What is Wrong

With Drama?
Peter Masters
FROM SWORD &
TROWEL 2000 No 4
(Reprinted by permissionJrom www.
NIetropolitanTabernacle.org. This message was
included as chapter 8 "DeJending Proclamational
Methods" in the 2002 book by Dr 1\IIasters
'Physicians oj Souls'.)
"Vhy is proclamation the way
of the Bible?
The advantages of direct words over all the
alternatives proposed today.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1.18).
GOD'S CHOSEN and appointed means of
communicating the glorious Gospel is by
proclamation, which
means - by words. All
the evangelizing of the
New Testament was
by means of words,
whether by preaching,
personal witness, or
writing. The world of
those days was full of
dramatic art and cultic
symbolism, but the
messengers of Calvary
stood aloof from it all,
and worked with words.
'How shall they hear,' asks the apostle in Romans
10, 'without a preacher?' He does not say - without
an actor, or a band of musicians, or a discussion
group. Gospel communication must be in words
The Counsel of Chalceclon
addressed to the mind. It requires rational speech,
whether uttered in a large building or in a
gathering.
Proclamationalmethods particularly preaching -
are under attack today in eva ngelical circles. The
latest church-growth books nearly all sweep a,vay
the primacy of preaching, and ,vhat preaching is left
makes slender use of the 'Vord of God as a divinely
provided source and model. The promoters of .
called 'seeker services', though they use a measure of
preaching, tend to see it as only a component in an
elaborate mix of methods.
Some writers have provided tables of methods to
show the comparative effectiveness of different
approaches, and preaching ahvays appears at or near
the bottom. They claim that when people are tested
to find how much they remember from preaching,
discussion, dramatic presentation, role-play, and
video presentation, preaching gains the fewest points
for efficiency. It iS,said to come last in terms of
rett:intion, and persuasive force. Such
'tests', hmvever, are 'hever scientific, and are carried
out in circumstalioes where preaching is poorly
attempted, and by authors out to prove their case.
Nevertheless, the mud thrmvn at preaching tends to
stick.
The undermining of direct proclamation is all the
more dangerous in a time when God's servants labor
with such small results, due to the prevailing atheism
and materialism. At such a time it is tempting to
think that something other than preaching should
be brought in. 'Vhat is the good, we may think, of
preaching week after week when ,ve are not touching
the masses?
'Ve are vulnerable to those who say - 'You have
over-emphasized preaching. You silOuld do other
things. You should join the contemporary worship
movement. You should bring the drums on to the
platform during the evangelistic service, introduce
drama, wear jeans, cut the speaking to ten minutes
and break up into discussion groups. You should do
anything but proclaim.'
Resistance to the Gospel is so great that human
nature begins to wilt, and traditional methods are
imperiled. 'VeIl-meaning and wholly committed men
have buckled under the clamor for contemporary
methods of outreach, because of the hardness of the
days.
This is a time to fortify our trust in God's appointed
methods. If a method of spreading the Gospel is not
proclamational, it is not what the Lord commands
and ,desires. It is simply not biblical, and surely,
obcdience is the greatest and ,visest duty of God's
servants in any age, and especially in an age of
mounting apostasy.
"'hy should it be thought that speech is relatively
Making the Nations ChTist's Disciples
H'hat is H'rong with Drama?
hopeless and inadequate, when it has been so
pmverfully used and proved for t,,,enty centuries of
church history? 'Vhy do the advocates of Christian
rock and such a jaundiced view of the
spoken word? Is it, perhaps (in many cases), that
they cannot preach - and are not truly equipped and
called by God? Or is it that they have pursued an
inappropriate style of preaching? Or is it that they
are revealing their true tastes as worldly 'Christians'?
Or do they lack faith in the power of God's \\Tord
,vhen attended by the Holy Spirit? Do they not realize
that to dra,v the crowds and teach them with the
'stuff' of entertainment ooupled with a lightweight
version of repentance will only fill the ohurches with
people who make shallo,,, and deluded professions -
the ,,"vood, hay and stubble' of Paul's famous warning
to ohuroh builders?
"'ords are everything in evangelism. Take the'Vord
of God. It is ,vords! It is God speaking to us. The
Old Testament oertainly uses symbols, and it has
one or two miniature dramatio performances, but
the 'soript' was written by God, the 'performanoes'
extremely short; and they ,vere intended as nothing
more than illustrations to sermons or propheoies. At
that, they were deadly serious, never the comedy-
show type of sketch adopted by the 'seeker-sensitive'
brigade of today, designed to get people into 'laughter
meltdmvn'.
Of oourse we believe in using illustrations in our
messages, and visual aids for the young, but the
supreme vehiole of oommunioation is directly-
addressed words, for this is God's exclusive method of
making known His grace.
'Vhy not have drama? 'Vhat is wrong ,vith it? 'Ve
have already pointed out that it is not part of the New
Testament blueprint, and it is not difficult to see why.
'Vhile drama can be powerfully captivating and
influential in the secular world, it is a woefully
inadequate and inappropriate vehicle for the
presentation of Gospel truth, being primarily
entertainment, and not a direct and plain challenge
to the mind. It chiefly appeals to the emotions, and
seldom for long. It is most olosely associated in the
mind of the viewer ,vith fiotion, or make-believe,
and this ethos oolors its application to Gospel work,
hanging as a mist before the eyes of an audience.
If drama presents a case or an argument, it must do
so in an artificially contrived situation. It cannot
easily compare and contrast viewpoints or argue the
point, and as soon as it tries to do so it becomes more
boring than direct speeoh ever is.
Overall, it distorts reality. The various characters
inevitably obscure any message, because their
ovnl personalities and skills either please or repel
,vatohers. If they are attracted by them, they are
unconsciously disposed to approve of their case or
'message', which is merely a subtle form of emotional
Continued on Page 20
5
is with Drama? (continued/rom page 5)
manipulation, and not a true appeal to the mind. the same effect by holding the Bible firmly in his
____________________________ _______ _
20
Only a minimum of real information can be conveyed
by drama, perhaps at most two or three significant,
simple points. It is ineffiCient, it is inappropriate,
it runs the risk of emotional trickery, it cannot
effectively argue the case, and it is not the method
which has been appointed. It certainly fails to
address the viewer directly, either to appeal to him,
or to hold him to account before God.
Drama will inevitably empty the message of real
moral conviction. Some people go to the cinema or to
the theatre for a good weep, and they are affected in
outlook for minutes, perhaps even for an hour or two,
but it is at an emotional level only and usually has
no lasting effect. In the Bible, 'graphics' are always
subservient to proclamation, and that is the way we
must keep it.
As for the dramatic presentations which include
portrayal of Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God, one
would have thought any Bible believer could readily
see that this cannot be done without disfiguring
the Lord. How can you worthily portray, other than
in words, the Person, the life, and the heart of the
Saviour of the world?
Some may say, 'But is not a film about Jesus full
of words?' It certainly has words, but it also has
actors, and dramatic impact and spectacle, capturing
the attention of the watcher and arousing human
sympathies above spiritual understanding. An actor
displaces the Lord (most probably in breach of
the second commandment) and the vital points of
Gospel doctrines are not amplified, explained and
applied - this work being the true representative of
sympathetic communication.
SUPERIORITY OF DIRECT PROCLAMATION
Let us review some of the superior qualities of
direct proclamation by contrast with any of the new
methods and gimmickry.
FIRST, with direct words in preaching or witness,
Almighty God is always in view. He is always there.
He is always being referred to. It is clearly His
message, for it is brought from His Word, whereas
with non-proclamational methods of presentation
God is somewhat obscured, whether it is discussion
which wanders and stumbles around the debris
of human opinion, or whether entertainment-
style songs, or whether drama. Only with direct
proclamation is God always the supreme purpose
and objective, and the unmistakable source of the
message.
That is the point behind the tradition of having an
enormous Bible on the pulpit lectern. Our forebears
had big Bibles out of principle, because all could
then see the source of the message and the authority
behind it. The old-time travelling evangelist achieved
says! ... The Bible says!'
Whether the pro claimer works from a lectern or
pocket Bible, God is clearly the source, authority and
objective.
SECONDLY,
proclamation like
nothing else enables
us to convey the
spirit in which God
gives this message.
It may be expressed
with passion, with
sympathy, and with
pleading urgency.
Drama conveys
and evokes feeling,
but it is feeling
expressed between the
characters, or evoked by the impact of a situation,
not the attitude.and heart of God to sinners. Only
direct speech on His behalf can convey some sense
of this. Do not let anyone denigrate straightforward
preaching or Sunday School teaching, because it
alone brings the heart of God to listeners.
THIRDLY, direct proclamation alone engages the free,
rational mind. It is true that preaching can exploit
emotional manipulation. The speaker can tell sob-
stories, and let his voice range from shivering tones
to explosions of sound, jarring the feelings. But if
excessive histrionic tricks are avoided, direct speech
addresses the responsible (though fallen) thinking
faculty, to challenge it and persuade it.
The hearer is not influenced by extraneous things.
He is not hypnotized under the sway of compelling,
rhythmiC music, or projected into an emotional
trance by something which moves him at a fleshly
level. He listens to plain words, and his mind (from
a human standpoint) is under no coercion. He hears
a clear message, passionately expressed, but without
manipulation, and as the Spirit moves, his response
will be genuine. If he rejects this direct message, God
will be just in holding him to account.
FOURTHLY, proclamation enables the 'tone' of
communication to be right in another way. This
message is serious. This is a life-or-death matter. This
concerns eternity. Like nothing else, preaching can
get the tone right. Direct proclamation, even though
. there may be moments of humor, accommodates
intrinsic authority, reverence for God, and
seriousness.
vVe have already noted that drama is associated with
entertainment, and cannot therefore achieve the
right tone. With drama the audience is transported
into the realm of unreality from the beginning.
With entertainment-style music the hearer is the
The Counsel of Chalcedon
'customer', and the singers and instrumentalists
the artistes, whose job is to please. In the case of
discussion groups, every member is wrongly given
the right to determine what is Truth, for they are
gathered to teach one another, and to arrive at
the Truth between them. They are the source of
Truth. They are 'Vhere, here, is the
necessary humility to hear the Gospel, and where
are the authority and seriousness of Truth? Only
proclamation possesses the capacity to preserve
these.
FIFTHLY (extending the previous point), nothing
has convicting power like direct proclamation.
This message is about great matters of the soul.
It concerns God's righteous judgment, and the
possibility of a momentous escape through His
amazing love and astounding forgiveness. It is about
great guilt and deep need. Direot proolamation,
blessed by the Spirit, is the exclusive vehiole for the
arresting and oonvioting of the soul. The
light methodology of the entertainment and seeker-
service oiroles seldom ever knows anything like this.
In the end, they must turn to charismatio trioks,
such as slayings in the Spirit, induoed by orude mass-
hypnosis, as a substitute for the oonvioting of the
heart.
LEARNING FROM BIBLE-TIME HERALDS
Paul says twioe that he was ordained a preacher, and
this is of great importance. [1] In the Greek he uses
the word herald. The characteristics of a herald in
biblical times are of immense significance. A court
herald in the ancient world was not allowed to do
anything on his own initiative. He had to keep strictly
to his text.
Heralds were often sent as envoys in war to an enemy
capital or camp, but they were never negotiators.
They kept within their brief, taking the message and
returning with the response.
Paul uses the 'herald' term because these duties
perfectly mirror the very limited office of a Christian
preacher, who is not called to devise new methods
of communication for every age, but to honor and
operate those established in the Ne\v Testament.
The term herald also described a tmvn crier who
declared whatever message he was given. He could
not change the announcement or the date. Similarly,
we are not given the scope to vary either the message
or the method. "Te are to work within the limits
that are appointed to us, and this is what is being
forgotten today. Our energy and initiative should be
deployed in bringing in the people and Sunday School
youngsters to hear proclamation, and not replacing it
with entertainment.
Paul says that he did not preach the Gospel - 'with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should
be made of none effect'. He does not mean that
the Nations ChTist's Disciples
preachers cannot use arguments, beoause he
used them himself. His o\vn preaching was Wisely
marshaled, exposing the folly of dedication to this
\vorld, and establishing the necessity of turning to
Jesus Christ for salvation. However, he never blended
evangelism \vith worldly wisdom, employing Greek
philosophy to tickle the ears of the intelleotuals in an
attempt to make his message more attractive to them.
He never mixed the message with what they wanted
to hear.
It is inoonceivable that the apostle, if he were alive
today, would say, 'The proolamation of the Gospel
is not popular and therefore I will mix it, not with
Greek philosophy, but with a rook band performance
which will commend itself to the people. Then I
will reduoe the message drastically to give room for
pieces of drama, beoause they do not want to listen to
anything serious.'
"Thether Greek philosophy or the sound of drums, it
is exactly the same - the mixing of the message of the
"Tord with something preferred by lost society, so that
we can avoid the offence of the cross. This is what
Paul, inspired by the Spirit, clearly condemns.
"Then \ve proclaim the cross of Christ we have
much to do. "Te must present the need for the cross,
the holiness of God, the Fall of man, ,the Person of
Christ, and what really happened on that cross.
"Te must also expose the emptiness and futility
of life without God, the benefits of salvation, the
exclusive saving merits of the cross, and the tragedy
of a lost eternity. But only words can adequately
explain these matters to rational minds, informing
them of the details and challenging attitudes in a
way that the Holy Spirit can use. Only words can
inform, persuade, and remonstrate in a convicting,
challenging, and appealing way. Only words are
supported by scriptural promises of instrumentality.
This high work cannot possibly be done by musical
entertainment, or by drama (the medium of fiction).
"Te appeal to preachers and church leaders not to
yield to the ne\v experiments in communication.
Remember that the people who started these trends
are people who present a \veaker notion of both
conversion and the Christian life, in order to retain a
considerable degree of vwrldliness.
These 'evangelists' only seek a moderately sanitized
lifestyle. "That they promote is a new syncretism -
God and mammon; Christ and the world - and they
have proved that it is extremely popular. These are
the people \vho have invented the plethora of new,
non-proclamational gimmicks and methods.
Do not imagine this is merely a generational
thing. Today's trends mark a deliberate departure
from the Christianity which calls people from sin
and worldliness to a radical, Holy-Spirit-wrought
conversion. Genuine Christian workers must not fall
into a system engineered by doubtful workers.
21
22
lrVhat is lrVrong with Drama?
We first encountered these alternatives to
proclamation (on a serious scale) at the end of
the 1960s when Campus Crusade launched their
original 'Four Spiritual Laws'. Certainly, there were
Campus workers who were godly people and whose
evangelistic efforts rose much higher than their
official script, but the script they were supposed
to follow fell woefully short of the message of the
Gospel.
Big-band musical entertainment jostled with show-biz
testimonies and ultra-short messages pointing to a
tragically undersized Gospel challenge. Readers may
remember the general line: 'God has a wonderful plan
for your life.' God is full of smiles and readiness to
bless, but, said the script (in effect), there is just one
little problem in the way. Before you can be blessed,
you need to get this little matter of repentance out
of the way. Happily, this can be done in a short
sentence, then you can go on to the next, nicer step.
We are, of course, parodying the Campus formula,
but it certainly minimized matters, falling short of
any real conviction. This is precisely what is going
on with most of those who now promote drama
and entertainment as an alternative to the direct
challenge of proclamation. They do not want the
convicting character and power of the authentic
message.
For all we have said about the superiority of direct
proclamation, the power is not inherent, but is the
work of the Spirit. The fact that we preach does not
guarantee blessing, and the apostle expresses this
bluntly: 'For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness.' Countless people will react with
scorn. They will understand, but think it is ridiculous
and foolish to put these propositions before them.
They will say to themselves, 'I do not accept that I
am a condemned sinner. And if I turn to this Savior, I
shall forfeit my right to rule my own life and do what
I want. I will have to conform to new standards, and
many things that I am committed to and enjoy will
have to go. It is ridiculous to ask me to do this.'
Sweetening the pill by watering down the Gospel
and disguising it with entertainment will not make
it more acceptable, only less understandable. People
will hear a modified, weakened Gospel, and their
response will not be authentic.
The apostle warns that proclamation works only
because God makes it work in the hearts of His
people.
When people say to us, 'You people are just
traditionalists, stuck firmly in the past, and you
want everything to be done in a 19th-century
manner,' they have got us wrong. We want to use
direct proclamation because it is what God tells
us exclusively to do. Whether it is Sunday School
teaching, personal witness, preaching in the pulpit,
or printed tracts and books, the scriptural way is
to present the Gospel in rational words, to rational
minds, supported by earnest prayer.
Many evangelicals today see that the public wants
rock groups, informality, conviviality, drama and
other entertainments, and whereas the apostle
Paul had no intention of obliging the carnal wishes
of either Greek or Jew, today's modernizers go
overboard to give outsiders exactly what they think
will please them.
Let us focus all our energies on forms of direct
proclamation, and activities which bring people under
that influence. These are the only two legitimate
aspects of evangelism - proclamation, and efforts that
support it.
Footnote [lJ
1 Timothy 2.7 and 2 Timothy 1.11.
.Metropolitan Tabernacle, Elephant & Castle,
London, BEl 6BD
Email: admin@metropolitantabernacle.org
The Counsel of Chalceclon