Kaiser vs. Goldsworthy: Exegetical Theology and Preaching

Introduction: Two Approaches to Scripture

Both Walter Kaiser and Graeme Goldsworthy take very different approaches to the Bible in their respective works Toward an Exegetical Theology and Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture. The former examines Scripture using a syntactical-theological method, providing a framework for everything from contextual analysis to syntactical, verbal, theological, and homiletical analysis. Kaiser also covers the use of prophecy, narrative, and poetry in expository preaching. His approach is, in short, more academic than that of Goldsworthy, who comes at the subject of Scripture from the perspective of the evangelical preacher and thus delivers a more practical approach.

For this reason, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture consists of two basic parts: the first addresses essential questions regarding preaching and Scripture, and the second addresses practical issues related to applying biblical theology to preaching. These two approaches, while different and operating on two distinct levels of interaction with the reader, both help the reader better understand and identify the ways in which the Bible acts as a tool to drive minds, hearts, and wills toward the truth of the Word. This paper compares and contrasts the two approaches found in Kaiser's Toward an Exegetical Theology and Goldsworthy's Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture.

Kaiser's Academic and Exegetical Method

What makes Kaiser's work immediately stand out as the more scholarly and academic approach to the Bible is its adherence to a more sophisticated, precise, and formal style of language. For instance, when Kaiser writes, "Preaching will not only reflect the results of exegesis, but it will also assess the validity of the content and focus of its proclamation in terms of the Biblical text it proposes to exegete,"¹ it carries a completely different tone — more formal — than Goldsworthy, when he writes simply that "Evangelical preachers have an agenda. We want to proclaim Christ in the most effective way possible."² This more down-to-earth approach of Goldsworthy is indicative of the work as a whole: it is mainly oriented toward developing a practical understanding of the material — a how-to approach that an evangelical preacher could most benefit from. Indeed, Goldsworthy's book is designed as a tool for such preachers; they are clearly the intended audience.

Kaiser's work, on the other hand, is geared more toward the thinker than the doer. It is a thoughtful, scholarly work — born of the fruit of meditation and study rather than practical experience and insight. It takes more pleasure in pondering the state of exegesis than the state of preaching, which is where Goldsworthy shines more fully.

Kaiser begins his work by asserting that there is "a crisis in exegetical theology." While Kaiser laments that the "gap" — a popular expression among academicians, whose studies typically address the problem or gap in relevant literature — is to be found between the material learned in seminary and the harsh realities of preaching, his approach to addressing this gap is that of the seminary professor: a rigorous examination of the fundamental ways in which Scripture should be addressed, studied, and understood.³ Kaiser's method is, however, rooted in the desire to update and make more accessible the Word of God for modern readers. At the same time, Kaiser understands that in order to appreciate the deep nuance of the Bible it is necessary to cultivate an intellectual discipline that allows one to trace the historical "maze," as he calls it, of events through the myriad books of Scripture.⁴ Reconciling this intellectualist approach with the need to express and clarify the fundamental nature of the message to people of today is wherein the "dilemma" lies, according to Kaiser.⁵ In other words, Toward an Exegetical Theology is a work meant to bring the scholar of Scripture closer to the person on the street so that both might be fulfilled in their missions.

Goldsworthy's Christ-Centered, Practical Approach

This is, ultimately, the same goal as Goldsworthy's, though his approach to the material is less academic and rigorous in nature. Goldsworthy writes as though for the man on the street, viewing his audience of preachers as average men of average intellect with no particular interest in scholarly or academic approaches beyond that of the typical modern individual. This conception of his audience is discernible in the language he uses and in his uncluttered syntax. His writing is direct and to the point — simple in arrangement and easy to follow. Moreover, Goldsworthy laments that academic approaches have taken a costly toll on biblical studies when he states that "the separation of biblical studies and biblical theology into the two specialized areas of Old Testament and New Testament, however necessary at the formal and academic level, has led to an extremely costly separation of the Testaments."⁶ Thus, Goldsworthy deplores the fact that scholars have to some extent compartmentalized the two arenas of theology and Scripture to the detriment of the preacher, whose very mission is to show how those two arenas are actually united.

Most importantly, Goldsworthy adopts an approach in which he makes Christ the focus of his efforts: Christ is the center of the Bible — both Testaments — and Christ is the center of Christian theology. From his perspective there should be no such division, and any approach to the Bible should incorporate this understanding.⁷ Thus it is Goldsworthy's contention that "everyone" should be an interpreter of Scripture and that everyone "should be a biblical theologian" as well.⁸ Establishing how the Person of Christ is the center of both Testaments is his main impetus for writing.

By putting the Person of Christ at the front and center of his work, Goldsworthy's approach is also more human, even as it focuses on the divine — for Christ was both human and divine. The basis of evangelism, as Goldsworthy views it, is evident in the message of the Bible and in the theology that grows out of its examination. The simplicity of the Bible's message is really the root of evangelism, according to Goldsworthy, for it reminds the believer to set aside fear, want, worry, need, and all concern for daily provisions — and instead to embark on a journey toward the Creator and Giver of all life. This message appears in numerous places throughout the New Testament. Most notably, perhaps, is the injunction found in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" If one truly had faith, one would not concern oneself with how to provide for oneself, trusting instead in the goodness of God.

A second verse also illustrates this point and fits with what Goldsworthy spells out in the first part of his book: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33). With this simplicity at the heart of the Christian message, the evangelist can set out without worry. What Goldsworthy answers in his chapter entitled "Can I Preach a Christian Sermon without Mentioning Jesus?" is that Christ is the core of Christian teaching — His Person, example, words, and deeds, especially His sacrifice on the cross. This is the message and the path toward the kingdom of God that the preacher must preach. There is no need for elaborate intellectual language: it merely turns away the average person who thinks simply. That is Goldsworthy's point — the evangelical preacher only needs to know Our Lord Jesus Christ, and then preaching becomes accessible, because this knowledge is the essence of the Bible and of Christian theology.⁹