Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.
Synopsis
Because the textual sermon draws its main divisions from the text itself, two methods of making those divisions are described: analysis and synthesis. Analysis, the easiest and most natural method, simply takes the ideas, duties, arguments, or admonitions of the text in the order they occur, as in the outline on 1 Timothy 4:12 (example, conduct, love, faith, purity) or Acts 5:42, where questions like who, why, what, and how uncover hidden relationships. Synthesis, by contrast, rearranges the text's material to suit the sermon's purpose without following the text's own order; here 'the whole is more than the sum of the parts,' like a building made from quarried marble. Three kinds of synthetic outlines are described: inverted order outlines, which rearrange the sequence of points for progress and climax (Ephesians 4:13); minor theme outlines, which develop a secondary theme of the passage rather than its main theme (Colossians 1:20-21; Philippians 4:6); and superimposed design outlines, which impose a vivid framework such as a ladder or articles of clothing onto the text's material (Ephesians 3:20; Colossians 3:12-14). Synthesis always begins with analysis before the points are rearranged into a suitable design.
Key points
- Textual divisions may be formed by analysis (taking the text's own order) or synthesis (rearranging it).
- Analysis is the easiest and most natural method, following the ideas in the order they occur in the text.
- Synthesis rearranges material to suit the sermon's purpose; the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts.
- Three synthetic outline types: inverted order, minor theme, and superimposed design.
- Every synthetic sermon begins with analysis before the points are built into a design.
Key texts
- 1 Timothy 4:12
- Acts 5:42
- Ephesians 4:13
- Colossians 1:20-21
- Philippians 4:6
- Ephesians 3:20
- Colossians 3:12-14
From the course book
How to Construct a Textual Sermon · pp. 47-52 (reader pages 47-52) · Open the reader
- “The word analysis means 'taking apart,' and this is exactly the meaning given to the word in its application to the text divisions.” (p. 49)
- “The word synthesis means 'putting together.'... Here the whole is more than the sum of the parts, as a building is more than a pile of stones.” (p. 49)
- “Analysis is like classifying the strata of marble in a quarry, synthesis is like building an edifice out of that same marble.” (p. 49)
Put it into practice
- First analyze the text to discover its natural parts before deciding whether synthesis is needed.
- If the text's own order does not serve the sermon's purpose, rearrange it for progress and climax as in the inverted order method.
- When using a minor theme, ensure it does not do injustice to the passage's real purpose.
- Comprehension
1. What are the two methods of forming textual divisions described in the chapter?
- Comprehension
2. Define analysis as the chapter uses the term.
- Scripture
3. How does the chapter say difficult texts can reveal their hidden parts through analysis?
- Doctrinal Clarity
4. Define synthesis and explain the marble-quarry analogy.
- Comprehension
5. Name the three kinds of synthetic textual outlines.
- Scripture
6. Explain the inverted order example on Ephesians 4:13.
- Scripture
7. What is a 'minor theme' outline, and how is Colossians 1:20-21 used to illustrate it?
- Contrast
8. Contrast analysis and synthesis in terms of how they treat the order of the text.
- Application
9. Practice analysis on a short text of your choosing by listing its parts in their given order.
- Application
10. Where might synthesis be more effective than analysis in your own preaching, and why?