For this observation of rhetoric, I opted to analyze a sermon by one of my personal favorite preachers, Francis Chan. The message I chose to listen to was the last sermon he preached to one of his past churches. This particular lesson addressed how to understand the love of Christ and why it is important to be able to do so. He spoke from Ephesians 3: 14-19 where Paul talks about how the Holy Spirit is essential to fully comprehending the love Jesus Christ has for his children. Throughout the message, Chan notes that this is a topic that is new to him. He admits that he is prone to addressing only symptoms of this issue instead of the full heart issue Paul points out; he tries to fix things rather than pray as Paul did. Chan is entirely aware that the message he speaks is useful and knowledgeable for himself just as much as it is for his congregation. The main points that Chan has come across while recently diving into this unexplored topic begins with God’s love for us being wholly unfathomable. However, Paul explains that we may be “filled” with “the fullness of God” (vs. 19) through the work of the Holy Spirit. Francis Chan explains that we must be secured and confident in God’s love to be able to eradicate those symptoms. He makes it clear that an understanding of God’s love is required to be content loving God.
There were a number of rhetorical devices I noticed about Chan’s words - none manipulative or used in fallacies that I saw - used for emphasis and explanation. When he began, Francis explained to his old church that he felt almost like a grandfather to this congregation. He recognized he was not responsible for them anymore, but still wished to be around to encourage and assist. This imagery appeals to both ethos and pathos in his audience. His credibility is shown in the fact that he is able to address himself in such a role as a grandfather because he has been with the church for such a long period of time. He also brings out pathos by comparing his relationship to that of a family member, surely bringing about warm thoughts and enjoyable memories. Throughout his sermon, Chan also uses many examples to help explain certain ideas or points he makes. He mentions a football game, song lyrics, a story about a friend of his, and even a dream of his from the previous night. These examples keep the audience engaged, and clarify his points. Francis Chan also shows an immense amount of passion through his speaking. He uses an abundance of hand gestures, while reading scripture he greatly emphasizes the strong, notable words, he walks around quite a bit, and uses pauses to keep from babbling on. All of these rhetorical devices were used well in this sermon and I personally found that they allowed for his message to be more interesting and more applicable.
There were a number of rhetorical devices I noticed about Chan’s words - none manipulative or used in fallacies that I saw - used for emphasis and explanation. When he began, Francis explained to his old church that he felt almost like a grandfather to this congregation. He recognized he was not responsible for them anymore, but still wished to be around to encourage and assist. This imagery appeals to both ethos and pathos in his audience. His credibility is shown in the fact that he is able to address himself in such a role as a grandfather because he has been with the church for such a long period of time. He also brings out pathos by comparing his relationship to that of a family member, surely bringing about warm thoughts and enjoyable memories. Throughout his sermon, Chan also uses many examples to help explain certain ideas or points he makes. He mentions a football game, song lyrics, a story about a friend of his, and even a dream of his from the previous night. These examples keep the audience engaged, and clarify his points. Francis Chan also shows an immense amount of passion through his speaking. He uses an abundance of hand gestures, while reading scripture he greatly emphasizes the strong, notable words, he walks around quite a bit, and uses pauses to keep from babbling on. All of these rhetorical devices were used well in this sermon and I personally found that they allowed for his message to be more interesting and more applicable.
Sophie- I really liked that you decided to take a different path and do one of your favorite speakers rather than your Sunday morning preacher. Francis Chan is definitely one of my favorites too. I also really liked how you pulled apart the sermon and took it step by step with the verses. This was one that I had heard before and you pointed out several things that I had not noticed before. Good organization and good thought!
ReplyDeleteFrancis Chan seems to be very relatable, mostly because of his use of pathos and ethos. Your blog post really brought forth an example of someone using rhetoric in a way that helps others, not for personal gain.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great sermon to have chosen, Sophie. The way you wrote on it gave me a glimpse as to what it was like to hear the sermon for myself. I love how you were able to find how he established both ethos and pathos so easily. Being like a grandfather to a congregation really shows how much he cares for them, it shows they are like part of his family. This is a great post, one that has convinced me to listen to one of his sermons sometime.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've seen many of his sermons, but Francis Chan is definitely one of the best pastors I've heard from in my life. He speaks with emotion, moving around with constant energy. It's almost difficult NOT to listen when he speaks. As you said, he uses stories, personal experiences, and dramatic inflection to captivate his audience, making him approachable and friendly, easily trusted.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he brings out pathos in the role of playing a grandfather towards his old church. It also makes me feel a little sad. It must have been hard to move churches from being there so long.
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