Iain Murray records an interesting aspect to Lloyd-Jones' preaching. Or more accurately, the cultural context into which he began his preaching career. Apparently, among Welsh preachers of the day, there was the accepted and revered practice of preaching with "the hwyl." Murray explains, in the words of a newspaper of the time, that "the hwyl" was a "combination of ecstatic emotion and of musical intonation which has held vast congregations absolutely spellbound with its mesmeric effect." That same writer declared that "the hwyl" was "the distinctive and exclusive characteristic of Welsh preaching."
Many African-Americans will note that "the 'hoop" is the distinctive and exclusive characteristic of many an African-American pulpit. So distinctive and exclusive is "the 'hoop" that preaching and 'hooping are almost synonymous; one can't preach if they can't 'hoop. The expectation for Lloyd-Jones as he began his career, and for many African-Americans preachers, is that they would pay homage to this preaching style.
I pray that Lloyd-Jones' attitude would come to characterize more and more African-American handlers of the Word of God. Murray tells us that "Dr. Lloyd-Jones viewed it as an artificial contrivance to secure effect, just as he did the multitude of illustrations and anecdotes which the preachers had taught the people to expect. In contrast to this, his sermons were closely reasoned, with the main theme carefully analyzed. He was certain that true preaching makes its impact, in the first instance, upon the mind."
Yet Lloyd-Jones was not merely an intellectual preacher. He intended from the onset to engage the "average man" and to preach with unction. In his own words, Lloyd-Jones describes his basic approach:
I am not and have never been a typical Welsh preacher. I felt that in preaching the first thing that you had to do was to demonstrate to the people that what you were going to do was very relevant and urgently important. The Welsh style of preaching started with a verse and the preacher then told you the connection and analysed the words, but the man of the world did not know what he was talking about and was not interested. I started with the man whom I wanted to listen, the patient. It was a medical approach really--here is a patient, a person in trouble, an ignorant man who has been to quacks, and so I deal with all that in the introduction. I wanted to get the listener and then come to my exposition. They started with their exposition and ended with a bit of application.
While we don't need imitators of Lloyd-Jones, we do need more men who think carefully about their approach in the pulpit. What are we doing there? Who are we speaking for, and who are we speaking to? And for what effect?
FBC holds about 700-750 folks in a service. Currently, we're running about 300 on a Sunday morning. My fervent prayer this year is to see the remaining 400-450 seats filled with newly converted Christians. I'm asking the Lord to save at least 400 people through the preaching, witness and ministry of FBC. And of that 400, I'm praying that more than a few would be used of the Lord as pastors to His people. And of the 400, I'm praying the Lord would be pleased to save and use another Paul or Augustine or Calvin or Haynes or Stott or Sproul or MacArthur or Priscilla or Lydia or Elliott or Moon or Susannah or Aylward.
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