There is a scene in the Acts of the Apostles which depicts Paul preaching in Athens which was the center of culture, the center of education in its day — a first century equivalent to Oxford or Harvard. In the sermon he uses the techniques of rhetoric and philosophy which were current in the ancient world. The sermon was flop. When he leaves Athens he goes to Corinth and changes his style. We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. The sermon focues on the cross was effective and a Christian community was formed. There are voices today that suggest the Christian message would be more effectively delivered if we used modern media and social messaging. The lesson from Paul: unless we focus on the self-sacrificing love embodied on the cross our preaching will be in vain.
