Introduction to the QBA, Part 2: Schema || John Pesebre

The Question Based Approach (QBA) is an expository homiletical schema developed by the late great Rev. Dr. Cornelio "Doy" Castillo, ThD (henceforth, Pastor Doy or affectionatlely "n/yung Matanda")

To understand what Pastor Doy means by QBA, kailangan nating maunawaan how he understands the concepts of homiletics and schema. Please take note that this is an attempt on my part. If any of you are fellow students nung Matanda or a member of Bread form Heaven (where he pastored for a good part of his life) and you have a firmer grasp how he understood "homiletics" or "schema" kindly inform me.

To read Part 1 - Introduction to the QBA Sermon: Homiletics, click here.

Schema and its conversational, rhetorical nature
The word "schema" on the other hand is a diagram or a plan or "an underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework." To tell you the truth, this is what drew me papunta sa QBA ni Pastor Doy.

Maaari itong maging proseso ng pagpapasunud-sunod, subalit ang pinakamahalaga na ideya sa schema is that at one point you will arrive at an ogranizing principle, the things that holds everything together.

Ganyan ang schema. Hindi siya organized lang, but organized towards an output. Ang schematic output na yan sa QBA is the MTQ or main transition question (will explain this later). We will utilize the word schema here sa context ng educational philosophy

Sa schema theory, ang schema is  -

a cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning

Ang importante na notion ng schema na gusto nating ma highlight dito is one that is related doon ,"core meaning." A preacher can be plagued by a directionless sermon maski pa marami itong information. For Pastor Doy, this can be solved by his QBA schema most especially the role of the MTQ as a governing concept. He will not try to launch into a sermon and try to weave a unifying idea in the end. What he does is right at the very beginning he will present you with a governing question that will secure the deliverance of the sermon as tightly interconnected.

Hence, the name Question Based Approach.

Ang advance organizer niya para sa sermon is the "question." Notice the adjective "transition". The word refers to the transition from the introduction to the body of the sermon. The transition is a bridge to universal-to-specific movement. Ang MTQ collapses the big concepts to manageable idea that will be given warrant of rationality sa body ng sermon kasi the body answers the question of the MTQ.

This helps the listener follow the sermon in a rational fashion. Ang gusto nating sabihin ng rational dito is merely the use of reason. And when we talk about the use of reason, isang notion diyan na naka emphasize sa isang QBA sermon is kabit-kabit ang mga ideya na iyong binabahagi at may causation. When we say causation is yung mga idea mo na tinagaguyod ay suportado ng mga tamang pundasyon.

All in all remember that the sermon is "conversational, rhetorical" kaya mataas ang premium understanding na may kausap ka (conversational) at kukumbinsihin mo sila (rhetorical).

This blog in a nutshel is what we mean when we say that the QBA is a homiletical schema.

Introduction to the QBA Sermon, Part 1: Theory of Homiletics || John Pesebre

The Question Based Approach (QBA) is an expository homiletical schema developed by the late great Rev. Dr. Cornelio "Doy" Castillo, ThD (henceforth, Pastor Doy or affectionatlely "n/yung Matanda")

To understand what Pastor Doy means by QBA, kailangan nating maunawaan how he understands the concepts of homiletics and schema. Please take note that this is an attempt on my part. If any of you are fellow students nung Matanda or a member of Bread form Heaven (where he pastored for a good part of his life) and you have a firmer grasp how he understood "homiletics" or "schema" kindly inform me.

Homiletics and its conversational, rhetorical nature

Ang diwa ng homiletics sa tingin ko ay galing sa --

Greek verb that appears in the New Testament. In Luke 24:14 two dejected post-crucifixion disciples are getting out of Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus while they “converse” with one another about “all that had happened.” The word converse here comes from the Greek word homileō (David Schnasa Jacobsen, 16)

The Bauer-Danker Lexicon indeed defines homileō as "to be in a group and speak, speak, converse, address." Another Greek Lexicon states similarly. This is not just a New Testament meaning, for this nuance is "frequent in Greek writings from Homer down; to be in company with; to associate with; to stay with; hence, to converse with, talk with." (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, 3765)

So in homileō you can see a very explicit conversational notion. This might surprise the pastor especially if the pastor has been accustomed to use preaching as a means of egoistic self-validation.

For the young preacher, such demand might be burdensome since it is the young blood's concern to show he is erudite also, and not just a sweet talker.

In addition to homileō's conversational notion, quite obviously mapapansin mo din na sa Road to Emmaus story sa Luke 24, Jesus was persuading them sa conversation (homileō) na ito. This is how we will think of "rhetorical" here -- that it is a persuasion hindi lang ng words. Hindi siya eloquence lang but also a demonstration dahil ika nga ni Aristotle, "we are most fully persuaded when we consider a thing to have been demonstrated." (We will talk about this Aristotelian notion of the rhetorical in future blogs.)

In summary, this is how Pastor Doy sees homiletics. It is the crafting of a sermon  meant para kausapin ang tao (conversational) at kumbinsihin sila (rhetorical).

Ano ang implication neto?

Dahil "conversational, rhetorical," may reflexivity yung sermon/ preacher at yung tagapakinig

 Ang gustong sabihin ng reflexivity is --

circular relationships between cause and effect. A reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a relationship in which neither can be assigned as causes or effects. (wiki, sv Reflexivity)

It is important that the preacher not lose sight of this reflexivity

Malimit kasi, a preacher would have the pulpit for himself. Kumbaga ang sermon ay para sa kanya o kaya may unhealthy desire for validation through the praise of people.

Sabi ni Jacobsen,

A preacher engages rhetorically and conversationally with some sort of end in view. The terms [conversational, rhetorical] . . .  are merely designed to describe the mode of homiletical theological reflection: it is done with hearers and conversation partners in mind. [footnote 5]

Ang punto lang naman sa totoo lang is ipa-emphasize sa preacher na may kausap ka kaya naman yung pinag aralan mo at paghahanda mo must have that as the "end in view."

Hindi natin sinasabi dito na i-adjust mo ang katotohanan ng mensahe at gawin itong heresy para maunawaan ng mga tao. That is actually ridiculous kasi ang function mo nga ay magturo ng katotohanan ng salita ng Diyos. What we mean here by "conversational, rhetorical" is the recognition that you as a preacher are doing pastoral work. Malimit itong i-emphasize nung Matanda.

Put in another way, pag kakausap ka ng tao iku-consider mo ang kanilang reception nito. You will have to aim for the functioning of their intellectual virtues at yang mga virtues na yan form an important part sa pag develop mo ng sermon.

Ang goal at least is to create an understandable na theologically-grounded, God-glorifying, Gospel-oriented na sermon (theory), to provide instructions for practical Christian situations (practical) and then to inspire the believer to pursue godly habit in daily life as an outworking of Christian identity (productive).

One important factor sa paggawa (homiletics) at delivery (preaching) ng sermon is yun talagang "rhetorical." Para dun sa Matanda preaching is a methodological challenge, hindi lang structural. When we say structural kasi it is merely arranging something to form a structure. Kasama pa rin naman ang structure, ang methodology is a system, oftentimes an integrated system of methods. Ang sermon-making kasi is a highly integrated discipline. What I mean by that is gagamit ka ng mga disciplines ng exegesis, theology, anthropology, psychology, literary criticism, history, atbp. Dahil ang sermon-making is a methodology you will have to integrate numerous disciplines. Don't worry, dahil ikaw naman ay may karanasan na sa buhay at gumugol din ng maraming taon sa paaralan, pamilyar ka na rin naman sa mga disiplina na maski hindi mo siya ma identify as field of knowledge.

Pano ka makakaiwas na hindi siya gumulo?

Ang sagot diyan ay yung schema.

Click here for Introduction to the QBA Sermon, Part 1: Schema