than a single verse or passage.
The following type is a textual sermon. It is based on a verse or a portion of it.
It is then analysed and expounded. It focuses on the truth of the verse or passage.
Then there is expository preaching in which one passage of Scripture is pre-
sented and analysed, usually in reading order. It emphasises the broad truth of
the passage.
Allen (2010) in the introductory chapter to a publication devoted to contem-
porary trends in homiletic, discusses sermonic forms from a more historical
perspective. He mentions the medieval period and the development of a model
of preaching in the two orders, namely the Franciscans and Dominicans. Their
contribution to the art of sermon ministry can be illustrated using the metaphor
of a tree. The sermon is like a trunk with three limbs and branches. This method
was called university sermon. Later, during the Puritan movement emerged a new
form (known as Puritan Plain style) which emphasised less thematic preaching
and more exposition of the Scripture. The sermon popular in this tradition is
again based on three parts: commentary on the ancient text in its original setting,
eternal doctrinal points that can be drawn from the text, and the application of
the doctrine in the lives of those who make up the congregation. Noteworthy,
both these approaches underline deductive methodology and have dominated
the ministry in the West for the last couple of centuries.
The rise and development of New Homiletic

(aka Narrative Preaching)
Contemporarily, with the advent of the technological revolution, life has been
radically changed. Various means of communication are at peoples disposal and
the question arises whether the traditional monological sermon still holds its
value and importance (Hamilton, 1992). Allen (2010) states that modern homi-
letic (dubbed New Homiletic or Narrative Homiletic) scholars have long taken
for granted the validity of the shift in the approach to preaching. This new ten-
dency is distinguished by an inductive, narrative and experiential approach to
sermon ministry. Allen brings up the key names of thinkers and practitioners of
the movement. He says that Charles Rice, Fred Craddock, Henry Mitchell, Eugene
Lowry, and David Buttrick breathed life into an ailing pulpit (pulpit is narra-
tive Lowry, 2012). These scholars published their ideas concerning new homiletic
in the book edited by Richard L.Eslinger called A new hearing: living options in
homiletical method. Later they met at a conference in 2007 at Lexington Theologi-
cal Seminary to ponder on the most effective way to preach the gospel of Christ in
the twenty-first century. The title of the conference was The re(new)ed homiletics.
The new conception of sermon owes a lot to other academic endeavours, such
as the linguistic turn of Ludwig Wittgenstein or Martin Heidegger, to mention
just a few. Scholars saw that language not only names reality but also constructs
it. Heideggers existential ideas were extended into a new school of thought in the
1960s called the New Hermeneutics. It argues that the text of the Scripture should
not be viewed as a collection of eternal truths because language does not simply
refer, it performs too. Hence, the questions that arise during text analysis come
not only from the interpreters but also from the very text. One should read the
Scripture with the intention to experience an encounter with God. What is more,
the idea of proclamation lays the foundation of the entire Bible so we expect that
the Scripture does it too. In other words, preaching should not only pass on the
content of faith in a persuasive manner, rather it should be an event that leads the
audience to the meeting with the transforming Word of God. With the advent of
New Hermeneutics, New Testament theology departments in North American
and biblical scholars initiated a dialogue with the English departments. This en-
counter brought forth a growing appreciation of the literary-narrative quality of
Scripture (Allen, 2010).
Moreover, the 20th century brought a new definition of narration. It started
to be seen in an interdisciplinary light as a universal mode of comprehension
and experience (Trzebiski (2008) as cited in Filar (2014, p.15)). This new turn
has been dubbed as the narrative shift and, as some scholars claim, its initia-
tion concurs with the publication of the work On narrative by W.J.T.Mitchell.
Others believe that it was M.Kreiswirth, the American literary scholar, who first
noted the existence of the so called narrative turn in contemporary humanities
(Burzyska (2008) as cited in Filar (2014, p.15)). According to Trzebiski (2002),
comprehension takes the form of interpretation of data which our brain receives
and generates. While interpreting this data, the human brain creates stories which
enhance the comprehension of the surrounding reality. Such narrations vary, yet
their overarching benefit is reduced to the idea of structuring the human experi-
ence in terms of intentions and problems. These problems arise once we are unable
to materialize our plans and endeavours (Bruner (1986); Howard (1991); McAd-
ams (1999); Sarbin, (1986) as cited in Trzebiski (2002, p.94)). What is more, the
inability to encapsulate major experiences in the form of narrative stories may

seriously upset the healthy life equilibrium (May, 1996). Having a story that yields
order in moments of perturbations is a basic condition that guarantees successful
adaptation to them. People simply need stories when they are exposed to height-
ened tension (Frankl (1995); McAdams (1994); McLeod (1997); Michenbaum&
Fitzpatrick (1992) as cited in Trzebiski (2002, p.94)).
There are also socially oriented benefits of narration. In the course of retelling
a story, the speaker may enhance the assimilation of the content of his speech by
the audience. While listening, the participants usually follow the line of reasoning,
extract those fragment which they consider most essential and disregard those
they perceive as insignificant. They also reinterpret and assess the stories accord-
ing to their own axiological standards. The one who retells a story may enhance
its memorization in him/herself. Also, through the interaction with the actively
engaged audience, the one who narrates receives certain feedback and may in-
troduce modifications into his/her own interpretation of the story. It transpires
that in the acts of social communication, our life stories remain alive and prone
to change (Schank& Abelson, 1995).
Finally, let me make another reference to Trzebiski (n.d.) who rightly points
out that there is a close link between comprehension and experience. In fact, this
point bears a very close relation to the content of the current elaboration concern-
ing homiletic. Understanding the events that take place around us is often concur-
rent with experiencing them. In order to activate comprehension, we employ the
whole of our emotional and sensory functions. This enables us to gain insight and
approach a given situation as if face to face, here and now. Through narration we
become real participants or direct observers of events that take place.
Allen (2010) points out yet another influential factor that helped shape the
current trends in homiletic, namely the role of emergent cultural studies and the
distinction into oral and print cultures. At that time two of the most important
figures in this respect were Marshal McLuhan and Walter Ong. They drew at-
tention to the problem of contemporary mass media claiming that logic works
differently in different media and our knowledge takes shape depending on how
it is conveyed. McLuhans famous statement: The medium is the message. bore
ground-breaking consequences for the cultural studies as such, but also for the
problem of preaching. When preaching, pastors or church leaders should not
use the same line of argumentation that they use when they write. The deductive,
propositional method of preaching was originally shaped by print logic and now
the time had come to apply the principles of oral discourse.
It transpires that the New Hermeneutics brought forth an outgrowth which

received a name New Homiletics. David J.Randolph, a teacher of homiletics at
Drew School of Theology, used the term while delivering a paper at the meeting
of the Academy of Homiletics. For the first time homiletical attention was turned
towards the listener and his/her experience of spoken language. The question that
used to agitate and still occupies New Homiletic preachers is the following: how to
shape a theologically informed worldview in such a way as to offer a transforma-
tive experience for the listeners (Allen, 2010).
According to the new approach, the listener is a partner in the sermonic event
who is invited to participate in the event in an active way. In order to fulfil this
goal, the sermon must involve the audience, create tension or make them seek
resolution. Inductive sermons more than deductive ones are more likely to em-
power and authorise the listener to put the word in practice.
In order to enhance this experience, preachers should use language in a more
illustrative, image-stimulating and dynamic way so as to evoke this transforma-
tive experience. It is believed that language shapes human beliefs, perception and
experience so the use of figurative language is not meant to improve the rhetorical
impact but rather to deepen the experience (Allen, 2010).
Long refers to Davies as the one who postulated that preachers should not
view their sermons as didactic arguments with orderly points but as living enti-
ties. A sermon should be like a story and not legal brief (Lowry, 2012). Craddock
(1971) also called preachers to abandon the deductive approach and replace it
with an inductive, narrative of discovery. Preachers heard the encouragement to
invite people on a journey of exploration and surprise with authentic life stories
and questions (Long, 2009). It was not the lack of information that posed the
greatest problem but rather the personal, existential engagement with the gospel
(Long, 2009).
Years earlier Amos Wilder2 who investigated the language of the gospel, noted
that story is a natural speech form of the gospel. He even claimed that anecdote
should be viewed as the earliest speech of the church and as an essential form of
celebration of the gospel. For Wilder the nature of the gospel shaped the language
of the early church (Rice, 2008).
Let us conclude this brief outline of the main ideas of the New Homiletic turn
with a quote from Eugene Lowry:
2 According to Rice (2008) Amos Wilder (18951993) was the first biblical scholar to lay
the groundwork for homiletic advance. He did it in the book Early Christian Rhetoric
and Theopoetic.
The sermon whether deductive or inductive, whether image-based or logically driven,

story or declaration, linear or episodal, improvised or manuscript in the corporate setting
of worship is an experience in timely form, as recital. It is not presented all-at-once like
painting or sculpture. It lives in time like music, cinema, and poetry. This fact is primary
to preaching, not secondary or optional. (Lowry (2012, p.9))
Levels of narrativity
Before we pass on to the actual application of the discussed methodology in par-
ticular instances, let us refer to Lowry (2012) who pays special attention to the
narrative character of the New Homiletic approach and postulates three levels of
it. He perceives narrative in a temporal, strategic and embodied form.
First of all, the sermon should be perceived as existing within a time sequence
(temporal modality) and not as an object that is assembled together before de-
livery. The temporal sequence is the medium of preachers work. In his other
paper, Lowry states the following: A narrative sermon is any sermon in which
the arrangement of ideas takes the form of a plot involving a strategic delay of
the preachers meaning. (Concise encyclopedia of preaching). He believes that
the preacher should maximise efforts to make listeners feel engaged by the ideas.
For many, a proper design of a sermon is a movement in time rather than points
(Davis, 1958; Park, n.d.)
Interestingly, according to Craddock (1971), a story does not have to be con-
sidered the essential element of a narrative sermon (cf. Lowry, 2012). In fact, what
Lowry means when he uses the term narrative sermon is the arrangement of ideas
that build up a homiletical plot. Obviously, parables Jesus told had the form of a
story, but, as Long (2009) once said, sermons need not include stories but they
should always have plots which are patterned along a dynamic sequence of elements.
() Narrative moves from tension to resolution, from ambiguity to clarity,
from what seems to be to what is, from guilt to grace, from death to life Narrative,
then, is the shape or movement of the sermon; it is not a piece of the sermon.
Narrative describes the whole not a component. (Craddock (n.d.) as cited in
Lowry (2012, p.18)).
Secondly, Lowry believes that the narrative should be guided by a strategic aim
to get the message heard. The question that he asks is the following, what course
of action will maximize the purpose? Eventually he states that the Biblical text
requires a fresh rendition like a work of art so that it will break life open to the
believers. Lowry in fact means imagination which is not part of the imaginative
or aesthetic domain but rather of the real experience of the tension included in
the text under scrutiny. He advises preachers to give themselves the right to linger,
listen and to explore.
The last level of narrativity is called Embodied Form and has to do with the
actual shape of the sermon and the plot. In an earlier publication, Lowry (2001)
puts forward the steps of a narrative sermon. The stages of the narrative structure
(Lowrys loop) are: 1. upsetting the equilibrium (introducing conflict); 2. analys-
ing the discrepancy (make people feel the trouble); 3. disclosing the clue to the
resolution (recognising the working of the Gospel, i.e.Gods love, in every text in
the Bible); 4. experiencing the Gospel (the experience of the Gospel is similar to
the experience of a good story); 5. anticipating the consequences (the good news
changes people). Ward (2013) rightly states that the narrative preaching model ac-
cording to Lowry is not based on a story or a string of stories. It is viewed as a flow of
thought that moves along the line of the plot. There are characters, conflicts between
them and the world, clues to resolve them and eventually a satisfying conclusion.
Park likewise sheds light on the structure of narrative preaching. For him,
the New Homiletic is essentially a problem-solving narrative with a wrong an-
swer. Bluntly speaking, searching for the right answer does not come easily. The
preacher leads the listener through wrong paths to eventually meet the good news
of the Gospel. For Parker, New Homiletic employs the logic of dialectic (thesis
antithesis synthesis). Initially, the preacher deals with questions concerning
the problem (e.g.Why cant we pray when we experience suffering?). He then
formulates an antithesis, i.e., he contradicts the initial assumption (In this case
the assumed belief is that people need and should pray) and offers some other,
supposedly worse or wrong solutions (What do we do instead of praying?). Even-
tually the preacher seeks for the right answer and embraces the initial assumption
(How can people pray again?).
Elements of New Homiletic in charismatic sermons

In the following section we will have a closer look at a particular sample of a char-
ismatic sermon delivered in one Polish church3. It should become an illustration
of the current narrative tendencies in evangelical preaching. At this stage, let us
reiterate the prerequisites of Narrative Preaching that will be considered essential
here. They are the following:
3 The choice of the sermon is not accidental. In the course of researchI have encountered
one Polish Christian congregations that exhibit exceptional charismatic stance. They
function as an illustrative exemplification of the mechanism of building sermons ac-
cording to the delineated criteria of Narrative Preaching. On the whole, however, the
sermons in most evangelical churches, irrespective of denomination, reveal a blend of
methods and techniques.
inductive approach,
focus on the audience and their needs/problems,
problem-solving attitude,
plot structured along a dynamic sequence of events,
use of descriptions stimulating listeners imagination,
use of humour,
the presence of emotional tone,
use of vocalics and kinesics,
considerable length in comparison to non-charismatic sermons.
The elaboration will itself have a form of a narration. It will take into account
the following aspects, namely: who is speaking and who is the addressee, the
place of the sermon delivery, the title and the internal structure of the sermon,
it coherence, the topic, the purpose, the emotional tone, nonverbal cues such as
gestures and voice intonation. The material under scrutiny not only instantiates
the characteristic features of a charismatic sermon, but also unravels certain char-
acteristic features of the evangelical discourse. In this sectionI will try to allude to
the idea that by using language we craft and create what we want to say to fit the
situations or contexts in which the communication occurs. On the other hand,
how we speak shapes the situation or context as well (Gee, 1999). Discourse is a
way in which humans integrate language with non-language stuff in order to
enact and recognize identities and activities, to give the material world meanings,
to distribute social goods in a particular way, to make meaningful connections in
our experience, and to privilege certain symbol systems and ways of knowing (Gee
(1999, p.13)). To authenticate the content of the sermon and its meanings, the dis-
cussion will be intertwined with verbatim fragments provided in italics together
with their English language translations (the rendition is as faithful as possible).
Sample sermon analysis

The sermon was delivered in a charismatic community, where the realisation of
the claims of Neo-pentecostalism and the Faith Movement are clearly manifest. The
preacher is also one of the pastors there. The video recording is available on the
website of the church, Facebook and Youtube (cf. references).
The title of the sermon suggests that it will concern the notion of anoint-
ment. Noteworthy, among charismatics there is a widely held belief that each
Christian believer can experience the power of God through anointing (Hinn,
1992). They often refer to the book of Acts chapter1, verse 8, where Jesus tells
His apostles that they will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes and will
become His witnesses worldwide. In fact, the belief that power equals anointing
is not entirely tenable in view of the fragment from Acts because it does not
say that anointing is the power of God. It just says that the Holy Spirit is the
common cause of both, power and anointing (Sauve, 1996). In the Bible, the
idea of anointment occurs mainly with reference to kings, prophets or priests
whom God chooses, that are set aside for the use of God. Sauve makes the fol-
lowing comment: () all believers are anointed consecrated and set aside
for service to God. In other words, in Christian terms, anointing is not fleeting
or something that can be taken away.
In its initial section, the sermons inductive and audience-centred approach
is visible in that the preacher elaborates on a particular problem of the people
in church using Biblical texts to support his vision and to find the right answers.
Its main thrust, revealed gradually throughout the long introduction, is to lead
the listener along a certain line of reasoning to accept the fact that they should
bear the fruit of Christian ministry (thesis 1), but they are useless without
Gods anointment (thesis 2). When we contemplate on the structure of the text
of the sermon, we may feel, that at times, that the preacher applies the model
of dialectic reasoning in which there is thesis, antithesis and synthesis. The
preacher does not provide the listener with the main points of the sermon and
its content at the very beginning. He starts from the description of the content
of a Biblical text and offers his reflections concerning the situation of the main
hero of the story.
The overall structure of the sermon has two major parts:
one in which the preacher highlights the necessity to bear fruit of good deeds
in Christian life (to exemplify the preacher uses the term wyzwoliciel, Eng.
liberator) which depends on the adherence to God (words often used: trwa
w Bogu, by w Bogu, Eng. to remain in God) and recognition of the moment
in which God wants to change something in your life;
the following in which the preacher passes on to the essence of the sermon,
namely the role of Gods anointment, how to experience it and how to make
good use of it.
Noteworthy, at some points of the narration the preachers line of reasoning be-
comes congested. WhatI mean by this is that at certain moments he draws special
attention to problems which are probably considered milestones and whose clar-
ity will enhance the reception of ideas to come. One such problem concerns the
question of Gods influence in lives. He addresses it right at the beginning of the
sermon and for this purpose employs the three partite dialectic method, which
is marked as: thesis a, antithesis a, synthesis a.
The last stage of the sermon engulfs the lions share of its text. In fact, there
the preacher unfolds the main points of the sermon, namely the title Dimensions
of Anointment.
Thesis 1
Christians should bear fruit.
Questions:
Why cant they bear fruit if they know God wants it?
What stops them from bearing fruit?
What will change the situation?
In the opening section the preacher makes a reference to the introductory fragment
of the Letter of Apostle Paul to Philemon4. There we see Paul begging Philemon
to receive a young convert, a disciple of Paul, Onesimus, as himself because he has
become profitable in the ministry of the Gospel. Onesimus used to lead a sinful life
and even experienced slavery. Yet, he met Paul who planted the seed of the Gospel
in his heart and the man converted. The pastor pays special attention to the idea of
a profitable life. He reflects upon the notion of Christians as Gods servants and the
ones that bear fruit. Onesimus was once useless but later he changed and became
serviceable in ministry. However, in order to achieve this status, he says that God
will bring a change, will break man and then reconstruct him/her again.
() przychodzi Boe cinienie, Boa presja, po to eby z czowieka nieuytecznego,
jak Onezym, sta si uyteczny dla Krlestwa Boego, w imieniu Jezusa Chrystusa.
(Gods pressure comes to transform you into a useful man, like Onesimus. He
became useful for the Kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.5)
Bg zmienia ludzi z nieuytecznych w uytecznych. (God changes people from
useless into useful ones.)
On zamie, poamie twoje koci, po co, po to aby twoje ycie wydao wiele owocw.
(He will break your bones so that you could bear fruit in your life.)
4 Polish language Biblical references come from the translation entitled Biblia to jest
Pismo wite Starego i Nowego Testamentu. Nowy przekad z Jzykw hebrajskiego i
greckiego opracowany przez komisj przekadu Pisma witego, published by Towarzy-
stwo Biblijne w Polsce. Warszawa.
5 Charismatics are accustomed to using the phrase In the name of Jesus Christ in various
situations. They believe that as Christians they act in the name of Jesus and on His
behalf. In addition, they claim that by saying these words they gain greater authority
to overcome bad spirits.
Bg zaplanowa, e podniesienie rki na ewangelizacj (the phrase that is used here

can be rendered in English as: to raise hand to/against something, which means
to try to hit someone; what the author actually meant was the phrase to put ones
hand to, i.e.to start work) jest pocztkiem wielkiej pracy, jest pocztkiem wielkiej
przygody z Bogiem, jest pocztkiem Boego dziaania w Twoim i moim yciu. (God
planned that raising a hand against Evangelization* is the beginning of a great
work, a great adventure with God, the beginning of Gods activity in your life.)
This lengthy text of the speech abounds in questions, digressions, repetitions
and allusions to many other Biblical fragments. The preacher at times employs a
rather emotional tone, the reception of which becomes intensified by the elements
of kinesics and vocalics. In order to underline an important aspect or make his
understanding of a certain notion clear to everyone in the room, he introduces
repetitions, demands answers from the audience, speaks louder and walks from
side to side waving his hands. His verbal and nonverbal behaviour arouses certain
feelings and makes it clear that he really intends to put across certain ideas. This is
made even more conspicuous when, at one point, he refers to himself as the one
who has been commissioned by God to liberate people, to proclaim His Word.
Wczoraj gosiem w Kielcach poselstwo pod tytuem, eby przyszo wyzwolenie.
Ludzie krzyczeli o wyzwolenie. Co Bg robi, posa im wyzwoliciela. Nie posa im
wyzwolenia, posa im wyzwoliciela. Potem czytaem fragment ksigi Izajasza, gdzie
Bg mwi o swoim sudze, mwi wzbudziem ci, drogi sugo, aby by porednikiem
przymierza zbawienia. (Yesterday in KielceI preached about liberation. People
shouted for liberation. And what did God do? He sent them a liberator. LaterI
read a fragment from the book of Isaiah, where it is written that God talks about
His servant. He says:I have raised you, my dear servant to make you a mediator
of the covenant of salvation.)
Thesis a
God has planned each persons life. Everyone has some vocation to fulfil.
Listening to the sermon, one can realise that the preacher carries a burden of
responsibility for His ministry. From this thought the preacher smoothly moves
to another, namely that God has an individual plan for every human being. To
support this claim, he refers to one of the major prophetic books, namely the
Book of Isaiah where it is written that God calls his servant from the bowels of
his mother6. To amplify the reception of the message, the preacher experiences an
outburst of emotions and starts to reiterate with increasing loudness the sentence:
6 Cf. Isaiah 49:1.

Bo Bg od poczcia ma plan dla twojego ycia, Bg od poczcia ma plan dla twojego

ycia. (God has a plan for your life from the beginning, God has a plan for your
life from the beginning.)
Antithesis a
Life is a work of accident. God does not control nor affect it.
The preacher continues his rather emotional tone and tries to undermine the
claim that God has an impact on our lives. He looks for substantiation of this
supposed fallacy that God influences human life and presents counterarguments
to the initially formulated line of reasoning. One of them is the belief in the
accidental nature of the origin of human life. He quotes a commonly nurtured
opinion that a child is conceived in an unintentional and unplanned manner. To
exemplify this sort of thinking, he makes a humorous comment about his own
life. He refers to a popular claim that a seaside climate has a positive, relaxing
impact on relationships so probably the climate caused his mother to conceive
while on holiday at sea.
Rozumiesz (louder speech), czsto rodzice mwi tak, przez przypadek dziecko si
urodzio. Mymy byli na wakacjach i emy si zapomnieli, przez przypadek dziecko
si urodzio. () czsto ludzi mwi tak, o przez przypadek, przez pomyk, o bd
modoci. (You see, parents often say that their child was born by accident. We
were on holiday and we lost control, by accident the baby was born () people
often say, oh by accident, oh the mistake of youth.)
Synthesis a
God is the one who knows man from the very beginning of his or her life.
Listening to preachers counterarguments we immediately recognize that the
preacher fully opposes them. He is strongly against the belief that human life
is a work of accident. He reiterates the words from the Book of Isaiah, where
the prophets says: The Lord has called me from the womb; from the bowels of
my mother has he made mention of my name. This fragment voices opposi-
tion against the idea that God does not affect human life at all. According to the
speaker, God is the first to know it because He brings man into being and calls
him/her by name.
A Biblia mwi od ona matki nazwa mnie po imieniu, a ludzi w dziewitym
miesicu nie wiedz, jak si bdzie nazywa, Krzysiu czy Wojtek, czy Marysia, w
zalenoci, rne opcje, a Bg mwi od ona matki go nazwaem po imieniu. To
znaczy, e chce ci powiedzie, od ona matki jest przeznaczenie dla twojego ycia,
od ona matki jest przeznaczenie, jest twoje imi w Duchu wyzwolone. (And the
Bible says: BeforeI was born the Lord called me; from my mothers womb he
has spoken my name.7 And people in the ninth month do not know what the
name of the child will be, Krzy or Wojtek, or Marysia, it depends, there are
many options, and God says he has called you by name from the womb, from
the bowels of your mother there is a destination for you, your name is released
in Spirit.)
Thesis 2
God anoints every Christian hence they are ready to yield the fruit of good deeds.
From the talk about Gods impact on human life, the preacher smoothly moves
to the notion of anointment. At first he makes a point about two possible attitudes
that a Christian can accept, one of a liberator and the other of a victim. He claims
there are only two possibilities in which Christians may proceed in life, either
as victims or as liberators. In order to become a liberator, one has to experience
Gods freedom and to become a real servant like Onesimus. If one wants to bear
fruit in life, s/he should submit to Gods authority and accept it for good. Atten-
tive listening to the sermon enables one to note that the text lacks any specific
definition of what it means to be a liberator and a victim. The preacher uses the
term but he does not explain it. However, taking into consideration the quoted
Biblical illustrations and elaboration in the subsequent parts, the idea of a liberator
becomes partly clarified. The preacher probably means a person who can experi-
ence Gods anointment and help others to do the same.
Dimensions of the flow of anointment

The preacher at this point signals that his intention is to refer to the topic of the
sermon and delineate dimensions of the flow of anointment. He begins with a
question why people in church are unable to yield fruit and quotes a passage from
the Gospel according to John chapter10, verses 23 to 26 where the Jews demand
evidence that Jesus is a true Messiah. The preacher makes another digression at
this point. He says that recently, while reading this passage, a new understanding
has dawned on him. Namely, ones life-long familiarity with a Biblical passage
may be overshadowed by a new interpretation. He calls this experience the depth
of understanding. He has realised that the word of God has its depth which is
revealed to people gradually.
7 Isaiah 49:1, NIV, Bible Gateway

Coming back to the passage, the preacher presents how Jesus responds to the
request formed by the Jews. He says that they have already had the evidence. They
have been the witnesses of miracles and signs, yet their distrust persists because
they do not belong to His sheep. From thence the preacher starts the presentation
of the dimensions of anointment.
ydzi, rozumiesz, maj problem z Jezusem. Sami s skonfundowani, nie wiedz
co o nim myle. Raz, rozumiesz wielkie rzeczy czyni, porusza si w Boy sposb, z
drugiej strony odrzucaj go z definicji i z trzeciej strony jest napicie i oni przychodz,
obstpili go i rzekli: Jak dugo bdziesz dusze nasze trzyma w napiciu? Jeeli jeste
Chrystusem, powiedz nam wyranie8, na przykad Jestem Chrystusem, nie? Powiedz
nam wyranie, bo mwisz tak pod nosem, wyranie nam powiedz jak krowa na rowie,
wyranie, teraz, chcemy to usysze.
A co im mwi Jezus, Odpowiedzia im Jezus, powiedziaem wam, a nie wierzy-
cie. Dziea, ktre wykonuj w imi Ojca wiadcz o mnie, lecz wy nie wierzycie, bo
nie jestecie z owiec moich. (The Jews, you see, have a problem with Jesus. They are
confused. They dont know what to think about Him. On one hand, you see, He
does great things. He behaves like God. On the other hand, they reject Him as a
rule and in addition feel constant tension. They come around Him and say: How
long do you make us doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly., for instance,I
am Christ, right? Speak to us plainly, because you murmur, plainly, now, we want
to hear it. And what does Jesus say? I told you, and all of you believed not. The
works thatI do in my Fathers name, they bear witness of me. But all of you believe
not, because all of you are not my sheep, asI said unto you.)
By referring to the dialogue with the Jews, the preacher means to acquaint the
listener with the first dimension of the flow of anointment, which is the identifica-
tion with other sheep in the flock (umiejscowienie w pozycji owcy; putting oneself
in the place of the sheep). Yet again the sermons inductive approach comes into
view. Having finished the discussion of the fragment from the Bible, the preacher
proceeds with the explanation of the metaphor which Jesus uses. He says that his
sheep recognise his voice even if they change location. If a Christian travels far
away from his/her home to a completely different culture and visits a Christian
congregation there, s/he can still hear the same voice. It transpires that the expe-
rience may be similar and the person may hear Gods voice there. The preacher
now starts to highlight certain fragments of his speech by uttering them louder
8 The preacher keeps modifying the text of the Bible by shifting perspective from what
he reads to a spontaneous talk, hence at some points Biblical words and phrases are
replaced with others or preachers own words are inserted into the original text.
or by repeating them, e.g.Jeden gos, jeden niepodrabialny Boy gos, jeden kana
komunikacji z Bogiem, ktry bdzie niepodrabialny i ty wiesz, e Bg przemwi,
wiesz, e Bg przemwi. (One voice, one unmistakable voice of God, one channel
of communication with God, which will be unmistakable and you will recognize
that God has spoken, you will know that.) Once again he draws attention to the
attitude of Jews in the aforementioned fragment by saying that they did not open
their channels of communication and did not recognise his voice. For them this
voice was like all the other voices around them hence they remained tense and
anxious. Eventually, the preacher summarises his considerations by underlying
the necessity to learn to recognise the voice of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd. This
will cause Christians to bear fruit and become productive.
Eventually, he passes on to the formulation of the essence of his message,
namely the anointment. Emotionally driven, the preacher draws near to the gist:
Warunkiem eby namaszczenie Kocioa mogo pyn nad Twoim yciem jest to,
eby ty si umiejscowi jako syn i crka w domu. (The condition for the anoint-
ment of church to flow upon your life is to identify oneself with the role of the
son or daughter at home.)
The first condition to receive anointment is to find ones own place and feel a
member of the Church of Jesus Christ9. It entails hearing and responding to the
voice of God. Having elaborated on that and making the audience aware that
without this condition, the flow of anointment will be hindered, the preacher
slowly moves on to the notion of ministry. If one feels the connection with other
members of the church, serving will come naturally. The preacher uses the meta-
phor of home to illustrate the idea of safety in church. He underlines the idea that
people who attend church meetings should recognise they are there to cooperate,
to be open for others but also to become transformed. The preacher talks about
an attitude which enables people to receive the maximum experience during con-
gregational meeting. In doing so he uses the metaphor of radio communication
which assumes that in order to receive certain messages, one needs to tune in.
Ty musisz by otwarty na czstotliwo, ktra jest uwalniana w danym Kociele.
eby si mc podczy do tej czstotliwoci. (You must be open for the frequency
which is released in a church to be able to connect to it.)
Kade sowa, ktre s goszone w jakimkolwiek Kociele, uwalniaj jak
czstotliwo w duchu. Zgadzamy si? (the speech becomes louder) Biblia mwi, gdzie
to jest w Biblii, sowa, ktre do was mwi s duchem i yciem. Czyli sowa nios
9 However, what the preacher actually means is a local church to which a given listener
of the sermon attends.
ducha. () i eby ty mg przyj rzeczy, ty musisz si dostroi do tej czstotliwoci.

(Each word that is proclaimed in any church releases some frequency in spirit.
Do we agree? The Bible says, where is it in the Bible?, the words whichI speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. So words carry spirit () and in order
to accept these things you must tune in to the frequency.)
On the other hand, it is said that ones expectations may hinder the experience
that stems from Gods will. In other words, a person coming to church should
adjust ones own expectations to a given community: Chodzi o to, e twoje ycie
musi si dostroi do czstotliwoci, ktra tu pynie (The thing is that one needs to
tune in to the frequency that flows in a given church.) because this will release
the blessing over a persons life. He notes that there are people who participate
in meetings yet they do not receive any blessing from God, because their hearts
are closed. Using a metaphor of electricity, the preacher demonstrates the idea of
how to tune in to the frequency in church successfully. While abroad, one is often
faced with the problem of electricity, i.e.one needs a special converter or adapter
plug to be able to use the sockets overseas.
In the following section the preacher talks once again about mistaken expecta-
tions and the necessity to abandon them. He underlines the vitality of rejecting
them and seeking the so called spirit of power which will enable one to transform
from a victim into a liberator. He sadly concludes that the former approach is very
common in Poland. Members of churches in many places in Poland resemble the
Jews from the passage above. They remain in disbelief, as if no one has plugged
them in.
To illustrate the idea of ministry in church, the preacher refers to the 1st Book
of Samuel, chapter30 where it is written that the Amelekites invade cities in the
kingdom of King David and burn them. David is distressed but God assures him
that he and six hundred men will overtake the troops. In the course of pursuing
after the enemy, only four hundred men manage to keep the pace with the king.
In the following phase, another two hundred are left behind and David has at his
disposal an army of only two hundred men. Nevertheless, he defeats the invad-
ing army of Amalekites and recovers all the possessions. The whole army, even
those who do not manage to keep up with David, receive their belongings back.
This fragment serves as an illustration of the idea of ministry which constitutes
the second dimension of anointment. By referring to the passage from the Bible,
the preachers tries to make it clear that irrespective of the scale or size of effort,
a person who is actively engaged in the life of church, receives blessing. Even the
smallest work suffices to release the flow of Gods anointment.
After elaborating on the second dimension of the flow of anointment, the

preacher recapitulates all that has been said thus far. He draws the attention to
the necessity of trustful reception of the word of God delivered by ministers. To
substantiate, the preacher refers to the person of Apostle Paul who was given
different receptions in churches he had started. In the 2nd Letter to Corinthi-
ans, chapter10, we read that Paul laments at the reasons of the situation. He is
criticised for weak presence and contemptible speech. The preacher juxtaposes
this city with Ephesus or Thessalonia where Paul was warmly welcomed. The
preacher sees some analogy between the situation in Corinth and the one in
contemporary churches where negative attitudes prevent people from experi-
encing the full scale of Gods anointment. He adds that the anointment will flow
freely if one understands the idea of what the proper attitude in church means.
One needs to trust the ministers delivering the word of God and be engaged in
common activities.
Finally, the preacher provides the third dimension of the flow of anointment,
namely financial support. He quotes a passage from the Letter to the Philipians,
chapter4 where Paul expresses his gratitude towards the church in Philippi for
their support offered to him. The preacher points out that Paul the Apostle is
thankful to them because the money he received helped him to bear fruit to
their account. This reference is made to highlight the idea that offering financial
support to those who proclaim the word of God will bring harvest in the lives of
individuals.
The preacher slowly comes to an end of his sermon and keeps reiterating the
key elements. One needs to feel attachment with God and the church. Other-
wise one may easily fall into doubts and eventually alienate themselves from the
community and their believes. He illustrates the problem by pointing at his own
congregation where some of the long term members behave as if they did not
participate in the life of the church at all. He sums up the discussion with a recom-
mendation that reliance on the three dimensions of anointment (the preacher calls
them: threads of connection) guarantee peace, certainty and growing conviction
in the truth and wisdom of the Bible.
The final section of the sermon contains another fragment of illustrative im-
agery through which the preacher reflects upon the idea of spiritual connection
among members of the church. One may start departing from the community
once s/he loses the sense of honesty and trust.
We also learn that there is hope of the conquest of fears and uncertainties if
comprehension of the mechanism of the flow of anointment comes. Eventually,
the preacher ends up with the ideas of trust and acceptance which underlie the
right attitude in life and guarantee progress in faith.
Concluding remarks
It transpires from what has been said thus far that the text of the analysed sermon
bears certain noticeable features of Narrative Preaching. They come into view even
more clearly upon retelling the content of the sermon piece by piece. A singular
act of reception may not suffice to obtain a deeper comprehension of the idea
of the sermon and its underlying conception. In order to uncover its sense and
structure,I have decided to perform a narrative depiction of the text. This has
enabled me to bring to new light my original perception of what the sermon is
about and how it is constructed.
The sermon, although lengthy (1h, 12 min.), oscillates around two main theses,
namely, Christians are called to bear fruit of their faith (thesis 1) and the need
for Gods anointment to do this (thesis 2). The preacher seems deeply concerned
with his ministry and the situation in Polish congregations, including the one
he himself attends. His serious engagement with the people and their beliefs be-
come transparent when we realise how diversified his presentation is. We are
witnesses of a vivid performance in which a man using verbal and nonverbal
forms of behaviour tries to impress his viewpoint on the audience. We see him
moving, using gestures (kinesics), modulating the pitch of voice, using vocalics
(e.g.wyzwalam I release) digressing from preaching to praying (genre shift),
illustrating his ideas with imagery. On top of these, the sermon is characterised by
a variety of styles. The general tone is colloquial which does not mean total lack
of precision (Boniecka, 2007). In fact, the preacher offers a variety of examples
which should make his ideas understandable to everyone, corrects himself, stops
to elaborate in greater detail on selected thoughts, explicitly indicates concepts
he disagrees with by speaking louder. However, in order to achieve precision,
he resorts to means that pertain to the sphere of spoken language. Its spontane-
ity and directness (e.g.uninhibited reference to the preachers experiences) are
enhanced by a number of factors. The preacher does not really exert himself to
fit his speech into a model of spoken language that would fulfil the standards of
an academic lecture. The means of expression are very straightforward and put
emphasis on the pragmatic effects of preaching, namely transformation of peoples
beliefs and behaviour.
In addition, we may note both economy and excess in the language of the
sermon. The preacher prefers principal means of expression (typical for the collo-
quial style of utterances) which contribute, on one hand, to the economy (e.g.the
preacher does not explain what he means by the word wyzwoliciel liberator)
and on the other to the excess of utterances (In order to illustrate certain ideas, he
refers to numerous analogies, for example when he wants to prove that life is not
a work of accident, he quotes some authentic opinions and situations.). Moreover,

the utterances have a dialogic character (e.g.the use of the second person form of
verbs: rozumiez you understand (it is not an interrogative statement, although it
is meant to confirm that both sides are on the same track of reasoning, very col-
loquial in style), wiesz you know, posuchaj listen)) and are replete with elliptical
or structurally unrestrained sentences (e.g.A ludzie w dziewitym miesicu nie
wiedz jak si bdzie nazywalo, czy Krzysiu, czy Wojtek, a Bg mwi od ona matki
go nazwaem, to znaczy, e chce ci powiedzie, od ona matki jest przeznaczenie, od
ona matki jest twoje imi wyzwolone, a rodzice mwi, o nazwaem go Krzysiu,
(). And people in the ninth month dont know what the name of the child will
be, Krzysiu or Wojtek, and God says,I have called him from the womb, it means
that God wants to tell you that from the womb there is a destination, from the
womb your name is released, and the parents say,I have called him Krzysiu ().).
There are also paradigmatic errors involved. For instance, by using the phrase:
to raise a hand against evangelisation to mean to become involved in an activ-
ity, the preacher violates the paradigmatic schema, because he actually means a
different construction. We can observe the occurrence of syntagmatic errors as
well (e.g.Coraz bardziej przychodzi miejsce, e bdziesz albo wyzwolicielem albo
ofiar. There comes a place* that you will be either a liberator or a victim.) and
repetitions (e.g.Bg zmienia nasz natur. Bg zmienia nasze ycie. God changes
our nature. God changes our lives.). The preacher reflects a very emotional at-
titude as a presenter10.
A distinctive feature of the sermon is the use of lexicon pertaining to other,
non-religious, semantic domains. The preacher creates imagery to stimulate un-
derstanding of certain ideas. For instance, the words produktywno productivity
and wydawanie owocu fruit bearing are used to mean consequences of faith.
In other words, one should behave like a disciple of Jesus Christ. One should
transform his or her life in such a way as to become helpful to others. The other
recurring domain is the notion of radio transmission. The preacher says that
people in church should tune in to the frequency emitted there (dostroi si do
czstotliwoci), which entails acceptance and adherence to what is taught there.
Yet another domain has to do with electricity. The preacher uses the concept of a
10 A precise enumeration of the hallmarks of colloquial language (Some authors do not

make any distinction between language and style in this respect.) can be found, among
others, in Aleksander Wilko: Typologia odmian jzykowych wspczesnej polszczyzny
(1987) and Barbara Bonieckas article: Rzecz w jasnoci wypowiedzi, published in the
monograph entitled: Potoczno a zachowania jzykowe Polakw (2007) and Struk-
turowanie potocznoci w komunikacji werbalnej (2013).
plug which should fit into the socket. If it does not, one should apply an adapter.
The idea behind this metaphor is similar to the one revealed in the use of radio
transmission. One is encouraged to improve his or her attitude to church mem-
bers and leaders because otherwise one will continue alienating themselves from
the community.
Craddock (cf. Lowry (2012, p.18)), already mentioned in this paper, says that
in the narrative we observe the movement from tension to resolution, from ambi-
guity to clarity. In fact, this is what gives the analysed sermon its specific character.
The preacher seems to adhere to the principles as he lets his line of reasoning
develop, evolving stage by stage. Through numerous illustrations we can gradually
discover the underlying logic.
Aside from all that has been said thus far, in the analysed we may pinpoint
text some of the characteristics of the model of narrative homiletic outlined
in the theoretical section of the paper. First of all, the preacher offers a fresh,
context-dependent rendition of various Biblical passages and invites the listener
to participate in the sermonic event. Indeed, the language used by the preacher is
image-stimulating. Participants in the congregation are offered a lengthy narra-
tion interwoven with unique, illustrative stories retold by the preacher. The impact
of the sermon is enhanced due to the speakers tendency to upset the equilibrium
by introducing antithetic arguments. It transpires that the presence of narrative
markers in a text amplifies the level of actuality, which, in turn, affects the degree
of perceived compatibility between the hidden message of a story and positive
attitudes of people (Trzebiski, 2014).

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Narrativity in Action: Language, Culture and Text

STUDIES IN LINGUISTICS, ANGLOPHONE

Prior to publication, the quality of the work published in this series is

This publication was financially supported by the University of Gdask.

Cover Illustration: Magdalena Grabowska

Printed by CPI books GmbH, Leck

Enacting Identity in the Conversion Narrative.

Abstract: In evangelical Christianity conversion testimony is considered an essential part

dition, the necessity to convert is one of the cornerstones of evangelical ideology

Hallmarks of conversion narrative (testimony)

In evangelicalism, testimony being an act of declaration of faith, is given be-

Conversion narrative and the struggle for

Katarzynas Grounded faith

wdziczna, e dowiadczyam tak ogromnej aski. (Suddenly, pastor Arek ap-

Katarzynas enactment of identities

conclusion and the consequences. She is no longer in depression, however she

Traces of Narrative Preaching in

The main tenets of evangelicalism

The faith movement

The traditional approach to preaching

The rise and development of New Homiletic

inability to encapsulate major experiences in the form of narrative stories may

It transpires that the New Hermeneutics brought forth an outgrowth which

The sermon whether deductive or inductive, whether image-based or logically driven,

Elements of New Homiletic in charismatic sermons

Sample sermon analysis

Bg zaplanowa, e podniesienie rki na ewangelizacj (the phrase that is used here

6 Cf. Isaiah 49:1.

Bo Bg od poczcia ma plan dla twojego ycia, Bg od poczcia ma plan dla twojego

Dimensions of the flow of anointment

7 Isaiah 49:1, NIV, Bible Gateway

ducha. () i eby ty mg przyj rzeczy, ty musisz si dostroi do tej czstotliwoci.

After elaborating on the second dimension of the flow of anointment, the

a work of accident, he quotes some authentic opinions and situations.). Moreover,

10 A precise enumeration of the hallmarks of colloquial language (Some authors do not

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