Preaching doesn’t end the discussion, it begins it

Rob Bell talks about subversive preaching, the type of preaching that gets under the skin. It creates space, is purposeful about what doesn’t need to be said. It invites you to find yourself in the message. Bad communication kills all the questions and provides all the answers. Good communication (modeled by Jesus) creates questions that get you thinking days later. It provokes thinking rather than provides answers. He quotes Sean Penn:

When everything gets answered, it’s fake. The mystery IS the truth.

Walter Kaufman writes:

If it is quite clear, it is too easy to reject…But if the recommended path were utterly devoid of mystery, it would cease to fascinate men…There would be nothing left to discuss and interpret, to lecture about, to admire and merely think about.