We see his comments on answering tough questions in one of his brief sections in Six Books on the Priesthood.
 
Proceeding the following quote is a discussion of the many heresies floating around the church, and the need for church leaders to properly address such dangers. Chrysostom then noted how the failure of the leader to answer a question on such pressing issues may lead to disillusionment and a waning of confidence in the faith. 
 
“Wherefore he, whose lot it is to teach others, more than any man, needs experience in these conflicts. For though he himself stand rooted in safety, and be not injured by the gainsayers, yet, when the multitude of simpler folk, who are set beneath him, see their leader worsted and unable to answer the gainsayers, they do not blame his feebleness for the defeat, but the weakness of the doctrine; and, by reason of the inexperience of one man, the great multitude is brought into utter ruin. Though they may not utterly join the enemy, yet they are driven to doubt in matters wherein they might have been confident; and those whom they were wont to approach with unwavering faith, they hear no more with the same security; on the contrary, such a storm enters their souls by reason of their teacher’s defeat that the evil ends in utter shipwreck.” (445-446)
 
What I found most striking in this statement is Chrysostom’s observation regarding how people may not blame the leader for the lack of a satisfactory answer but instead actually blame the “weakness of doctrine.” In other words, the problem was perceived not be the fault of the pastor but rather the Christian faith itself.
 
Of course, a poorly constructed answer is not the fault of Christian doctrine. Yet in the eyes of the faithful that may sometimes seem to be the case. And that perception has far reaching implications for those in the pews – a situation Chrysostom portrays as a storm “entering people’s souls” leading to an “utter shipwreck.” 
 
Chrysostom went on to say that his reticence to enter the ministry was rooted in that very fear of ruining souls and facing God’s judgment as a result.
 
“How awful is the ruin, and how fierce the fire which is heaped on his unhappy head for every one of these souls that perish I need not tell you, since you know all this perfectly. Is my conduct then due to arrogance, is it due to vainglory, if I refused to be the cause of perdition to so many and to earn for myself a severer punishment than that which now awaits me in the world to come?” (447-448)
 
I am not sure what factors changed Chrysostom’s mind in regard to him becoming a leader, but I can think of one way to mitigate the danger of shipwrecking people’s faith because of a poor or inadequate answer. 
 
A posture of humility when in difficult discussions is the best way forward. For instance, always mention in your answers that there are others who know much more, and that you are providing just a sliver of the truth of the doctrine or just a glimpse of the divine mystery. While admitting that one does not know everything is humbling for those who like to project a persona of omniscience, pointing to the rich resources of the ancient Christian tradition will hopefully reveal that there is much more to consider than your own feeble words. 
 
After all, the point is to ensure that people think that any problems with answers are due to your own inadequacy, not a deficiency of the actual doctrine itself.
 
 
This is part three of my focus on St. John Chrysostom.
​For earlier blogs, see here and here.
Here is a link to Six Books on the Priesthood.
 

Like many in his era he started his quest to serve Jesus by becoming a monk. And, like many in his era, those who served as monks were often selected by the church to lead it (sometimes even against the will of the monk!).
 
Chrysostom was not much liked by the powerful, for his incessant attacks on their opulence and love of rule made for few allies in high places. He was perhaps unwise and too harsh at times towards the wealthy and powerful. He also said unkind things toward the Jewish community. His jeremiad’s against the civil and religious authorities eventually led to his arrest, exile, and relatively quick death.
 
Perhaps his greatest legacy is the church liturgy he developed, a liturgy still widely used by millions over sixteen hundred years later.
 
Chrysostom was a prolific author. One of my favorite early church writings is his Six Books of the Priesthood, a relatively small collection of reflections on the church and its leadership. I discovered it in my first year of doctorial work and have been drawn back to it a number of times. I recently read it again and thought I would share some of his commentary on certain issues that relate in some way to our current context.
 
Six Books of the Priesthood is mostly structured as a discourse between himself and someone named Basil. And in much of the conversation it is Chrysostom providing reasons why he did not seek after being a priest. Along with that apology it contains a host of wisdom on the dynamics of church life, leadership, and so on. 
 
Rather than me describe his thoughts, I think it is best to provide some of his pithy quotes so that people see Chrysostom without a Gord-filter.
 
Since there are so many quotes, I have divided this blog into two parts. This is the section set of quotes.
 

• Danger of Love of or Contempt for Praise

 
“If a preacher despise praise, yet do not produce doctrine which is ‘with grace, seasoned with salt,’ he is despised by the people, and profits nothing by his nobleness of mind. If again he succeed as a preacher and be overcome by the glory of applause, equal injury is done to him and to the people, because through his passion for praise he essays to please and not to profit his hearers.” (455)
 
“The Bishop should be in the same relation towards those whom he rules as a father towards very young children; and as we are not disturbed by their insults or blows or tears, and do not think much of their laughter and approval, so with these, we should not be much uplifted by their praise nor much dejected by their censure, when these are uttered out of season.” (463)
 

• Unfair Expectations on a Great Preacher (“sitting in judgement over an angel”)

 
“Hence the gifted need to take greater pains than the unskilful. The penalty for neglect is not the same for both, but varies in extent according to their natural abilities. No one would blame the unskilful for producing nothing worthy of esteem; but the gifted are pursued by numerous complaints from all, unless they are always exceeding the expectation which all have of them. Beside this the former can win great praise for a slight success; but as for the latter, unless their efforts be especially startling and marvellous, they not only lose all applause but meet many faultfinders. For the congregation do not sit in judgment on the sermon so much as on the reputation of the preacher, so that when there be one who excels all others in power of speech, then especially he needs careful application. He is not allowed the excuse which avails the rest of humanity, that it is impossible to succeed always; on the contrary, unless his sermons always correspond to the greatness of the expectation formed of him, he will be the victim of countless jeers and complaints. No one ever takes this into consideration, that a fit of depression, pain, anxiety, or often anger, may bedim the clearness of; his vision, and prevent his productions from coming forth unsullied; and that, in short, being a man, he cannot always reach the same standard, and cannot under all circumstances attain success, but that he will naturally make mistakes and fail to rise to the standard of his usual ability. They will make none of these allowances, as I remarked, but bring charges against him as if they were sitting in judgment over an angel. (469-472)
 
“Then he, too, who has undertaken the task of teaching should not give heed to the reports of strangers, nor be cast down in spirit by reason of them; he should rather  compose his discourses so as to please God, and let this desire be his sole rule and plan for their best execution, and not applause or praise. Should he, after this, receive approval from men, let him not reject their praise; but if his hearers do not render this, let him neither seek it nor sorrow for it. It will be a sufficient consolation for his toil, far exceeding all else, if his conscience tells him that he is modelling and ordering his teaching with a view to please God.” (482-483)
 

• Bondage of Popular Opinion (or the ancient many-headed Hydra)

 
“For he will be forced to commit many errors if he subject himself to the bondage of popular opinion. Being unable to rival famous preachers, he will not disdain to plot against them, to envy them, to bring idle criticism against them, and to be guilty of much other such unseemly conduct; he will dare to do anything, if it cost him his very soul, to bring their reputation down to the level of his own insignificance. Beside this he will abandon the labour of study, feeling a kind of numbness that has stolen over his spirit; for it is enough to dispirit a man who is not indifferent to praise, and to lull him into deep lethargy,” (486-487) 
 
“Do you not know what a passion for preaching has recently invaded Christians, and that the preachers who cultivate the art most are highly respected not only by outsiders but by those of the household of the faith? How then can anyone endure such a disgrace when his sermon is received with blank silence and feelings of annoyance, and his listeners wait for the end of the discourse as if it were a rest after fatigue, whereas they listen to the long sermon of another with eagerness, and are annoyed when he is about to finish, and are angry when he wishes to be silent? This may perhaps seem to you now a trifling and unimportant matter because you have not tried it. Yet it is enough to quench zeal, to paralyze the powers of the mind, unless a man dispossess himself of all human passions and study to live like disembodied spirits which are not pursued by envy, or vainglory, or any other such plague. If then there is any man able to subdue this elusive and invincible and savage monster—I mean popular praise—and to cut off its many heads, or rather to prevent their growth altogether, he will be able easily to repel these numerous attacks and enjoy a quiet haven of rest; but if he be not freed from this enemy, he is suffering his soul to be overspread by manifold struggles, perpetual confusion, deep dejection, and a host of other passions. Why need I collect the rest of the difficulties? No one can describe or realize them without personal experience.” (491-495)

Like many in his era he started his quest to serve Jesus by becoming a monk. And, like many in his era, those who served as monks were often selected by the church to lead it (sometimes even against the will of the monk!).
 
Chrysostom was not much liked by the powerful, for his incessant attacks on their opulence and love of rule made for few allies in high places. He was perhaps unwise and too harsh at times towards the wealthy and powerful. He also said unkind things toward the Jewish community. His jeremiad’s against the civil and religious authorities eventually led to his arrest, exile, and relatively quick death.
 
Perhaps his greatest legacy is the church liturgy he developed, a liturgy still widely used by millions over sixteen hundred years later.
 
Chrysostom was a prolific author. One of my favorite early church writings is his Six Books of the Priesthood, a relatively small collection of reflections on the church and its leadership. I discovered it in my first year of doctorial work and have been drawn back to it a number of times. I recently read it again and thought I would share some of his commentary on certain issues that relate in some way to our current context.
 
Six Books of the Priesthood is mostly structured as a discourse between himself and someone named Basil. And in much of the conversation it is Chrysostom providing reasons why he did not seek after being a priest. Along with that apology it contains a host of wisdom on the dynamics of church life, leadership, and so on. 
 
Rather than me describe his thoughts, I think it is best to provide some of his pithy quotes so that people see Chrysostom without a Gord-filter.
 
Since there are so many quotes, I have divided this blog into two parts.
 

• Responsibility to Protect

 
“He who allows sheep to perish either through the ravages of wolves or the attacks of robbers might meet perhaps with some measure of pardon.... But he who is entrusted with men, the reasonable flock of Christ, incurs the loss not of money but of his own soul through the destruction of the sheep.” (95)
 

• Pastoral Care of the Sheep

 
"It is impossible to treat men with the same authority as the shepherd treats a sheep. In that case he has power to bind it and to restrict its diet and to apply cautery and the knife; but the power to receive the physician’s cure depends not on him who administers the medicine so much as on the patient." (103)
 
“For Christians, above all men, are not allowed violently to correct the stumblings of the sinful…. We neither have had authority granted to us by law to restrain sinners, nor, had they given it to us, should we have known for what end to use it, since God crowns not those who are forcibly kept from evil, but those who deliberately refrain from it.” (104-105
 
“What then can be done? For if you apply too mild a treatment to one who needs severe measures, and do not make a deep incision in one who requires it, you cut away part of the wound but leave the rest. But if you cut as deep as is required, often the patient, in despair at his sufferings, heedlessly rejects everything, medicine and bandage alike, and casts himself recklessly down. a precipice, breaking the yoke and bursting the bond.”  108-109
 
“On this account the shepherd needs great wisdom and a thousand eyes, so as to examine the soul’s condition from every side. As there are many men who become arrogant, and then despair of their own salvation because they cannot endure severe remedies, so there are some, who, because they do not receive a punishment of equal magnitude with their offences, are led to think lightly of them, and become far worse, and are led on to commit greater sin. The priest must therefore overlook none of these considerations but examine them all with care, and use all his remedies in a manner suitable to each case lest his zeal be wasted.” 113-115.
 

• Hesitant to Become a Leader and Make a Mess of Things (or “sink the ship”)

 
“If it suffices simply to be called pastor and to administer the work haphazard, and there is no danger, then let him who will charge me with vain glory. But if one who undertakes this care needs much wisdom and, before wisdom, much grace of God, and uprightness of character, and purity of life, and superhuman virtue, do not refuse to pardon me because I was unwilling to perish in vain and without reason. If any one were to bring a merchant-vessel of large tonnage, filled with rowers, and weighed down with a costly freight, and were to seat me at the rudder and command me to cross the Aegean or Etruscan Sea, I should have recoiled at his first words. If anyone had asked me my reason, I should have replied ‘lest I should sink the ship.’” (207-208)
 

• Dangers Abound

 
“What wild beasts are these? Anger, gloom, envy, strife, slanders, accusations, falsehood, hypocrisy, intrigue, imprecations against those who have done no harm, delight at unseemly behaviour of fellow-priests, sorrow at their successes, desire for praise, yearning for honour (which more than anything else hurls the human soul to destruction), teaching intended to please, paying sordid court, ignoble flattery, contempt for the poor, fawning on the rich, bestowing unreasonable honours and harmful favours which are dangerous alike to those who give and who receive them, servile fear befitting only the meanest of slaves, loss of freedom of speech, a great affectation of humility, the destruction of truth, the suppression of convictions and reproof, or rather an excessive exercise of it against the humble, while no one dares so much as to open his lips against those who wield power.” (213)
 

• “Careless and Random” Selection of Leaders

 
“Tell me, what is the source from which you suppose all the disorder arises in the Churches? I think the only source is the careless and random way in which the prelates are chosen. For the head should be the strongest member, in order that it may be able to control the evil exhalations which proceed from the rest of the body below, and regulate them properly; but when it happens to be weak in itself, it is unable to repel those attacks that engender disease and is rendered weaker than it is by nature, and destroys the rest of the body along with itself.” (221-222)
 

• Ambition for Office a Killer

 
“There are many other qualities, Basil, in addition to those I have enumerated, which a Priest ought to have and which I lack, and before all these is this: his soul should be clear on every side from the ambition for office. For if he has a natural inclination for this dignity, when he attains it he kindles the flame more strongly, and being seized violently, he undergoes countless evils, in order to secure his hold upon it, to the extent of using flattery or submitting to ignoble and unseemly treatment, or expending large sums of money. I pass over for the present the fact that some men have filled churches with streams of blood, and overturned cities in contending for this dignity, lest some should think my words incredible. The right course, I think, is to be so careful about the task as to avoid so grave a responsibility at the outset. But when once you are placed in office, do not wait for the judgment of others if you should happen to have been guilty of a sin that calls for deposition, but anticipate this and resign your office.” (224-227)
 

• Vast Responsibilities (A Thousand Eyes”)

 
"A priest must be sober and clear-sighted and possess a thousand eyes in every direction, for he lives, not for himself alone, but for a great multitude. But I am sluggish and remiss, and scarcely sufficient for my own salvation, as even you would admit, who are most eager to hide all my faults by reason of your love to me. Do not now speak to me of fasting and vigils, and sleeping on the ground, and other bodily discipline. You know how far I come short in all this. But even if these exercises had been carefully regulated by me, they would have been unable with my present sluggishness to benefit me at all with a view to this post of authority. Such practices might be of great benefit to a man shut up in a cell and concerned only about his own soul. But when a man is divided among so great a multitude, and inherits all the private cares of those who are under his rule, what appreciable help can he give towards their improvement unless he be endowed with a robust and vigorous soul?” (241-244)
 

• Watch Out for Temper When Facing Criticisms

 
“We must keep such men as these outside the precincts of the priesthood. For if a prelate should neither stubbornly refuse food, nor go barefooted, he would do no injury to the well being of the Church; but a furious temper causes great disaster both to its possessor and to his neighbours. There is no threat from God against those who fail to do the things mentioned; but they who are angry without a cause are threatened with hell and hell fire. As then the lover of vainglory adds fresh fuel to the fire when he assumes the government of numbers, so he who cannot control his temper while alone or in the company of friends, but is easily carried away by it, should he be entrusted with the rule of an entire congregation, is like a wild beast goaded by thousands on every side and cannot abide in peace himself, while he spreads innumerable evils among the people committed to his charge.” (248-250)
 
“Nothing bedims the purity of the mind and clearness of vision so much as undisciplined, and impetuous anger. ‘This,’ says a writer, ‘destroys even the prudent.’” (251)
 

• Choosing Leaders for the Wrong Reasons

 
“The reason is that they do not all regard purity of character as the one qualification at which they ought to look, but there are other considerations which favour appointment to the office, for example: ‘Let this man be chosen,’ says one, ‘because he belongs to a distinguished family.’ ‘ Let that candidate be selected, because he possesses great riches and would not need to be sustained out of the Church's revenues.’ ‘Let this man be chosen, because he is a convert from the other side.’ And one is anxious to single out a friend for honour, another a kinsman, another his flatterer; but none will look for the suitable man, or make character any test.” (273)
 
“Again we will not, out of simple respect for his age, elevate a man to the higher office who has spent all his life in the lower orders of the ministry and has reached extreme old age. What if, after that life of his, he should still be unsuited to the work? And I do not say this out of disrespect for grey hairs, nor do I lay down a rule that we should exclude from this office those who come from the monastic circle; for it has happened that many from that body have shed lustre upon this office. But I am anxious to show that, if neither piety by itself nor old age are sufficient to prove a man worthy of the office of Bishop, the reasons mentioned above are hardly likely to do so. (276-277)
 
“Others add reasons which are stranger still. Some are singled out for election in order that they may not join the enemy's ranks; others because of their bad character, to prevent them doing great harm if they are overlooked. Could any worse violation of right take place than when men of bad character, who are filled with innumerable faults, are courted for the very reasons for which they should be punished, and are elevated to the rank of Bishop for reasons for which they should be forbidden to cross the threshold of the Church?" (278-279)
 

• Concern for the Poor

 
“Be gentle and accessible to the needy.” (304)
 
“Now if one should not indeed take the goods of the widows, but should cover them with reproaches, and insult them and be angered against them, so far is he from relieving the sadness of their poverty by his gift that he makes the evil greater by his abuse. For though they are compelled by the force of hunger to be very unabashed, they are nevertheless grieved by this compulsion. Now since they are forced to beg by the fear of hunger, and are forced to lose their sense of shame by their begging, and again are insulted because of this loss, the power of sadness which assails their soul is manifold and brings a great shadow upon them. He who has care of them should be so longsuffering that he will not only not increase their sorrow by his indignation but rather allay it by his consolation.” (306-307)
 

• Protection of Virgins (they were a class of people in the church who sought a life of religious contemplation)

 
“But the virgin has prepared herself for a greater struggle and emulates the highest philosophy, and professes to exhibit on earth the life of angels, and while yet in this flesh she professes to do deeds which belong to incorporeal powers.” (315)
 
“Therefore she needs the most minute guard and the greater assistance. For the enemy of holiness is ever attacking these persons and laying wait for them with especial care, ready to swallow them up should one ever stumble and fall; and there are many men plotting against them, and in addition to all this there is the passion of their nature; and they have to arm themselves against a twofold conflict, one attacking them from without and one troubling them from within.” (316)
 

• Examination of Potential Leaders a Must

 
“Why, the fault is all the greater because they promoted one whom they knew not; and that which seems to be an excuse increases the sin. Is it not strange that, when men wish to purchase a slave, they show him to physicians, and demand sureties for the purchase, and make inquiries of neighbours, and after all this they still feel insecure and demand a long time for trial; yet when they are about to select a man for this great ministry, they make a careless and random choice without further examination, according as some casual person sees fit to testify for or against other people?” (373-374)
 
“Then shall we use such foresight when the penalty is trifling, and refuse to yield to compulsion; but where the penalty is everlasting to those who do not know how to administer the Bishop’s office, shall we lightly and thoughtlessly incur so great a danger, and shelter ourselves behind the persuasion of others? Nay, He Who then judges us will not suffer it. We ought to have used far greater precaution over spiritual than over worldly matters; yet in reality we are found to employ less. Tell me; if we believed that a man was a good craftsman who was no craftsman, and were to ask him to complete some work and he followed us, and when he had laid his hands on the material of the builder’s trade were to ruin the wood and ruin the masonry, and build the house in such wise that it should forthwith fall asunder, would it be enough excuse for him that he was compelled by others to undertake the work and did not come on his own invitation? Surely not; and it is reasonable and just, for he ought to have refused the work though invited to it by others. Shall we say then that he who ruins wood and masonry shall have no forgiveness; but he who destroys souls and builds them up carelessly may be forgiven by pleading that he was persuaded by others to undertake the work? Is this not foolish?” (381-384)
 
“If those who are eager for the condition of body befitting an athlete need physicians and trainers, and careful diet and continual exercise, and innumerable other attentions (for the neglect of a trifle in these matters overthrows and destroys all their hopes), how shall they who have received the task of attending to this Body which has to contend not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen powers, be able to guard it spotless and sound, unless they far exceed human wisdom and understand all treatment needful for the soul?” (391)
 

• Combined Arms Against False Doctrine

 
“Wherefore we must show great zeal that the word of Christ may dwell richly in us. Our preparation for battle is not against a single attack. This warfare assumes manifold forms and is composed of divers enemies; for all do not use the same arms, nor have they trained themselves to attack us in one manner. And he who is undertaking to engage in warfare with all, must know the arts of all; he must be at the same time an archer and slinger; cavalry officer and infantry officer; private soldier and general; foot-soldier and horse-soldier; marine and engineer. In ordinary battles each man takes the work assigned to him and so repels the attacks of the enemy. In our warfare this is not so, but unless he who is to win the victory understands all the forms
of the art, the devil knows how to introduce his own agents at each spot which is neglected, and to plunder the sheep; but he is baffled when he sees the shepherd well equipped with knowledge, and able to meet his plots.” (399-401)
 
“Why need I enumerate the heresies of the devil? Unless the shepherd has skill enough to banish them all, the wolf can enter by any one of them and devour most of the sheep.” (402) 

A number of Methodists were ordained priests in the Church of England (John and Charles Wesley being two examples), but the need for workers was great. And it did not take long to realize that the work would have to be scaled back if lay preachers were not used.
 
Lay leaders – both men and women – were involved in a host of functions, one of them being preaching. However, while allowing non-ordained people to preach was a blessing it was also something that caused frequent troubles. Not only did it lead to criticism from opponents of the movement, but it also led to tensions within the movement. 
 
Many of the movement’s leaders had no formal theological training. Many were “on the road” by themselves (often a recipe for disaster!). And there was also the concern over varying or dissenting views among preachers (ordained or otherwise). Since many had no education, efforts were made to provide materials for study. Lay candidates usually served a year or so on probation and then joined the ranks.
 
John seems to have been the more understanding of brothers, whereas Charles was quite concerned for things that were being done in the church to be done “properly.” As a result, he could sometimes be quite harsh. For instance, Charles once wrote in a letter: “John Wesley made a preacher of a tailor. I with the Lord’s help shall make a tailor of him again.”[1] It seems like a bit of a “good cop, bad cop” arrangement. (In fact, their different approaches caused some stress between the two brothers – but that is another story.)
 
John tried to stay in contact with the lay leaders, dispensing sage advice such as: “Avoid all nastiness, dirt, slovenliness, both in your person, clothes, house and all about you...Clean yourselves of lice...Cure yourself and your family of the itch...Mend your clothes, or I shall never expect you to mend your lives. Let none ever see a ragged Methodist.”[2]
 
Several statements were developed to formalize and make uniform the expectations for Methodist preachers. What follows are two of the most well-known. Few will argue that they are not of historical interest. And some would say that they contain words of wisdom for preachers (lay or ordained) today.
 
Examination of Preachers (1766) 

• Have you faith in Christ? Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be perfected in love in this life? Are you groaning after it? Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and his work?
• Do you know the Methodist doctrine? Have you read the Sermons? The Notes on the New Testament?
• Do you know the Methodist plan? Have you read the Plain Account? The Appeals?
• Do you know the Rules of the Society? Of the Bands? Do you keep them?
• Do you take no snuff? Tobacco? Drams?
• Do you constantly attend the church and sacrament?
• Have you read the Minutes? Are you willing to conform to them?
• Have you considered the Twelve Rules of a Helper; especially the first, tenth, and twelfth? Will you keep them for conscience’ sake?
• Are you determined to employ all your time in the work of God?
• Will you preach every morning and evening? Endeavoring not to speak too loud or too long? Not lolling with your elbows? Have you read the “Rules of Action and Utterance?”
• Will you meet the Society, the Bands, the Select Society, the Leaders (of Bands and Classes) in every place?
• Will you diligently and earnestly instruct the children, and visit from house to house?
• Will you recommend fasting, both by precept and example?

                                                            
Advice to Preachers (1786) 

• Always to conclude the service in about an hour.
• Never scream.
• Never lean upon or beat the Bible. 
• Wherever you preach, meet the Society.
• Do not, without utmost necessity, go home at night. 
• Never take part against the Assistant. 
• Never preach a funeral sermon but for an eminently holy person; nor then, without consulting the Assistant. Preach none for hire. Beware of panegyric, particularly in London. 
• Have love-feasts in more places.
• Introduce no new tunes. See that none sing too slow, and the women sing their parts. Exhort all to sing, and all to stand at singing, as well as to kneel at prayers. 
• Let none repeat the last line, unless the Preacher does. 
• Inform the Leaders, that every Assistant is to change both the Stewards and Leaders when he sees good. And that no Leader has power to put any person either into or out of the Society. 

                        


[1] John R. Tyson, Assist Me to Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley (Eerdmans, 2007), 82.
[2] Richard P. Heitzenrater, Wesley and the People Called Methodists (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), 237.

The course was on preaching. The professor wanted us to learn how to look at a text and be able to read it, see the structure, determine the meaning, and create an outline that made sense of the passage. And do it in a reasonable amount of time.
 
At that point in my life, I was preparing to be a pastor of a church, so learning how to do things intelligently and efficiently seemed like a good idea.
 
The requirement was to start at the beginning of 1 Kings, and work through the book, and, if necessary, move on to 2 Kings. The expectation was one outline per day (Monday to Friday). The one-page outline required a title, purpose statement, and an outline (usually three points with sub-points). No research in commentaries, no illustrations, just an outline that captured well the flow, meaning, and application of the text.
 
Do the math. One per day is five per week over a thirteen-week semester. Just over sixty outlines. 
 
After that trip down memory lane with my students, I started to ponder a few things.
 
First, I realized just how helpful that assignment was for my development. It taught me how to read any text (not just the Bible) and look for context, meaning, structure, key words, etc. It also played a vital role in helping me learn how to develop a way to structure a presentation based on my reading of the text. And do it an efficient manner. In sum, that assignment has paid dividends for decades.
 
Second, I wondered what would happen if I asked ChatGPT to do the same assignment. So today I gave it the same assignment: “create sixty sermon outlines from the biblical book of first kings.”

Within two seconds, I had them. 

It then went beyond the call of duty and offered more. It said: “If you’d like, I can:

• Expand any outline into a full manuscript
• Adapt them for expository, topical, or narrative preaching
• Create a year-long preaching calendar
• Tailor them for youth, revival, or leadership settings”

 
To be honest, the outlines were pretty good. But I was not surprised. I have seen what AI can do. I was just curious to see what an Old School versus AI exercise would look like.
 
Third, perhaps I am a bit of a luddite (after all, I did my undergrad degree mainly with a typewriter), but I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who chooses the ChatGPT option. In fact, I am glad it did not exist as an option when I was a student. 
 
Yes, it was way faster. Yes, it had some pretty good outlines. And yes, it could help make deadlines.
 
But using it would not have forced me to read, analyze, and reflect on the meaning of the text, nor would it ever help me to hone the craft of communication through thoughtful outlines, witty titles, and relevant application. It also would not have known my intended audience and its particular needs, necessary information when crafting an outline.
 
Fourth, sadly, as a professor I am not sure how that assignment could ever be given in a class today without AI being used by students. And that is too bad, for the dividends are still there for those who choose the Old School way. 
 
Bonus: my way works when the power is out.