Abstract:
Dr P.W. Marais was an influential preacher in the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) in his ministerial career during 3 April 1954 until 5 May 1995. He was an evangelistic par excellence with may people who became converted Christians as a result of his preaching. He worked with a preaching theory of observation, information, progress in thought, self-expression or the heuristic method which he attained from the greatest teacher of all times, Jesus Christ. The pedagogue, H.J.J. Bingle, had a great influence in the development of this theory. The research question is: How does Marais’ theory of preaching agree with his preaching practice? The study shows that there seems to be a large agreement between the two. Another question is: What effect should Marais’ preaching have in the contemporary context which differs by far from the context in which he preached. Will he today be able to reach the postmodern person with his preaching approach? In two instances it would have been a problem for Marais to reach the postmodern listener in this context. On account of the lack of Scripture knowledge of the postmodern listener Marais’ use of texts would not be effective. A proper exegesis would have to be done for the postmodern listener. In other words the context of the text and the context of the listener would have to be brought together. Marais’ theory is lacking in knowledge to implement this. Due to his passion for the Scriptures, his sincerety and his logical reasoning, he could have contributed immensely to the modern preaching.
