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Sermons and Its A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE EVANGELISTIC PREACHING OF MARTYN LLOYD-JONES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS ‘ACTS’ SERIES OF SERMONS AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR UK PASTORS TODAY GARY STEWART BENFOLD BSc (Hons), MA DIRECTOR OF STUDIES: Dr Jenny Read-Heimerdinger SECOND SUPERVISOR: Dr Robert Pope In collaboration with Wales Evangelical School of Theology STATEMENT: This research was undertaken under the auspices of the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David and was submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of a Degree of DMin by Research in the School of Theology, Religious and Islamic Studies of the University of Wales. April 2017 Abstract A Critical Evaluation of the Evangelistic Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones with Special Reference to his ‘Acts’ Series of Sermons and its Relevance for UK Pastors Today Abstract The ministry of David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), a leading British preacher within the Reformed tradition, has been a subject of research in the decades since his death. In spite of the importance he himself attached to evangelistic preaching, however, no significant study has been conducted of his own evangelistic preaching. This dissertation explores his weekly evangelistic ministry based on the Book of Acts in the 1960s, his closing years at Westminster Chapel, London. The purpose is to consider the ongoing usefulness, if any, of his practice and method for ministers who stand in the same theological tradition today. The work examines, first, the convictions that drove Lloyd-Jones’ practice, using his published addresses as primary source material. Beyond a summary of his career and his influence (Chapter One), consideration is given to the religious and social context at the time of the Acts sermons, and to its significance for the approach Lloyd-Jones successfully adopted (Chapter Two). Chapter Three presents a detailed analysis of his sermons on the Acts of the Apostles and identifies a number of their characteristics. Having established the historical groundwork, the dissertation goes on in Chapter Four to focus on my own preaching in the context of the church of which I am a minister, serving within the Reformed tradition and following the approach modeled by Lloyd-Jones. Using questionnaires derived from the analysis of his sermons, surveys were undertaken of first, the church leaders and secondly, the Young People’s group. Their goal was to provide feedback that would serve to identify strengths and weaknesses in my own evangelistic preaching at the same time as to evaluate the appropriateness of maintaining Lloyd-Jones’ approach in the changed context of the early 21st century. The conclusion reached is that while changes in society today require some adaptation in terms of presentation and style, the essential characteristics of Lloyd-Jones’ preaching continue to be meaningful, because they arise from fundamental theological convictions that are unaffected by changes in human behaviour or thinking. Finally, Chapter Five asks how this study may be developed further, applying it in a wider context as well as in local-church ministry. Table of Contents Table of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... vi Table of Illustrations ........................................................................................................ vi Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 I. Aims and Objectives ................................................................................................. 2 1. Personal and Ministerial Context ......................................................................... 3 2. Characteristics of Lloyd-Jones’ Preaching........................................................... 3 3. The Usefulness of Lloyd-Jones Today ................................................................. 4 4. Concluding Reflections ........................................................................................ 5 II. Sources .................................................................................................................... 5 1. Primary Sources ................................................................................................... 5 2. Secondary Sources ............................................................................................... 6 3. Literature on the Background and Context .......................................................... 8 III. Definitions .............................................................................................................. 9 1. Evangelism ........................................................................................................... 9 2. Preaching ............................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2: LIFE, WORK AND THEOLOGICAL CONVICTIONS ....................... 20 I. Life and Work ......................................................................................................... 21 1. Early Life ........................................................................................................... 22 2. Call to Ministry .................................................................................................. 24 3. First Pastorate ..................................................................................................... 25 4. Westminster........................................................................................................ 25 i 5. Influences on Lloyd-Jones ................................................................................. 28 6. His Growing Influence on Others ...................................................................... 30 7. Controversy ........................................................................................................ 33 8. Retirement and Death ......................................................................................... 34 9. Major Published Works ..................................................................................... 35 II. Historical Context .................................................................................................. 40 1. General Context ................................................................................................. 40 2. Religious Context ............................................................................................... 43 III. Lloyd-Jones’ Theological Convictions ................................................................ 55 1. Methodist ........................................................................................................... 56 2. Calvinist ............................................................................................................. 61 3. Evangelical ......................................................................................................... 65 4. Evangelism ......................................................................................................... 67 IV. The Changing Situation since the 1960s .............................................................. 72 1. The Growth and Extent of Secularism ............................................................... 73 2. The Enlightenment and the Rise of Post-Modernism ........................................ 84 3. The On-going Importance of Lloyd-Jones for Preaching Today ....................... 90 CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS OF LLOYD-JONES’ ‘ACTS’ SERMONS......................... 92 I. Overview ................................................................................................................. 94 1. The Sermons ...................................................................................................... 94 2. The Trigger for the Series .................................................................................. 95 II. A Typical Sermon.................................................................................................. 97 1. The Sermon ........................................................................................................ 97 2. The Arguments Considered.............................................................................. 100 3. The Exposition ................................................................................................. 102 ii 4. The Appeal ....................................................................................................... 105 III. Characteristics of ‘Acts’ Sermons ...................................................................... 106 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 107 2. Conclusions/Appeals ........................................................................................ 110 3. Body of Sermon ............................................................................................... 112 Table 1 - Doctrinal Content of 13 Consecutive Sermons from Volume 3 ................ 118 4. Two Examples of the Expository Method ....................................................... 131 5. Lessons to Learn .............................................................................................. 137 IV. How Typical are the 'Acts' Sermons of Lloyd-Jones' Evangelistic Preaching?. 138
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