Sermon or Talk?

[Greektim]

So I don't know how recent the trend was that stopped calling sermons "sermon" and began calling them "talk".

What do you call it?

Why do you think it changed?

Is it a bad thing to modernize the term?

Should we adjust the term "preach" or "preaching" too???

 

[annsni]

I've never heard of that before! We still either call them "sermons" or "messages" (depends on the context).

 

[Jerome]

Sermon derives from Latin sermo 'a talk'.

 

[preachinjesus]

We only practice the kerygma on Sundays...

...

Actually I don't think it matters too much. However, when I'm explaining what we do to a person who isn't familiar with church or might have a less than charitable view of it I often say that after we do our music portion someone gets up and talks with us about a life principle from the Bible. At this point it is semantics.

 

[Tom Bryant]

I call it a sermon or a message. But I always like it when someone says they enjoyed "my little talk" :laugh:

 

[mont974x4]

I call it a sermon or a message. But I always like it when someone says they enjoyed "my little talk" :laugh:

:laugh::thumbsup: me too

 

[mandym]

I haven't heard that either.

 

[Greektim]

I haven't heard that either.

I guess it is in the more "relevant" emerging sector then. (not sure why I am surrounded with that element though)

 

[mandym]

I guess it is in the more "relevant" emerging sector then.

As in the emerging church folks?

 

[Scarlett O.]

So I don't know how recent the trend was that stopped calling sermons "sermon" and began calling them "talk".

What do you call it?

Why do you think it changed?

Is it a bad thing to modernize the term?

I guess it is in the more "relevant" emerging sector then. (not sure why I am surrounded with that element though)

As someone has pointed out to you, the word sermon means "talk" or "discourse". The word sermon is not in the Bible - I don't know why referring to it's literal meaning would be wrong or associated with the "emerging" church in a negative light as people tend to paint the emerging church. Also not sure why being relevant to people is a bad thing. What we call the sermon on the mount - the Bible calls Jesus "teaching" the people. So one might ask how recent is the trend when people started calling teachings/preachings for public gathering sermons. :flower: :flower:

Should we adjust the term "preach" or "preaching" too???

I'm not so sure calling a sermon a talk is adjusting anything. The word preach is in the Bible and it merely means to call out or to proclaim. I suppose if one wanted to call himself a proclaimer of the gospel or in the order of worship a church wanted to call the preaching the "proclamation", that would be the same thing.

 

[David Lamb]

We call it "the sermon", "the preaching" or "the message" (the last one has nothing to do with Patterson's paraphrase of the bible! :laugh. But far more important than what we call it is its content. Is it firmly grounded on God's infallible Word? If so, it can be called "a talk", and still be acceptable. If not, then whatever word we use for it, the content is wrong.

 

[convicted1]

Now, let us have a little "sermon" with Jesus,
Let us tell Him about our troubles.
He will hear our faintest cry,
And He will answer by and by.


I plugged in the word "sermon" for the word "talk" and it just doesn't sound right. :laugh: J/K........:laugh: