Aristotle was a smarty pants. Especially, in my opinion, in his understanding on how to persuade listeners in his famous work simply called, Rhetoric. At its systematical core, he explains that there are three means of persuasion: Logos (an intellectual reasoning), Ethos (a speakers credibility) and Pathos (the emotional connection with the listener). Without all three, there is no persuasion. No change in the listener.
Fast forward about 2300 years to today and dip your toe in the waters of neurobiology with me for a moment. I’ve been reading about such things a lot these days with the question of how to make the form of rhetoric I’m most interested in – preaching – more effective in producing actual change in the brains of my listeners. And one of the key things I’ve learned is that Aristotle was right. Preachers need a clear, cogent, rational explanation of the Word (Logos). And they need to be trustworthy and true, safe and sound (Ethos). Gratefully, these two means of persuasion are well-established in the Reformed Tradition in which I minister. Preachers in this Reformed tribe tend to be clear and organized thinkers as well as being generally upright blokes.
But the third area of persuasion – Pathos (again, the emotional connection with the listener) – seems to be lacking much of the time. Whether its in reaction to the hollow emotionalism of some in the Charismatic tradition or a general feeling that feelings are dangerous and untrustworthy or the fear of coming across as manipulative, we tend to lean away from anything that sniffs of pathos. And this is a big mistake. What the latest thinking in neurobiology suggests is that emotion is actually the doorway to real change, and thus critical to persuasion. “Emotion is the very energy around which the brain organizes itself. Without emotion, life would come to a standstill. It is the means by which we experience and connect with God, others, and ourselves in the most basic way possible…it is through the brain’s medium of emotion that God most frequently addresses us. If we ignore, deny, or debate these feelings, we are ignoring God’s messengers.” (Curt Thompson, The Anatomy of the Soul)
Interesting, huh? It is to me, big time. And so now, as the Blues Brothers once famously said, “I’m on a mission from God.” A mission to learn more about how we preachers can connect with our audience at the Pathos level while maintaining our commitment to good Logos and Ethos. In other words, how can we cooperate with the Spirit of God to change our listeners through the doorway of emotion without sacrificing good, clear exegesis or resorting to manipulation? This has become the focus of my Doctor of Ministry work. I hope and pray it will be helpful to many of my clients in my growing coaching business and many other pastors in the church as we seek to be faithful and effective preachers of the Gospel.