The rhetoric of persuasion in preaching : a homiletical investigation within a South Korean context

Date
2018-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of preaching is to elicit transformation in the lives of its listeners. Today, however, in the lives of millions of people who hear sermons in South Korea, changes do not seem to happen. The reason is that people are not persuaded through preaching. In this thesis, I examined the persuasion that takes place in preaching. In particular, I described the ethos, pathos, and logos that Aristotle distinguished in ancient rhetoric, in connection with the voices defined by Cilliers. Here, ethos means preacher. Pathos is about the audience, and the logos describe the Bible. The Holy Spirit unites each of these elements into one voice. In this sense, the hypotheses of this study are as follows: 1) Preaching is persuasive communication in that it causes changes in the life of the audience. 2) There is little influence of the rhetoric of persuasion in Korean churches. 3) If persuasion occurs in preaching, the lives of congregants will be transformed. In chapter two, I stated what is happening in Korean churches. As mentioned above, elements of persuasion are classified as ethos (preacher), pathos (audience), and logos (Bible), and I examined the problems that arise among each of these elements. In chapter three, I examined the persuasion theories that are covered in general discipline, before analyzing the reality theologically. The contents are as follows: 1) The basic definition of persuasion. 2) The process of persuasion. 3) Attitude change as the effect of persuasion. Based on Hovland’s theory, I understood persuasion as a whole process, and then examined each component as the passage through which the message passed. In chapter four, the persuasion theories studied in general studies were applied in the sermon process. The sermon is also a process of communication, including the speaker and the listener. So I could apply a lot of norms from the general theory of communication to the sermon process. In other words, I examined persuasion in the sermon by understanding the sender of the message as the preacher, the recipient as the audience, and the message as the Bible. Cilliers’ concepts of voices were especially used to examine each component. In chapter five, I summarized and concluded this thesis. I also pointed out that the Korean church did not play a role in the corrupted Korean society because the pulpit of Korean churches has lost its power and persuasion is not occurring anymore. As the result, Christians cannot play the role of light and salt. If persuasion occurs in Korean churches and the lives of the audience change, the Korean churches will be restored again.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die prediking is om transformasie in die lewens van luisteraars uit te lok. Vandag, in die lewens van miljoene mense wat preke in Suid-Korea hoor, lyk dit egter nie of hierdie veranderinge gebeur nie. Die rede hiervoor is dat mense nie deur prediking oorreed word nie. In hierdie proefskrif, wat gebaseer is op die gegronde teorie, wat gebruik maak van inhoud wat reeds bestudeer is, het ek ondersoek ingestel in die oorreding wat in die prediking plaasvind. In die besonder het ek die etos, patos en logos, wat Aristoteles in antieke retoriek onderskei het, besryf in verband met die stemme wat deur Cilliers gedefinieer is. Etos verwys hier na die prediker. Patos gaan oor die gehoor en die logos beskryf die Bybel. Die Heilige Gees verenig elk van hierdie elemente in een stem. In hierdie sin is die hipoteses van hierdie studie soos volg: 1) Prediking is oorredende kommunikasie omdat dit lei tot veranderinge in die lewe van die gehoor. 2) Die retoriek van oorreding het min invloed in Koreaanse kerke. 3) Indien oortuiging plaasvind in die prediking, sal die lewens van gemeentes getransformeer word. In hoofstuk twee het ek aangedui wat in Koreaanse kerke gebeur. Soos hierbo genoem, word elemente van oorreding geklassifiseer as etos (prediker), patos (gehoor) en logos (Bybel), en het ek die probleme wat onder elke elemente voorkom, ondersoek. In hoofstuk drie het ek die oorredingsteorieë wat in algemene dissipline gedek word ondersoek en die realiteit daarna teologies ontleed. Die inhoud is soos volg: 1) Die basiese definisie van oorreding. 2) Die proses van oorreding. 3) Houdingsverandering as die effek van oorreding. Gebaseer op Hovland se teorie, het ek oorreding as 'n hele proses verstaan en daarna elke komponent daarvan ondersoek. In hoofstuk vier is die oorheersingsteorieë, wat in algemene studies bestudeer is, toegepas in die preekproses. Die preek is ook ‘n proses van kommunikasie, wat die spreker en die luisteraar insluit. Ek kon dus baie norme uit die algemene teorie van kommunikasie toepas op die preekproses. Met ander woorde, ek het die oorreding in die preek ondersoek deur die versender van die boodskap te verstaan as die prediker, die ontvanger as die gehoor en die boodskap as die Bybel. Cilliers se konsepte van stemme is veral gebruik om elke komponent te ondersoek. In hoofstuk vyf het ek hierdie studie opgesom en afgesluit. Ek het ook daarop gewys dat die Koreaanse kerk nie 'n rol gespeel het in die korrupte Koreaanse samelewing nie omdat die preekstoel van Koreaanse kerke sy krag verloor het en oortuiging nie meer plaasvind nie. As gevolg hiervan kan Christene nie die rol van lig en sout speel nie. As oorreding in Koreaanse kerke voorkom en die lewens van die gehoor verander, sal die Koreaanse kerke weer herstel word.
Description
Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2018.
Keywords
Preaching, Preaching -- Korea, Persuasion (Rhetoric), UCTD
Citation