ABSTRACT
Story telling is widely seen as the homiletic new wave a movement in preaching with a dynamism and vitality which may finally supplant topical preaching's three points and a poem. In a number of cases, sermons have clearly moved to some sort of full narrative structure, but it remains the case that most use of story in preaching relates to the task of illustrating conceptually developed ideas. Here, too, may be detected some important shifts in the traditional conventions as to story illustrations. Ironically, the typical first-person story served up by the preacher distances him or her from the people by either introducing homiletically extraneous issues or by connoting a pulpit posture of hero or victim. Among the many difficulties with this misuse of story, two overriding concerns must be noted, one methodological and the other theological. With regard to the former, the preacher who utilizes such extended story illustrations runs risk of leaving the hearers stranded in the story.
