Waddling geese in the pulpit: Kierkegaard’s hermeneutics and preaching

Abstract

This article shall outline the significance of Kierkegaard’s method of Bible reading for preaching. The key concepts in Kierkegaard’s hermeneutics (De-Familiarization, Appropriation and Consequentiality) will be applied to his condemnation of pulpit hypocrisy in nineteenth-century Denmark. This is best illustrated in his humorous parable, ‘The Tame Geese’. Kierkegaard’s critique of preaching will then be compared with Fred B. Craddock’s ‘New Homiletic’. Though superficially similar, it will be shown that Kierkegaard still upholds the authority of the preacher in a way that diverges from many postmodern misinterpretations of his work. In the light of contemporary critiques of preaching, this reflection will emphasize how Kierkegaard’s hermeneutics might be helpful in shaping a renewed approach to proclamation that catalyses genuine transformation in its hearers, beginning with the preacher’s personal engagement with the text.