Lessons from Aristotle for Bible Teachers

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

I recently had the privilege of taking an advanced seminar entitled, “Redemptive Preaching: How to Preach the Grace of the Gospel from Every Text.”  SEMBEQ had been planning it for over a year and feared having to cancel due to COVID. It was therefore with great delight that a group of 30 eager students gathered at Église de l’Espoir to receive live instruction from none other than Bryan Chapell, the godfather of Christ-Centered preaching. 

 

For three full days, we learned at the feet of a man who not only shared with us his technical theoretical expertise, but also his wisdom gained from years of pastoral ministry. In return, I plan to share some of these lessons in a series of articles that I hope will be of benefit not only for pastors, but also for Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, sisters who teach in their church’s women’s ministry, and parents as they disciple their children.

 

Aristotle’s 3 Rhetorical Appeals

If you have studied rhetoric, you may be familiar with Aristotle’s three modes of persuasion: logos, pathos, and ethos. They have a tremendous bearing on the work of communicating Biblical truth.

1.     Logos

Logos speaks of the verbal content of our message, and it is related not only to the words we choose but the logic behind them. Our verbal content must be understandable to be effective. We Bible teachers tend to give much attention to this aspect of preparation, as we are convinced that it is essential that our message is faithful to the context, the authorial intent, the literary structure, etc.

2.     Pathos

Pathos speaks of the emotive content that is in line with, that coheres with the verbal content. This includes body language, tone, volume, facial expressions, pauses, and the like. Chapell explains it plainly:

 

If manner contradicts message, it’s manner that will be believed.

 

In Western culture, we tend to be suspicious of emotive speaking, as it can seem manipulative to many of us. But our manner must bear witness of the truth of what we say. If my manner isn’t consistent with my message, I’m undercutting the believability of the message. For example, if am teaching on the resurrection of Christ, or on the glories of heaven, but I do so in a dry, monotone fashion, I am telling my hearers that I have not been gripped by the wonder of these realities.

 

Another element of pathos is authenticity, which has become an important cultural value in our day and age. Authenticity that is helpful, however, does not mean using a teaching opportunity as a confessional where I reveal my dirty laundry. Rather, it means I speak with honesty about how the Bible helps me in my struggles. Because if I am not willing to be vulnerable, to admit that I don’t have everything figured out, my audience in general, and the younger generation in particular, will not listen to me, because they think I’m impervious.

3.     Ethos

Ethos speaks of perceived character. In order for my message to be received, I need to demonstrate not only logos and pathos but also ethos. This may be challenging because what people perceive of me may not be true. But people are evaluating the message by me. 

 

Chapell shares an example we could all relate to: We are visiting a relative on vacation. They’ve raved to us about what a wonderful pastor they have. Then we go to church with them and listen to the sermon, and it is mediocre at best. But they love him because he cares for them and for the Word of God.

 

Ethos is a combination of credibility, care, and compassion. These can be understood by the kind of questions our hearers would ask themselves concerning the messenger:

Credibility

Do I believe that you are an expert in what you’re talking about? Do you demonstrate competence in the field you are discussing? Do you know your world?  

Care

Do you understand what I’m struggling with? Do you connect with me in a way that demonstrates that you care about me? Is there any help for me? Do you know my world?

 

Chapell gives another example, this time of a pastor who spends 20 minutes explaining what the term kenosismeans in Philippians 2. But all the while, an anxious father is sitting in church saying to himself, “Do you realize my daughter didn’t come home last night for the third weekend in a row?” Or a desperate single mom is wondering if she’s going to have a job next week. Our teaching, he argues, needs to be more than a transfer of information. It must give hope to our hearers in the midst of their trials.

Compassion

Compassion is a combination of two things:

a.     Altruistic Care

Do you care about me? Or are you talking over my head? Do you know where I am? Or is everything stuck in the plains of Judah 4000 years ago? 

b.    Altruistic Risk

Are you only saying things you believe I want to hear, or will you put yourself at risk for others? In other words, are you willing to press me beyond my boundaries, bigotries, fears by telling me what the Word of God says? Because if you never risk for my sake, if you avoid any subject that confronts me, I will pick up on that and eventually I will stop trusting you. 

 

Our message, therefore, has to penetrate logos, pathos, and ethos. It needs to be in confrontation with the speaker and the hearer’s hearts.

Christ our Model Par Excellence

It goes without saying that Christ perfectly embodied the essence of logos, pathos, and ethos in his earthly ministry. Not only was he the very logos made flesh. But he also modelled for us how to speak truth in different contexts with varying emotions. With his opponents, he was direct and even rightfully indignant at times. With his disciples, he was patient but didn’t hesitate to correct them when necessary. With those who were suffering, he was gentle and lowly and invited them to find rest in him. And through it all, he manifested love, compassion, and care in the most believable way, with its ultimate demonstration at the cross.

Paul’s Imagery of Mother and Father

1 Thessalonians 2 provides a glimpse into Paul’s own heart as a shepherd. In v. 7, he describes his gentleness among them “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” And a few verses later, he describes his exhortation and encouragement to them as one of “a father with his children” (v. 11). And in his introduction of the epistle, Paul shows how he put into practice all three of Aristotle’s modes of persuasion:

 

Because our gospel came to you not only in word (logos), but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (pathos). You know what kind of men we proved to be among you (ethos) for your sake. (1 Th 1:5)

Humble Persuasion

I have yet to process all the lessons I learned during this course. They speak to me as a Bible teacher and as a disciple-maker, but also as a parent. I long to communicate the Gospel to all, beginning with my children, with clarity, passion, and authenticity. I want to persuade them to believe because by my own weakness I have proven my need for the Saviour. As we each continue to grow as effective Bible teachers, may the Lord grant us his grace to not only study the text diligently but also express these truths with appropriate emotion and with genuine care for our hearers.