AUGUSTINE AND ALLEGORY PREACHING

One of my seminar presentations from last fall was Augustine’s view of the Psalms: Christus Finis. Augustine was a master of allegory particularly in the psalms.  Many modern preachers today that have been filled with the literal only model would shudder at some of the truths that Augustine writes on.  I am not suggesting that Augustine serve as our model of preaching, but I think his style needs to be rescued from obscurity.  I firmly believe many conservative evangelical preachers would do well to learn from Augustine in preaching.  Here is a sentence from his Enarrationes in Psalmos that continually impressed me, “The plenitude and end of the law and of all sacred Scriptures is the love of a Being which is to be enjoyed and of a being that can share enjoyment with us.”  He also described Scripture as the “face of God…for now.”  I love that line