Drive The Elements!
√ Robert Smith Jr. is going to make an argument by drawing a comparison.
√ His argument falls under the concept of “logos” — one of the three ways to move or persuade an audience.
√ The argument begins when he states the counter-position of some possible audience members. He makes the statement . . . .
Well, you know I’m not very emotional
I don’t get emotional.
I don’t believe in emotional.
(Clip — @30:58 Minute — of full message 10-9-16 – Robert Smith Jr. At First Baptist Church in Pelham Part 2)
Don’t worry about fanaticism because it’s much easier to cool off a fanatic than to warm up a corpse.
Why don’t you just give yourself to the Spirit of God.
Well — you know — I’m not very emotional
I don’t get emotional
I don’t believe in emotional
√ At this point, Smith could just make a simple statement which would encompass the whole argument he is about to make . . . .
“You get emotional when it comes to sports!”
That is the most concise and compact form of the argument.
As a full syllogism, it would be . . . .
- You are emotional if there is an area where you get emotional.
- You get emotional when it comes to sports.
- You are emotional
The enthymeme (a truncated syllogism) is – “You get emotional when it comes to sports.”
√ The argument makes the point that it is the area of life, not whether one is emotional, which is at issue. There is an issue when it comes to the Lord’s work, but not when it comes to what we love doing.
HOWEVER . . . .
Instead, of just saying — “You get emotional when it comes to sports!” — Robert Smith makes and drives the argument by calling up multiple elements/components which are involved in or connected to attending a sporting event.
Smith’s argument begins with the word “UNLESS.”
(Clip — @30:58 Minute — of full message 10-9-16 – Robert Smith Jr. At First Baptist Church in Pelham Part 2)
Don’t worry about fanaticism because it’s much easier to cool off a fanatic than to warm up a corpse.
Why don’t you just give yourself to the Spirit of God.
Well — you know — I’m not very emotional
I don’t get emotional
I don’t believe in emotional
**********************
UNLESS Albany’s playing — unless Alabama’s playing
I’ll take and drive down there
and spend one hundred dollars to get in
I spend fifty dollars to park
and I spend eighty dollars to eat
I’m out three hundred dollars
and then it takes me two hours to get out of traffic
and another hour and a half to get home
and they may not even win
Smith points to the elements or connected components of attending a sporting which drives his argument . . . .
- many get emotional when it comes to a sport’s team
- many are so emotional that they will spend big money for a ticket
- many are emotional enough to spend more money on parking
- many are emotional enough to spend even more money on food
- many are engaged enough to spend the time to travel and just get out of the stadium traffic
- many are emotional even if their team did not win
HOWEVER . . . .
Now at this point, most would just make the argument — “You can be emotional enough to spend money and time to attend a sports event — but like you say — I’m not emotional! ”
Smith chooses to push the argument by grabbing that word “win” and using it to drive the argument even further and to drive it a slightly different direction . . . .
But when you come to church on Sunday morning, the Lord has already won
He’s woke you up this morning
He started showing you way
He saved your soul
He’s kept your family
and when I come here — I come here to celebrate — I come here to praise the Lord.
Going Analytical
We can now quantify what Rober Smith Jr. did!
- Think beyond just making the assertion (“You get emotional when it comes to sports.”).
- List out the elements / components of the comparison (in this case — time, money, desire for their success).
- Use those elements to fully drive the argument (i.e., Other elements could have been used — wear their team colors – arrive early – leave early – talk about it the next day – invite others – bring the whole family – inculcate the children).
- Include an element that you can use at the end to push the argument further and maybe even in a different direction than anticipated (i.e., They not only may not win but do not even know who you are up there yelling for them. However, the Lord does when you are praising Him!)
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
There are other ways to use this same rhetorical technique and argument. You can create the same form of argument with the “counter-position” of . . . .
- I do not have time for . . . .
- I no longer have the energy for . . . .
- I lack the ability to . . . . .
- I am too old to . . . .
- I’ve spent a lot of time over the years serving. . . .
- I do not have the financial resources to . . . .
- I lack the physical strength to be able to . . . .
With any one of these, you could set up a comparison, layout the various elements, and make the argument.
EXAMPLE
Let’s try that . . . Off-the-cuff!*
Don’t worry about people getting too involved and burning out. It is much easier to lighten the load of those who have extended themselves too far than to get people who are lazy to lift a load and help in a responsible way!
Why not justs let the Spirit of God lead you to an area of service which He knows fits your gifts – which He has gifted you in?
I know there are some who will say, “Well — you know — I just do not have a lot of time on my hands to take on an area of service in the church or as a ministry!”
I have a full schedule.
Plus, I’m getting older — feeling my age.
I’ve spent many years doing that in the past.
I don’t think it is good to start something you can’t do right.
*********
UNLESS it’s golfing — or perhaps fishing, or boating, or RV-ing
You have the time to do that every Saturday morning
You have the energy to get up before the crack of dawn and . . . .
You have the energy to play 9 or 18 holes for several hours, or to stand on a beach or in the water, or driving four-five-six hours to the next place . . . .
You have the time and energy for it week after week.
and getting older is not slowing you down very much when it comes to . . . .
and even when you have a terrible round, or catch no fish, or come home more exhausted than when you left — you do it again!
And then not only does it take your time and energy, but you have to spend your money as well as your energy — some can spend one hundred dollars to get this-that golf club, a rod and reel, a new motor, thirty-five dollars for green fees, or a new-better-different gadget . . . .
–Ted Martens
*I often say “off-the-cuff” and actually do it off-the-cuff because I want to demonstrate that one you have the pattern, it is really not that difficult to run the pattern using a different subject, passage, concept, example, application, etc.
RhetoricAndHomiletics.Org 