Drama And Preaching

Drama and preaching are both means for communicating biblical truths. Yet they are fundamentally different in their most typical forms, with preaching presenting a message and drama representing a narrative. This article gives helpful historical perspectives to the use of drama in worship, as well as guidelines for the appropriate relationship of preaching and drama in worship today. Two places in which we have a right to expect to hear the truth spoken are the pulpit and the stage. For that reason, if for no other, preaching and drama should each find an ally in the other. Sadly, this is not and has not been the case. Drama in the church arose out of the liturgy in a period preceding the Protestant Reformation, that is, before the proclamation of the Word had assumed a central place in Christian worship. For that reason, many elements in the liturgy were receptive to the introduction of dramatic material: the responsive sections, the liberal and expanding use of music, the clergy'…