Personality Type and Preaching

1
PERSONALITY TYPE AND PREACHING
___________________
A Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of the Department of Doctor of Ministry

Dallas Theological Seminary
___________________
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
___________________
by
Stephen Watson
May 2015
Accepted by the Faculty of the Dallas Theological Seminary in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Ministry
Examining Committee
_________________________
_________________________
ABSTRACT
PERSONALITY TYPE AND PREACHING
Stephen Watson
Readers: Dr. David Wyrtzen and Dr. Rodney Cooper
The purpose of this project was to see if the Jungian personality dimension of
Sensing significantly influenced the proclamation of the text of Scripture.
The hypothesis of this project was that Personality types, as defined by Jung
and measured by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, significantly influence the way a
preacher presents the material from the biblical text in his sermons.
The result of this project was that there was a significant difference between
the way that the Sensing personality type and the Intuitive personality type preach. It was
not possible to compare the Sensing personality type with either the Thinking or Feeling
personality types in a significant way in this study.

CONTENTS
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1
Preparation of the Preacher
Overview
Pursuit of Meaningthe Text of Scripture
Tools of Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic
The Communication ProcessBy Nature Involves Personality
Type
Rationale
Problem Statement
Research Question
Hypothesis
Preview of Remaining Chapters
2. PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND LITERATURE REVIEW...................................27

Introduction
The Theological Basis for Self-Awareness
Man, Created in Gods Image can be Self-Aware
The Realms of Self-Awareness
The Need for Self-Awareness for Sermons
Self-Awareness of our Spiritual Condition is Essential in the
Preparation and Delivery of a Sermon
Self-Awareness of Our History and Experience Condition is
Essential in the Preparation and Delivery of a Sermon
Self-Awareness of Our Personality Type is Essential in the
Preparation and Delivery of a Sermon
Summary
The Interpretive Process and Personality Types
Consistent Need to be Self-Aware in the Interpretive Process
Consistent Need to be Self-Aware in the Preparation and Presentation
Of the Sermon
Summary
The Quest for Self-Awareness
Psychology and the Quest of the Self-Awareness
Carl Jung
Major Psychological Functions Defined and Explained
1
Relationship Between Function Types
Type Dynamicsthe Interaction of Type Functions
Jungian Psychology and the Implications for Hermeneutics
Studies of the Relationship Between Personality Type and
Interpretation
Language Use and Personality
People Communicate Consistent with their Personality Type
Summary
Conclusion
3. METHODOLOGY.79
Introduction and Overview
The Instruments used for this Study
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II
The LIWC Instrument
The Procedure
Manuscript Analysis
Conclusion
4. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS AND POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS86

Personality Types of the Participants with Comparison to the General
Population
Extrovert/Introvert Analysis and Comparison
Sensing/Intuitive Analysis and Comparison
Thinking/Feeling Analysis and Comparison
Judging/Perceiving Analysis and Comparison
Analysis and Observations of the Correlation between Personality
Type and the Sermon
Manuscript Text
Possible Implications for the Dominant Sensing Personality Type In
Preaching
Summary
5. RESEARCH RESULTS..109
Introduction
Limitations
Implications for Ministry
Implications for Future Research
Conclusion
Appendix
A. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS IS NOT MECHANICAL..120
B. PURSUIT OF MEANINGAND OVERVIEW OF HERMENEUTICS..128
C. DR. PENNEBAKERS CHARTS...139
D. AN EXPLANATION OF THE LIWC....142
E. AN ANALYSIS OF THE DATA146
F. FUNCTION WORDS AND THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.151
G. QUESTIONS TO ASK OF THE TEXT..154
BIBLIOGRAPHY
TABLES
2.1. Table of Group Personality Types..........................................................................57
2.2. Interpretative Items Based on the Healing Story in Mark 9..................................64
4.1. Student Extrovert/Introvert distribution.................................................................87
4.2. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant

Extrovert/Introvert Type Functions........................................................................88
4.3. Sensing/Intuitive Histogram for Students..............................................................89
4.4. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant Sensing and
Intuitive Functions.................................................................................................89
4.5. Thinking/Feeling Histogram for Students.............................................................90
4.6. Student Comparison to General Population for Dominant Thinking

and Feeling functions.............................................................................................90
4.7. Judging/Perceiving Histogram for Students..........................................................91
4.8. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant

Judging/Perceiving type functions.........................................................................92
4.9. Comparison of the General Population and the Students......................................93

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Several years ago in a CPE class Sister Barbara, a Catholic nun, said, Steve, I
have seen you come in our group and totally take it over. I have seen you at other times
totally withdraw. Who are you really? I really could not give her an answer. I did not
know it was important to know myself. I thought I could be faithful to the Lord and His
work without exploring myself, without knowing how I was wired and without
understanding how my uniqueness has both strengths to draw upon and weaknesses to
address. I have discovered that as I draw near to God, He draws near to me. In His Light,
I can see myself more clearly if I have the courage to look. In seeing myself, I can
address sin; bring my weaknesses and needs to Him, and minister with more integrity and
insight. Applying these insights to the task of preaching is what this dissertation is about.
I want to thank and acknowledge those that have walked with me in life and
on this journey of becoming self-aware. First and foremost among these is my wife,
companion and love--Mary Kay. Without her encouragement, I would not have felt safe
to undertake this journey of discovery or to pursue my doctorate. My children, now
competent and amazing adults, have given me not only encouragement to pursue this
course of study but also to understand myself and ministry. They have become mirrors to
enable me to see what cannot be seen of myself apart from deep relationships. I need to
give a special acknowledgement to my good friends, Marvin and Twylia Sekavec,
without whose encouragement I would not have pursued Mary Kay, would not have been
encouraged to pursue preaching and would not have been able to complete my doctoral
studies.
Along this journey God has given friends and ministry opportunities. Most
recently, He has allowed me to become part of the first DMin. preaching cohort at Dallas
Seminary under the direction of Roger Raymer and Scott Barfoot, who have encouraged
and helped me to explore the preaching ministry. God has surrounded me with brothers in
the cohortDean, Rusty, Rick, David, Cody, Bill, Caleb, Daniel, Joshua, John, Jeff and a
host of other mighty men who have sharpened me and helped me see preaching in a
more dynamic way. I want to thank those students in both Dr. Raymers preaching class
and Craig Schills preaching class for providing me with their sermon manuscripts to
analyze. The analysis of these manuscripts would not have been possible without my
brother, James David Watson, who did the number crunching and statistical analysis.
My desire is that this dissertation will become a Sirens call to discover and to
develop the uniqueness and the potential that God has placed in the hearts of those
seeking to effectively communicate His Word to this generation. May the LORD honor
that desire.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Imagine Itzhak Perlman in a concert hall. He picks up a good quality student
violin and begins to play Tchaikovskys Violin Concerto in D. The sound fills the room.
His skill and talent and love for the music are on display. People applaud that the right
notes are played with the right dynamics. Then the master lays down the student violin
and picks up his Stradivarius. Putting it to his chin, he draws his bow across the strings,
and the same notes resound. But there is now something different: a richness of tone, a
beauty not only coming from the masters developed talent but a richness from the
instrument itself resonating and responding to each note and phrase.
The richness and the beauty of tone that arises from that rare combination of a
quality instrument in the hand of a master musician is unforgettable and draws out
something from within every heart. Preaching, in its highest form, should be the same
waythe right notes (truth) presented through a human instrument that fully and
faithfully resonates with a richness and depth of tone. Preaching is a rare combination of
the Master (the Holy Spirit), producing the right notes (accurate biblical truth) through a
human instrument.
Few sermons have risen to that height. Often preaching lacks an intangible
quality of beauty, richness, and depth of tone. Depth of tone is hard to quantify or even
describe, let alone teach. As the quality of the violin affects the tone, so the qualities of a
mans life affect the tone of the sermon. Many elements go into producing a quality
instrument in the same way that many elements go into producing a quality human
instrument for God to use. Many of those qualities come through experiencing life: in
1
2
weeping, in loneliness, in desert places, in hours of prayer, in humility, in knowing and in
suffering. These qualities cannot be programed or plotted academically but they can be
observed and understood. These qualities are the work of the Craftsman, who shapes the
lives of human instruments that He calls to serve and proclaim His message to the world.
As the preacher abides in Jesus in life, the Father prunes, purifies and perfects. In this
process, the preacher can become aware of the elements of his life, discerning how they
affect the tone of the sermon. In addition to life events, the preacher possesses a unique
personality which God has created and given to aid in the ministry. Jungian psychology
explores this aspect of self to see how he perceives and processes the world around him.
Preparation of the Preacher

Various components influence the preparation of a preacher. Some of those
components tend to be objective and can be addressed in an academic fashion--his view
of the text (doctrine of inspiration), his approach to the text (hermeneutics), tools for
understanding and analyzing the text (linguistic tools, historical background, discourse
analysis). Other components, however, are more internal, personal and subjectivehis
experiences, his spiritual condition, his personality. To address the objective aspects of
the preachers preparation without also acknowledging and addressing the internal
workings of the preacher is not to fully prepare a man to effectively preach the Word of
God.
Preach the Word is emblazoned across the crest of Dallas Theological
Seminary because Dallas Seminary was founded to prepare men to study and proclaim
the Word of God effectively to their generation and culture.1 Haddon Robinson, a
professor at the seminary for a time, defines that proclamation process: Expository
preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted
1 History | Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), accessed December 15, 2014,

http://www.dts.edu/about/history/.
3
through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the
Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through
him to his hearers.2 Philip Brooks says that preaching is communication of truth through
personality.3 Both definitions recognize the inter-relationship and interaction of the text
and the personality of the preacher.
As an individual begins to learn how to preach, he finds his voice.4 His voice
is that unique combination of his knowledge of the passage, his training, his experience
and his personality combining to form an expressed oral sermon.5 Davis describes the
sermon,
A sermon is like music, not music in a score but in the live performance, where
bar is heard after bar, theme after theme, and never all at once. A sermon is like a
play, not a printed book but the action on a stage, which moves from a first act
through a second to a third . . . not all at once. A sermon is like a story told aloud,
where each sentence has gone forever into the past before the next is spoken.6
Neither the preparation nor the presentation of a sermon is a mechanical process. At its
highest form, the sermon is art.
Some sermons have power, and some seem to lack it. Sermons engage certain
individuals while for others, the same sermon disengages. Professors seek to discover, to
quantify and to distill missing ingredients with a view to teaching those qualities to those
seeking to proclaim the Word of God powerfully. Lowry explains the desire to have the
sermon fully engage the listener, Craddock once said that, as preachers, the goal is not
2 Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository

Messages, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 20.
3 Full Text of Lectures on Preaching, Delivered Before the Divinity School of Yale College
in January and ..., 2330. accessed December 15, 2014,
https://archive.org/stream/lecturesonpreac00broogoog/lecturesonpreac00broogoog_djvu.txt.
4 Eugene Lowry, The Homiletical Beat: Why All Sermons Are Narrative (Nashville, TN:
Abingdon Press, 2012), 75.
5 Lowry, The Homiletical Beat, 7.
6 Henry Grady Davis, Design for Preaching (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983), 163164.
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to get something said but to get something heard.7 In an effort to aid the preacher in
being heard, books on preaching address form,8 theology,9 purpose and culture.10 Some
books address aspects of speaking mechanics. Before the elements of style, form and
presentation can be used effectively; however, there must be something worth saying.
Beginning with the text (being fully committed to exegesis of the inspired, inerrant Word
of God), Gods message is to be communicated from a historical context, from a larger
literary context, and from a still larger theological and metanarrative context to the
present day audience. A preacher committed to the authority of the Word of God seeks to
communicate that message both clearly and effectively. Schools train students to use
grammatical, historical, and theological tools to explore the text. These tools, however,
are placed in the hands of unique individuals who use them somewhat differently. The
foundational question to be asked before the question of the form of the sermon can be
addressed is: What is the message of the text? As one seeks to know the message of the
text, a practical question looms: What is the interaction between the tools and the unique
personality through which the preacher understands Gods message in the text? One
7 Lowry, The Homiletical Beat, 16.
8 Robinson develops the idea of big idea preaching developed in an inductive or deductive
way in Robinson, Biblical Preaching. Richards works through the process of exegesis and big idea
preaching in Ramesh Richard, Scripture Sculpture: A Do-it-Yourself Manual for Biblical Preaching (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995). Lowry suggests a narrative form of preaching emphasizing that sermons
have tension and movement in Lowry, The Homiletical Beat.
9 Timothy J Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012). Keller is historical-redemptive in his preaching, which ties the text
to a metanarrative. Sidney Greidanus fleshes out this theological style in books such as Sidney Greidanus,
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method (Grand Rapids, MI:
W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1999) and Scott M Gibson, Preaching to a Shifting Culture: 12 Perspectives on
Communicating that Connects (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004).
10 Gibson, Preaching to a Shifting Culture; David W Henderson, Culture Shift:

Communicating Gods Truth to Our Changing World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998). James
Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late
Modern World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010). David Kinnaman, You Lost Me: Why Young
Christians are Leaving ChurchRethinking Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011). Each of these
authors and those like them maintain that to communicate powerfully, preachers need to address the
culture.
5
might reframe the question: Does the personality of the preacher affect in some way and
to some degree the understanding of the text and the development and form of the
sermon?
This research seeks to explore whether personality type exerts influence on
the perception, processing, and proclamation of Scripture. This research will narrow the
meaning of the word, personality, to reflect the Jungian concept of personality type.11
Personality type in Jungian psychology is not an issue of style, nor does it focus primarily
on behavior. Instead, it focuses more on the internal dynamics of an individual.

Personality types in Jungian psychology recognize two functional orientations to the
world (Extrovert and Introvert), two perceiving functions (Sensing and Intuitive), two
processing functions (Feeling and Thinking) and two functions which then interact with
the world (Judging and Perceiving). These types, more fully examined and explained in
chapter 2, categorize how an individual interacts with the world in general and potentially
with the text as a specific part of that life experience in particular. This more technical
and limited definition of personality can give insight into how a preacher perceives the
text, how he weighs what is perceived, how he organizes it, how he applies it to his own
life and how he presents it to others. To limit the variables so a correlation can be made,
the participants in this study all hold to the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture with a
grammatical-historical hermeneutic so that each preacher has the same tools and
approach for understanding.
Limiting these variables permits the possibility of establishing a correlation
between personality type and the sermon. If the Scriptures are truly the inspired, inerrant
11 E. Jerry Phares William F. Chaplin, Introduction to Personality, 4th Edition (Longman,

1997), 89.Personality is that pattern of characteristic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes
one person from another and that persists over time and situations. In the broadest sense, personality is
that set of characteristics which governs an individuals thoughts, emotions, motivations, and decisions.
Personality is such a broad term that this research will narrow the scope to focus on aspects described by
Jungian psychologists and measured by such instruments as the Myers-Briggs and Keirsey Temperament
Sorter. In chapter 2, there will be a discussion of why this choice has been made.
6
Word of God and the grammatical-historical hermeneutic is the proper approach to
understanding Scripture, then this study seeks to begin to ask whether personality type
influences and is reflected in the perceiving, processing, and presentation of the text in
the sermon. If such a correlation exists then there are implications for the preacher and
the teacher of preaching.
Overview
This chapter will broadly trace the doctrine of inspiration and methods of
hermeneutics. This might seem like an unnecessary excursion, but if the Bible is not
indeed the inerrant Word of God with the details of the text specifically arranged to
convey the meaning God intends, then it matters little how one perceives and processes
the text. This necessary beginning point provides a foundation from which to seek a
correlation between an individuals personality type, as defined and developed by Jungian
psychology, and the proclamation of the text. This perception and processing of the text is
an internal and relational dynamic which flows from the interaction of the Holy Spirit,
the inspired text and an individuals unique experience and personality. The intent of this
discussion is not to fully argue in detail either the doctrine of inspiration or the
grammatical-historical hermeneutic but to provide a working overview of these issues as
it applies to preaching and to this research. The grammatical-historical hermeneutic
approach to the text leads to and relies upon certain methods and tools to discover and
validate the meaning God intends.12 Unique individuals13 who have unique experiences
12 In Appendix A, the communication process will be addressed. In reality, the goal of

understanding the thoughts of another can be approximated closely but probably cannot be realized fully.
Communication, however, depends on ones ability to communicate his thoughts to another. A number of
issues can hinder the communication process. Techniques and resources aid the communication process.
However, to accurately analyze how personality type affects the interpretive process, it is important that the
individuals approach the text in a similar way and employ similar tools.
13 Psychology recognizes and studies the uniqueness of individuals. Various approaches and
schools account for the differences in individuals. The study of personality is based on people being the
same in some ways and yet different in others. Accounting for the similarities and the differences form the
study of psychology. Anton Alujaa, Oscar Garca, Lus F. Garca, Replicability of the Three, Four and Five
Zuckermans Personality Super-factors: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the EPQ-RS,
7
and personality types14 employ the methods and tools of a grammatical-historical
hermeneutic. Since communication is not strictly a mechanical process but involves the
inner working of the human,15 it is reasonable to suggest that those inner workings affect,
to some degree, the way the tools are utilized in the perception, processing, and
proclamation of the text. The proper use of the grammatical-historical hermeneutic in the
hermeneutic cycle sets the boundaries of interpretation and so hinders disparate
interpretations, but interpretation and proclamation will never be a mechanical process.
Pursuit of Meaningthe Text of Scripture
A theologically conservative understanding of the inter-related elements of the
canon of Scripture, the nature of Scripture, and the doctrines of inspiration and
illumination gives rise to the grammatical, historical approach to discovering the meaning
of the text.16 The canon of Scripture, though discussed by the Apostolic fathers, apologists
and theologians of the early church, was not formalized until the Reformation forced both
the Protestant and the Catholic churches to articulate the books which they recognized as
the authoritative Scripture. Equally important and complementary to the text of Scripture
ZKPQ and NEO-PI-R, Personality and Individual Differences 36 (2004): 10931108.
14 M. X. Seaman, Illumination and Interpretation: The Holy Spirits Role in Hermeneutics

(Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2013). In this book, Seaman discusses the interrelatedness of the
coordinate doctrines of inspiration and illumination. The Holy Spirit uses, honors, and works through the
personality of the human authors of Scripture to give an objective text; even so, the Holy Spirit uses,
honors, and works through the personality of the reader. This is not to say that reader determines the
meaning of the text but that the Holy Spirit, utilizing and honoring the personality, opens Scripture to the
reader in a way that is consistent with his predisposition.
15 This is developed in Appendix A.
16 John Webster, Illumination, Journal of Reformed Theology 5 (2011): 325. The two
principal works of the Holy Spirit in relation to Scripture are inspiration and illumination. Inspiration is the
narrower term, indicating the Spirits superintendence and moving of the processes of Scriptures
production: by the Spirit, these authors write these words. Illumination is more comprehensive. Most
generally, illumination refers to the ways in which the operation of creaturely intelligence is caused,
preserved and directed by divine light, whose radiance makes creatures to know: that light is what enables
[the soul] to understand . . .
8
was the nature of Scripture, the doctrine of inspiration. The early church held that God
inspired the text in a verbal and plenary fashion.17 Relatively recently, the Scriptures
began to be considered fallible.18 The view of inspiration governs the approach to the
study of Scripture.
Different views of Scripture have led to different approaches to the text.19 One
approach is that the Bible is an ordinary book to be examined, redacted, deconstructed
and demythologized on the basis of human reason, understanding, and philosophy (the
views of Strauss, Bultmann, and Wellhausen will be surveyed in Appendix A). In this
approach, the meaning of the text is not bound by authorial intent but is dependent upon
the reader.20 A second approach assumes that the Bible is a fallible revelation of God, (as
a product of human, fallible authors, a position articulated by Barth,21 also be surveyed in
17 St. Justin Martyr, Church Fathers: The First Apology, 36, accessed December 16, 2014,
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm; Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End
of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. - Christian Classics
Ethereal Library, 2, accessed December 16, 2014, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?
term=athenagoras; Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D.,
with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. - Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2, accessed
December 16, 2014, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=athenagoras; Dictionary of
Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal
Sects and Heresies. - Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2, accessed December 16, 2014,
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=athenagoras; Church Fathers: Episode Letter 82
(Augustine) or 116 (Jerome), accessed December 15, 2014,
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102082.htm; Dirkie Smit, Essays on Being Reformed (Stellenbosch
Matieland: African Sun Media, 2009), 69; Works of James Arminius, Vol. 1 - Christian Classics Ethereal
Library, accessed November 13, 2014, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/arminius/works1.
18 William R. Osborne, The Philosophical Hermeneutics of Friedrich Schleiermacher,

Midwest Journal of Theology 10, no. 2 (2011): 70; Robert J. Dostal, Gadamerian Hermeneutics and Irony:
Between Strauss and Derrida, accessed December 15, 2014,
http://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=philosophy_pubs; Karl Barth,
Church Dogmatics, 1.2. (Scotland: T. & T. Clark, 1963), 512.
19 An overview survey of the various approaches described here is presented in Appendix B.
20 Dostal, Gadamerian Hermeneutics and Irony. Dostal traces the philosophical movement
in this segment of the history of hermeneutics. His distinction between a hermeneutic of trust and good-
will and a hermeneutic of suspicion is helpful. Gadamer approached the text with the assumption of
good-will, not inspiration and likened it to dialogue dependent upon the listener. Diddera is the epitome
of the hermeneutic of suspicion.
21 G.W. Bromiley, Karl Barths Doctrine of Inspiration, Journal of the Transactions of the
Victoria Institute 87 (1955): 74.
9
Appendix A). This approach allows the use of human reason and must rely on the work of
the Spirit to determine which parts carry the authority of God and which do not. In this
view, the Bible is not Gods infallible revelation that carries His authority throughout;
rather, it is a witness to revelation in which errancy is presumed. A third approach is that
the Bible is the inspired, inerrant revelation of God. This is assumed in this research. This
doctrinal conviction leads to accepting the Bible in all its parts, words, phrases, and
historical context as authoritative.22 Dallas Seminary holds this doctrinal point of view
which forms the basis of a grammatical, historical, literary approach to the text of
Scripture.
Though the purpose of this research is not to explore the various schools and
aspects of hermeneutics, having a working overview of the various approaches to
hermeneutics is useful. A fuller discussion of the development of the grammatical-
historical hermeneutic is provided in Appendix B. The grammatical-historical
methodology to the understanding of Scripture is of value primarily if meaning can be
conveyed accurately through words (which the deconstructionists deny) and Scripture is
inspired (the very words combining to convey the meaning God intends).23 The
grammatical, historical, literary approach to Scripture developed tools for analysis of
words, text, and context,24 which are placed in the hands of individuals with unique
22 Norman L. Geisler, Inerrancy, SOFTBOUND edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

1980); and Earl Radmacher and Robert Preus, eds., Hermeneutics, inerrancy, and the Bible (Grand Rapids,
MI: Academic Books, 1984). Geisler presents a defense of the doctrine of inerrancy and would prove
helpful to understand this point.
23 Deconstructionism - By Movement / School - The Basics of Philosophy, accessed

December 16, 2014, http://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_deconstructionism.html.
Deconstructionism (or sometimes just Deconstruction) is a 20th Century school in philosophy initiated by
Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. It is a theory of literary criticism that questions traditional assumptions about
certainty, identity, and truth; asserts that words can only refer to other words; and attempts to demonstrate
how statements about any text subvert their own meanings.
24 Homiletics Workshop - Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutics, n.d., accessed November

19, 2014, http://www.xenos.org/classes/homiletics/gramherm.htm.
The goal of biblical hermeneutics is to discover the meaning intended by the original author. While there
may be many valid applications for a text, there is only one valid interpretation. The task of the interpreter
is to ascertain the intended meaning, if possible . . . Interpreting grammatically. . . The historical-critical
10
education, experience and personality type.25 The meaning God intends is more than an
intellectual analysis of the textit is personal, a matter of the heart as well as the head, a
matter of the spirit and soul. Understanding Scripture at this level can only be achieved
with the assistance of the Holy Spirit in contrast to those that have ears but do not hear,
those who see but not understand (Mark 8:18).26 To return to the picture of Pearlman
filling a concert hall, the strings vibrate as he draws the bow. The vibrations of the string
cause the instrument to resonate. In resonating, the violin hears the notes of the string.
When the music fills the concert hall, what is heard is not only the vibrations of the
string, but the resonance of the instrument. The individual does not know the meaning of
the text fully until the soul resonates with the message, until the seed takes root (Matt 13),
until the water of the word washes (Eph. 5), until the word feeds the soul (2 Pet 2). The
message then goes out through the preacher seeking to resonate in a human heart. The
combination of both the message clearly presented and a human heart resonating with the
message results in powerful preaching.
Self-awareness of ones personality type and how that influences the
interpretive process, according to this research, ought to be part of the interpretive
process. This self-awareness combines with ones use of the tools of grammatical and
method assumes that words and expressions have a relatively stable meaning during given periods of
history. Therefore, we begin by taking what we can determine as the normal, everyday meaning of the
words, phrases, and sentences to the extent possible . . . Interpreting Historically . . . Historical
interpretation means that we take into account, as much as possible, the historical background of the author
and the recipients.. . .Interpreting Critically . . .Your interpretation must make rational sense. If
interpretation is permitted to contradict, there is no reason for hermeneutics, since we may make a passage
say whatever we want.
25 Teun A. Van Dijk, Relevance Assignment in Discourse Comprehension, Discourse

Processes 2 (1979): 119. The author is suggesting that it is important to be self-aware knowing what one
brings to the interpretive process. Dijk says, In most cases the assignment of relevance is contextually
determined. That is, the cognitive (and social, communicative) context defines what elements of the text are
found important by a reader . . . The general . . . conclusion of this brief analysis of contextual factors in
relevance assignment is that differential relevance is assigned to the text features on the basis of what is
considered relevant/important in the world of the reader. . . . he will learn what he thinks to be relevant
(important, striking, etc.) Yet language and communication conventions at the same time require that he
will construct a picture of what was intended to be relevant by the speaker. In using the word contextual,
he is not referring to the surrounding portions and elements of a text but to the context of the reader.
26 Unless otherwise noted, the New American Standard Version of the Bible will be used in
this dissertation.
11
historical hermeneutic to give a more accurate understanding of the process of study. This
research seeks to affirm that the unique personality type of the individual employing the
same tools affects in some significant ways the interpretation, understanding, and
proclamation of the text. Some might argue that the historical-grammatical tools alone,
consistently and properly employed, are sufficient for understanding, and so the next
section will look at the objective process before beginning to integrate the importance of
self-awareness and personality type.
Tools of Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic

Because Dallas Seminary holds to a theologically conservative doctrine of
inerrancy and a corresponding grammatical, historical, literary approach to the text, a
practical and helpful step forward in the preparation of pastors and preachers was made
with the development of study methods built upon observation, interpretation, and
application.27 This corresponds in Jungian psychology to the perception aspects of
personality type and the processing aspects of personality type. Howard Hendricks
became a prominent leader at Dallas Seminary developing and communicating this
method of the study of Scripture.28 His course in Bible study methods provided a
methodical approach, which if consistently applied, tends to open up the message of the
Bible as Swindoll recounts,
In early 1960, as I was finishing my first year at Dallas Theological Seminary, I

took a course from Dr. Howard Hendricks that would mark my life and ministry
forever. Day after day I listened to his presentation, then I would rush back to our
little campus apartment stimulated with fresh excitement and plunge in the
homework he assigned. As weeks turned into months, the fog that had surrounded
the Scripture slowly began to lift. Those puzzling passages no longer seemed so
intimidating. As bigger pieces fell into place, I felt increasingly more comfortable
27 Observation utilizes the text, grammar, history, and context of the passage. Further, it
avails itself of the tools of exegesis, lexicons, and resources that can be employed in a grammatical-
historical hermeneutic.
28 Howard G. Hendricks, William D. Hendricks, and Charles R. Swindoll, Living By the

Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible, New Edition (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007).
12
with the Word of God. I realized now that it was becoming a lamp to my feet and
a light to my path (Ps. 119:105).29
The method of observation, interpretation, and application is the basic approach of study
that Dallas Seminary employs and refines in courses of exegesis and communication
employing the grammatical-historical hermeneutic.
This method, consistently and consciously applied, tends to produce results
which accurately reflect what God communicates in Scripture, i.e. authorial intent.
Andrew Kulikovsky is an example of a scholar that thinks the method alone is sufficient:
Many skeptics have complained that the Bible can't tell us anything of any real
value because every person interprets it differently. While this is surely an
overstatement - there is a great deal contained in the Bible that many Bible-
believing Christians do in fact agree on - the reason why there are so many
different interpretations is because interpreters don't follow any sensible or
consistent method. This naturally leads to inaccurate, inconsistent, illogical and
naive interpretations.30
The supposition in such a statement is that one simply needs to apply the right method
consistently and consciously, and he will arrive at the meaning of the text. The problem is
. . . that critical methods can generate a false stance towards scripture as a divine self-
communication because at the heart of it lies a sense of the sublimity of reason, expressed
as a competence and adequacy. . .31 sufficient for understanding. The question is, Can a
method be applied mechanically, dispassionately and objectively? Though this research
embraces the grammatical-historical hermeneutic to set the parameters of meaning for the
text, it should be coupled with a growing self-awareness, nurtured in the presence of the
Holy Spirit, both for personal application of the Scriptures as well as understanding how
one listens to the Scriptures.
29 Hendricks et al., Living By the Book, Foreword.

30 Andrew Kulikovsky, Biblical Hermeneutics, accessed October 5, 2012
http://hermeneutics.kulikovskyonline.net/hermeneutics/hermeneutics.htm. This statement is an example of
this type of thinking.
31 Gert J Malan, Can the Chasms be Bridged? Different Approaches to Bible Reading, HTS
Theologies Studies/Theological Studies 66, no. 1 (2010): 7.
13
The Communication ProcessBy Nature Involves Personality Type
The process of communication involves encoding thought into symbols,
transmitting that message through a medium, and finally decoding the symbols into
thought or meaning. The encoding of a thought into shared symbols (language) and
decoding from shared symbols into thought is a part of what Jungian psychology terms
personality type, perception, and processing. Transmission of a message is not strictly a
mechanical function but has relational and psychological components.
In the process of biblical inspiration, God encodes the message through men
inspired by the Holy Spirit (supervising the process) into language (shared symbols). The
doctrine of inspiration maintains that God can and did supervise this encoding process
through His Spirit in such a way as to accurately communicate His meaning using human
instrumentsreflecting their humanity but not limited by their fallibility. Textual
criticism seeks to affirm that the text has been accurately and consistently preserved and
is therefore reliable. Having received the text, a process of decoding the message into
meaning is necessary. Bible study methods, exegetical tools, and historical context are all
intended to help objectify this process of accurately receiving the meaning of the text.
Corresponding to the Doctrine of Inspiration, the Doctrine of Illumination holds that the
Holy Spirit assists the understanding of the text in a way that reflects and honors the
uniqueness of the individual (which would include but not be limited to the personality
type of the reader). Interpretation is not strictly a mechanical process but has relational
and psychological components consistent with each individuals personality type, which
are utilized under the direction and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
To objectify the process, the hermeneutical circle is employed. The
hermeneutical circle understands that there is an inter-relationship between the words, the
context, the history, the author, and the listeners where each aspect informs the others in a
circular fashion. In the hermeneutical circle, one proceeds through the process of noting
the parts in light of the whole and the whole in light of the parts repeatedly. The intent of
14
this process is that with each successive revolution the student comes closer to the
authorial intent of the text. When this is fully achieved, the interpreter comes to the point
of being able to account for what is in the text, what is not in the text, the arrangement of
the text, the relationship to both the previous and subsequent paragraphs, how it fits into
the larger context of Scripture, and similar issues. In this process, the student seeks to
understand relevance of the differing parts of the text and relationship between those
parts. Teun A. Van Dijk addresses this process:
By relevance in discourse and discourse comprehension, we will understand the

result of an operation by which a reader/hearer, or a method of analysis, assigns
some degree of importance to some property of the discourse. Relevance is a
relative notion. This means that relevance must always be construed with respect
to a certain (con-)text; relevance for a certain speaker or hearer, relevance with
respect to a certain problem, question, etc.32
Training helps guide in the determination of relevance, but people also bring their
personality, values, and perspectives into the process:
. . . the notion of relevance implies (con-)textual contrastiveness; if some

properties of the text are assigned relevance, others by necessity are not given
relevance. We may distinguish between textual and contextual kinds of relevance.
Textual relevance is defined in terms of textual structures, such that certain
structures are assigned a higher degree of relevance than others on general
structural grounds. Contextual relevance is the assignment of a relevance value on
the basis of any kind of contextual criterion, such as the interest, attention,
knowledge, wishes, etc., of the reader. This means that in a psychological process
analysis relevance has a contextual nature, although it involves conventional
knowledge of textual relevance cues (which are part of the language and
communication systems).33
This raises the difficulty. The structure of the text, the choice of genre by the author, the
words employed in the text, and the way phrases are formed and placed all provide clues
to relevance. These aspects, when properly understood and evaluated, make the
interpretation of the text as objective as possible. However, each student brings his own
predispositions, experiences, priorities, and values and gives relevance to various parts of
32 Van Dijk, Relevance Assignment in Discourse Comprehension, 113.
33 Ibid.
15
the text based on those things. The process of interpretation with the interplay of all of
these various elements is not a mechanical process.
In Bible study methods classes, questions about the dynamics between the
tools and the individual using those tools are unanswered. Leslie Francis observes,
. . . getting into the mind of the author was a skill that could not be wholly
described by the rational analysis of textual information. There was also the art of
divination, which defies precise description but which allowed for a certain
intuition on the part of the interpreter. This is akin to getting to know a friend, and
points to a more psychological analysis of the author rather than a rational,
grammatical analysis of the text. . . . This is an important insight that reminds us
that interpretation requires different psychological processes: some are rational,
some are intuitive, some are based on detached analysis and some are based on a
more personal engagement.34
Dr. Francis indicates that the tools are employed by individuals who will employ them in
a somewhat different manner.

The same tools when placed in the hands of unique individuals are used in a
somewhat different manner governed by experience, education, training, gifting,
relationship, and personality type. One question which arises when this is considered is,
How does personality type affect the perception, processing, and organization of biblical
study? As God utilized the uniqueness of the human author under the guidance of the
Spirit in the writing of Scripture (the doctrine of Inspiration), does the reading of
Scripture now become a mechanical process? Governed by the Spirit, does the reading
and study of Scripture not also reflect, honor and utilize the students uniqueness (the
doctrine of Illumination)? Can uniquely different people employ the same tools and
arrive at somewhat different, although not disparate, perspectives, conclusions and points
of resolution while still being faithful to their commitment to honor the text and the
Author? The tools of grammatical-historical interpretation when used properly under the
guidance of the Spirit should not lead to disparate understandings of authorial intent, but
34 Leslie J. Francis and Andrew Village, Preaching: With All Our Souls: a Study in
Hermeneutics and Psychological Type, 1st ed. (London: Continuum, 2008), 15.
16
perhaps they will lead to different perspectives, emphases, and points of resolution in
accordance with the individuals personality type. Self-awareness of how ones
personality predisposes one in the interpretation of the text and how it is applied to life
ought to be part of the interpretive process.
If hermeneutics is the science and theory of interpretation, it should recognize
and address the influence of personality type as it particularly relates to the understanding
of Scripture. Knowing how one perceives and processes the text becomes an advantage.
Understanding that one approaches the text in accordance with personality

predispositions allows the student to realize and benefit from the possibility that others
will come from a perspective which reflects their personality type. All this means the
interpretation of the Word is not a mechanical process, but a relational process wherein
the Spirit relates to each of us, lovingly, graciously and in a way which corresponds to
our uniqueness in unfolding the meaning of the text. Further, the purpose of Gods
communication through the Scripture is relationala call to know and love Him, even as
He loves us. Since biblical communication is ultimately relational, knowing Him and His
heart enables the fullest and truest understanding of Authorial intent.35 Since the goal is
relational, the method also has relational elements, which include the unique personality
type. Understanding what God is communicating is not simply about applying objective
methods of Bible study. Underlying interpretation is a relational dynamic unique to each
person where the Spirit honors the uniqueness of the person using these tools. David
Benner notes this well,
To say that every human being is an other is to say that each is a person with her
or his own unique identity and way of experiencing the world. Ethnicity,
education, culture, religion, and class may make us superficially look like each
other, but in the depth of our subjectivity and in the contours of our soul, we are
absolutely unique.36
35 Lev S. Vygotsky, Thought and Language - Revised Edition, by Alex Kozulin, revised
edition. (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1986), 252253.
17
That two unique individuals with the same set of tools will produce identical results,
knowing God and His thoughts in exactly the same way is unreasonable, because as
important as tools are, they are subject to the hands that employ them and to the Spirits
ministry to unique persons. The conscientious use of the tools ought to preclude disparate
results, but within that sphere of meaning, there may be significant differences which
reflect unique personality types.
Interpretation cannot be divorced from a persons experiences, culture, and
education. These elements are themselves perceived and processed through Jungian
personality types. Unique individual experiences and the evaluation of those experiences
serve to unfold the meaning of the text to the individual through the ministry of the Holy
Spirit. This dynamic influences how details are observed, weighted, and integrated
differently.37 A shepherd will catch nuances, meanings, and implications of Psalm 23,
which might escape another student of the Scriptures. A believer with the aid of the Spirit
comes to the conclusion that God cares for me. He will take care of me. This is the big
idea of Psalm 23, but the details and depth of meaning will vary from individual to
individual based on other characteristics. Being self-aware of what one brings to the text
in terms of education, experience, and cultural helps guard against reading into the text.
Knowing the limits of ones experiences and personality type encourages the student to
benefit from the insights of others.38 Being self-aware of ones personality types
predispositions and limitations can help mitigate interpretation and encourage further
study and supplementation in order to achieve a richer understanding of the text. Being
36 David G. Benner, Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human (Ada, MI:
Brazos Press, 2011), 122.
37 Francis and Village, Preaching, 2733.
38 An example of this type of interpretation is found in George Folarin, The Parable of the
Talents in the African Context: An Enculturation Hermeneutics Approach, Asia Journal of Theology 22 no.
1, (April 2008): 94106.
18
aware of personality type and how that might affect perception, processing, organization,
and proclamation of the text benefits the preacher.
The interpretive process is a combination of: (1) the text, which is fixed;
(2) the Holy Spirit, who works both in the writer superintending to produce that text
according to the doctrine of inspiration and in the reader guiding into all truth according
to the doctrine of illumination, and (3) the reader. The possibility of the Holy Spirit
superintending both the writing and the interpreting of Scripture offers the possibility of
accurately understanding authorial intent and meaning. A tension has arisen recently in
hermeneutics as Village and Francis note,
Biblical hermeneutics has undergone many changes in the last fifty years. The
virtual monopoly of historical-critical studies within academic circles has given
way to a plethora of methods stemming from secular literary methodologies. . .
These methods have increasingly stressed the role of the reader in shaping or
controlling how scripture is interpreted. Biblical interpreters are now increasingly
self-conscious of their social location, especially in terms of gender, ethnicity and
politico-economic status. 39
The danger in such a method and approach is to substitute the students thoughts for
authorial intent. Village and Francis indicate that the emphasis on the students
uniqueness has led to movement away from a hermeneutic which seeks authorial intent:
Theologically, this (growing school of personal or autobiographical hermeneutics)

is a major shift away from hermeneutical criteria that are based largely on rational
understanding or ecclesiastical tradition toward a more individual, pluralistic
approach that stresses the potential for polyvalent, local meaning. The assumption
behind these new approaches is that God communicates through an interaction
between the universal text and the particulars of the individual reader.40
In contrast, the grammatical-historical hermeneutic establishes the boundaries of meaning
and seeks authorial intent. An individual or autobiographical hermeneutic asking, What
39 Andrew Village and Leslie J. Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type

Preferences to Biblical Interpretation, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 18, no. 1 (2005): 74.
40 Ibid., 7475.
19
does the text mean to me? makes interpretation a subjective endeavor.41 Village and
Francis explain,
The historical-critical scholars of the post-enlightenment saw such particularities

or pre-understandings as something that interpreters must move beyond.
Contemporary post-modern scholars embrace the variety and individuality of such
facts and see them as a key element in the creative process of reading.42
Biblical study is not to become a creative process but a relational process of accurately
understanding authorial intent.43 A tension then exists which requires an understanding of
ones self and of the process of communication. The reader brings himself into the
interpretive process but his desire is to discover and know authorial intent (what God was
trying to communicate through the text). God has a clear message to communicate;
however, the reader brings something into the process of interpretation. In order to
properly interpret, the reader must become self-aware, understanding how his background
and personality may be affecting his interpretation. A lack of self-awareness can result in
confusion between what is meant and what is heard. Self-awareness allows the
contemplation of how one hears and consequently enables the reader to pursue authorial
intent.
This kind of self-awareness is not developed easily. Often, a student is
unaware of the importance of self-awareness. A teacher ideally equips the student with
the tools of study and helps integrate self-awareness into his study. To return to the
picture of the violin virtuoso presented previously, no virtuoso is self-taught. It is not
enough for a violin teacher to teach the student what the notes on the page represent (the
pitch and duration) and the corresponding position of the fingers on the neck of the violin
to produce such tones. The master violin teacher teaches how to flow from note to note
41 Compare Appendix B.

Preferences to Biblical Interpretation, 75.
43 Elliot Johnson, Expository Hermeneutics: An Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

1999), 23. See also Appendix B
20
(phrasing, dynamics and tempo). To produce a true virtuoso, however, the teacher must
take into account the uniqueness of the student, his physical attributes, such as hand size,
strength, and posture teaching him to harness each part of his uniqueness to more fully
capture and express the composers music. Often, teachers of Bible study techniques and
homiletics have focused primarily on the tools, which are the initial and essential
elements, but they neglect developing and addressing the need for self-awareness of the
uniqueness of the student.
This paper maintains that self-awareness is a necessary part of a

comprehensive hermeneutical process, which ought to be addressed consciously. Ferris
Jabr provides a working definition of self-awareness:
Humans are more than just conscious; they are also self-aware. Scientists differ on
how they distinguish between consciousness and self-awareness, but here is one
common distinction: consciousness is awareness of your body and your
environment; self-awareness is recognition of that consciousness--not only
understanding that you exist but further comprehending that you are aware of
your existence. Another way of considering it: to be conscious is to think; to be
self-aware is to realize that you are a thinking being and to think about your
thoughts.44 (italics mine)
The interpreter of Scripture must not only have the tools necessary for a proper
exploration of the text (grammar, history, text, hermeneutic cycle listed above) but also
know himself (self-awareness, to think about his thoughts), which affects how he is
utilizing those tools. This self-awareness includes not only his spiritual condition but also
an awareness of his personality type, his experience, his present life circumstances, and
how these elements affect his ability to listen, discern, and understand the text with the
aid of the Spirit.
Recent studies have begun to recognize that a persons personality type affects
the interpretive process. While psychological type is not the only factor, it informs other
44 Ferris Jabr, Scientific American Mind (New York: Scientific American, 2012), 11.
21
factors according to Village and Francis.45 Jung and others following in his footsteps
recognize that each individual has a unique psychological type pattern with which he
perceives (Sensing or Intuitive), processes (Feeling or Thinking), and responds to his
environment (Judging or Perceiving), which influences not only his activity in the
material world but also his spiritual activity.46 Each individual is predisposed by his
personality type to observe certain elements of the text rather than others, to weight
certain elements of the text heavier than others and to organize and respond in a way
generally consistent with his personality type.47 This is generally done at a subconscious
level.48 If this dynamic is allowed to function at the subconscious level, not understanding
both the limitations and the impact of such a dynamic, a person may fail to explore and
understand the text fully. Therefore, self-awareness of how Jungian personality type
affects these processes of understanding is advantageous.

Rationale
The student of the Bible desires to understand what God yearns to
communicate. The student, given tools of study, must be self-aware of how his
uniqueness influences the use of those tools in the interpretive process and ultimately in
the sermon that he preaches. To provide him with tools of exegesis, study methods, and
research techniques without calling him to such a conscious self-awareness gives a partial
picture for how he should study and communicate the Word of God.

Preferences to Biblical Interpretation, JET 18, no. 1 (n.d.): 78.
46 Chester P. Michael and Marie C. Morrissey, Prayer and Temperament. Revised ed.
(Charlottesville, VA: The Open Door, Inc., 1985; 2007), 34.
47 Andrew Village, The Influence of Psychological Type Preferences on Readers Trying to

Imagine Themselves in a New Testament Story, HTS Theologies Studies/Theological Studies 65, no. 1
(n.d.): 2.
48 Leslie J. Francis, Amanda Robbins, and Andrew Village, Psychological Type and The
Pulpit: an Empirical Enquiry Concerning Preachers and the SIFT Method of Biblical Hermeneutics, HTS
Theologies Studies/Theological Studies 65, no. 1 (n.d.): 2.
22
Recent research indicates that a persons personality type (as expressed by
Jungian psychological type theory) influences a persons hermeneutical approach to
Scripture. The way a person perceives (reflected in the Intuitive or Sensing functions), the
way the person processes and evaluates (reflected in the Thinking or the Feeling
functions),0 and the way a person organizes and responds (reflected in the Perceiving or
Judging functions) predisposes an individual to approach, interpret, and proclaim the text
in a way consistent with his dominant personality type. Further research, however, also
indicates that though there is a predisposition to approach the text from dominant
personality type functions, it is possible to both appreciate and develop the ability to
approach the text from a fuller perspective.0
This study seeks to determine if there is a significant correlation between a
dominant Sensing personality type (as defined by Jung and measured by the Keirsey
Temperament Sorter) and the presentation of the pastors sermon. I have purposely used
the Sensing function as the focus of the personality type for this research. To understand
the difference of the Sensing type, it will be compared and contrasted with the Intuitive,
the Feeling, and the Thinking personality type dimensions. If a correlation can be
affirmed (that is, that the Sensing does preach significantly differently than the Intuitive),
then self-awareness of ones personality type and its influences on the interpretive
process is important for those seeking to effectively preach. A pastor, knowing the
strengths and weaknesses of his dominant psychological type, could then compensate by
strengthening those lesser functions.

Problem Statement
This research seeks to determine whether or not there is a significant
difference in how a person with a dominant Sensing function (as defined by Jung and
measured by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter) presents a passage of Scripture in a
0 Ibid., 97.
23
sermon from those that do not have a dominant Sensing function (utilizing the LIWC
program for statistical analysis).

Research Question
The research question is: Does a preacher with a dominant Sensing function
(as defined by Jung and measured by Keirsey Temperament Sorter) preach in a
significantly different way than those that do not have a dominant Sensing function?
Hypotheses
Personality types, as defined by Jung and measured by the Keirsey
Temperament Sorter, significantly influence the way a preacher presents the material
from the biblical text in his sermons. The following are the hypotheses for this research:
1. A preacher with a dominant Sensing type, as defined by Jungian psychology, will
be more detail focused in the presentation of the sermon than a preacher with a
dominant Intuitive function (as defined by Jungian psychology).
be less relationship oriented in the presentation of his sermon than a preacher with
a dominant Feeling function (as defined by Jungian psychology).
be less theological oriented in the presentation of his sermon than a preacher with
a dominant Thinking function (as defined by Jungian psychology).

Preview of Remaining Chapters
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 will be the previous research and literature review. In this chapter
the importance for self-awareness in the hermeneutical process, in the process of sermon
preparation, and in the presentation of the sermon will be explored theologically and
practically. Jungs theory of personality types and how it relates to the hermeneutical
process will be explained. An exploration of current thought and studies relating Jungs
theory and what current research indicates in relation to the perceiving, processing, and
presentation of the text will be examined. In addition, a discussion of current research

24
regarding the construction of meaning using function words which lays the foundation for
using the LIWC program for analysis of sermons. Research indicates that function words
reflect the way the text is perceived, processed, and then proclaimed.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 will explain why the different instruments for this research were
chosen as well as how the subjects of the study were recruited. This research seeks to
correlate personality type with the text of the sermons. The analysis of the text of the
sermons utilized the computer program developed by Pennebaker (Linguistic Inquiry and
Word Count, LIWC). The LIWC program was developed to analyze word usage and how
it reflects various aspects and dimensions of a persons inner psychology. The
methodology for this research will then be presented.
1. Recruit a group of students from Dallas Seminary homiletics classes and
determine their dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior types using the Keirsey
tool. Separate the group into dominant Sensing and non-dominant Sensing groups
(as defined by Jung and measured by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter).
2. Acquire a sermon from each student in manuscript form.
3. Utilize LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Software) to analyze the
manuscripted sermon of each to determine if a correlation between a dominant
Sensing psychological type was reflected in and significantly different from that
of the non-dominant Sensing group.

Chapter 4
Chapter four will be an evaluation and correlation of the research data. The
hypothesis of the research will be examined and possible implications for the preacher
will be explored. If a significant difference exists between the way a dominant Sensing
individual and non-dominant Sensing individual presents his sermon there will be a need
for future and further study and exploration.

25
Chapter 5
Chapter five will include a summary of results and conclusions as well as a discussion of
the limitations of this research and suggestions for further research.

CHAPTER2
PREVIOUSRESEARCHANDLITERATUREREVIEW
Introduction
Little has been researched or written about the relationship between the
preachers personality (as defined by Jungian psychology) and the presentation of a

sermon. Each of these pursuits, psychology and homiletics, has its own terrain and area
of study which seldom overlap. They have differing starting points and destinations.
They have differing presuppositions and practices. They often view truth differently.
Psychology is more internal, personal and subjective. Homiletics is intended for
proclamation of truth to groups. It is small wonder that so little has been written, at least
from a conservative perspective, on the relationship between psychology in general and
Jungian personality type in particular and preaching. Nevertheless, it seems that
understanding the way an individual perceives and processes information with a view to
proclaiming Gods Word should encourage these two, Jungian personality type and
preaching, to work together. The subjects of this study were all students in preaching
class at Dallas Seminary and consequently held to the verbal, plenary, inspiration view of
Scripture. They were taught to use the same grammatical, historical hermeneutic
approach to Scripture. They received a similar set of tools for their analysis of the text.
The objective of this study is to see whether students, with the same view of Scripture,
the same approach to Scripture and the same tools proclaim the text in a way that reflects
their Jungian personality predispositions. If that is indicated, then it follows that the
studies of hermeneutics and of homiletics should not only address the tools and methods
employed but also should help the student take into account his unique personality type
predispositions. This requires self-awareness.
This chapter develops a number of intertwining themes. The movement of
thought in this chapter is:
1. The ability to be self-aware is part of the image of God and beneficial in our
interaction with God. A theological foundation and explanation of self-awareness
will be laid out for the reader.
2. There are various aspects of self-awareness which affect our relationship with
God and our ability to listen to His voice in the text. These aspects involve ones
spiritual condition, ones experience and history and ones personality type (how
he is wired).
3. Self-awareness of personality types, as one of those aspects, ought to be part of
our interaction with both the text and the Author. Personality types, as defined and
developed by Jung give insight into the processes of observation, interpretation
and application of Scripture.
4. Our personality types do influence the way that we communicate, both the way
we process information and the way that we convey thought (preach). Our
personality types are reflected in our word choice and the way we organize
material.
The student and preacher brings these four elements together experientiallyeither
consciously or unconsciously. A conscious awareness of the interaction of these elements
allows the preacher to more faithfully discover and proclaim Gods intended message.
The Theological Basis for Self-awareness
The ability of an individual to communicate with another in a meaningful way
depends on shared characteristics. The shared characteristics between God (Creator) and
man (created) are those qualities that are part of the image of God.0 In the beginning,
God states and lays great emphasis on the fact that man is created in the image of God:
Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the
earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male
and female he created them. (Gen 1:26-27)
Being made in the image of God not only sets man apart from the rest of creation but
conveys upon man the ability to commune and communicate with God.0 The concept of
the image of God, implied or expressed, underlies all revelation. . . .0 Man was the
climax of the Creation account, and his creation was unlike any other of Gods creative
acts. Bruce Waltke explains the dynamics in the Genesis account of the creation of man
saying,
Whereas the plot represents God as commanding the earth to produce plant life
and animal life, it represents God as creating humanity ex nihilo, like the light.
The second plot, however, qualifies the story. In that representation of the event,
God uses the ground to make the human body, but human life comes directly from
God, and so does its nature and function as the image of God. In sum, the
narrators style matches the grandeur of the subject matter: God creates ex nihilo
humankind as his vice-regents to rule all the earth.0
0 Clines, in this article, traces the history of the interpretation of the phrase image of God
indicating that often the interpretation reflected the age. For instance, for Ambrose, the image was the soul;
for Athanasius, rationality; for Augustine, under the influence of trinitarianism, the triune faculties of the
soul, memoria, intellectus, amor and so on. Clines reflects the struggle saying, It appears that scholarship
has reached something of an impasse over the problem of the image, in that different starting-points, all of
which seem to be legitimate, lead to different conclusions. If one begins from the philological evidence, the
image is defined in physical terms. If we begin from the in corporeality of God, the image cannot include
the body of man. If we begin with the Hebrew conception of mans nature as a unity, we cannot separate, in
such a fundamental sentence about man, the spiritual part of man from the physical. The image has been
associated with dominion and with relationship. D.J.A. Clines, The Image of God in Man, Tyndale
Bulletin 19 (1968): 53103, accessed November 19, 2014,
http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1968_19_03_Clines_ImageOfGodInMan.pdf.
0 God has known and communicated within the Godhead. The image of God, then, in part, is
that ability to know and communicate with God.
0 Charles Lee Feinberg, The Image of God, Bibliotheca sacra 129 (1972): 236.
0 Bruce K. Waltke and Charles Yu, An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical,
and Thematic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 212.
The image of God, according to Feinberg, is then what . . . differentiates man from the
lower creation. . . . It has in mind the will, freedom of choice, self-consciousness (italics
mine), self-transcendence, self-determination, rationality, mortality and spirituality of
man. The ability to know and love God must stand forth prominently in any attempt to
ascertain precisely what the image of God is.0 This self-consciousness sets men, made in
the image of God, apart from the rest of creation and is seen as a facet of the image of
God by Feinberg. Waltke and Yu add, Human beings are theomorphic, that is, made in
Gods image, so that they might understand and commune with God.0 Man, created in
the image of God, has both an ability to be self-conscious and consciously aware of what
God is communicating. This underlies the possibility of revelation by God to mankind. In
possessing his own life, man is distinct with respect to God which is necessary for
communication: The breath of Jehovah imparts to man the life which is his own and
awakens him to conscious possession of it.0 Feinberg, in The Image of God, refers to
both the personality and the self-consciousness of man as part of the image of God.0 Man,
therefore, created in the image of God, can be self-conscious, relational, and distinct from
God. These qualities are necessary conditions for communication and relationship. This
study is not to explore fully all that is meant by the image of God but to recognize that
Gods image involves the ability for man to know and to be known in a fundamental
way.0
0 Feinberg, The Image of God, 246.
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 193.
0 Ibid., 241.
0 D.J.A. Clines, The Image of God in Man, Tyndale Bulletin 19 (1968): 53103, accessed
November 19, 2014,
http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1968_19_03_Clines_ImageOfGodInMan.pdf.
Man, Created in Gods Image can be Self-Aware
God is self-aware. Self-awareness underlies His revelation of Himself in
Exodus 3 where God introduces Himself to Moses in the burning bush. He reveals
Himself in Scripture as I AM:
Then Moses said to God, Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say
to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they may say to me,
What is his name? Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, I AM
WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to
you. (Exod. 3:13-14)
Waltke gives insight into this revelation to Moses:
Names in the ancient Near East provide insights into the nature, character,
prospect, hope and destiny of the person bearing the label; they are not merely
euphemistic labels of identification, as is often the case in our culture. William
Sanford LaSor says that a persons name is based closely with a persons
existence, representing and expressing his or her character and personality. To
learn a persons name is to enter (into) a relationship with his very being.0
Waltke explains the significance of this passage:
The inanimate pronoun mah semeka (lit., What is your name?) seeks the
meaning of the name (Gen. 32:28).It should not surprise us to find that Moses
uses mah rather than mi in the pivotal text, asking mah semo (What is the
meaning of his name?). Within the context of the narrative, Moses is really
anticipating this question from the Israelites: Given all the suffering we have
been through, what does I AM mean anyway?0
Having a name in relationship indicates He is not an impersonal force, and disclosing His
name is to make Himself known and accessible.0 It is both a name, which speaks of
mystery, and a refusal to be named, more descriptive of what He is.0 I AM is both a
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 359. The concept of entering into relationship
is vital. In relationship, people learn about others and about themselves. Relationship is not a mechanical
process reduced to exegetical methods and tools, but interaction on a psychological, spiritual level.
0 Ibid., 365.
0 The concept of calling on the name of the LORD is not about the name being some
magical incantation, but a summoning to come and help. The first instance of calling on the name of the
LORD is recorded in Genesis 4:26, but then it is throughout the Old Testament (Gen 13:4, 1 Kgs 18:24, Ps
116:4, Zeph 3:9 and in the New Testament (Acts 2:21, 1 Cor 1:2, Rom 10:13).
0 In knowing Gods name, people come to know Him more intimately. In knowing Him as I
AM, people also come to know themselves as not I AM. In relationship, people come to know themselves.
complete sentence holding mystery and an incomplete sentence waiting for
complementary words, which reveal more of Him: The sense of Gods name suggests
his pragmatic presence. This sense of Gods being can be captured in the English phrase
I am who I am for you.0 I AM is a statement of self-existence, of immutability, of
eternity and of relationship.0 Each word complement appended to I AM adds a new facet
of His being in relationship to us.0 God, being self-aware, reveals Himself in a relational
way.
I AM inherently carries the thought of self-awareness. God does not discover

Himself. He does not learn things about Himself that He did not know (although He
reveals things about Himself in relationship which may not have been previously
revealed). He is eternally self-aware. Self-awareness is presupposed as the foundation of
revealing Himself, of initiating relationship and of communication.
As God is self-aware, man created in the image of God has the capacity to be
self-awareto understand not simply how the world works but to understand how he
works.0 Self-awareness aids in the process of understanding and responding relationally
to God.0 John Calvin notes, The knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 366.
0 Relationship is a psychological interaction with recognition that a difference exists between

knowing about an individual and knowing the person.
0 Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself with the complementary words He adds to
Tetragrammaton, to I AM. In the Old Testament complements like, Jehovah Jireh (Yahweh will provide,
Gen 22:11-14), Jehovah Rapha (Yahweh who heals, Exod 15:26), Jehovah nissi (Yahweh my banner, Exod
17:16), and Jehovah-mekoddishkem (Yahweh who sanctifies you, Exod 31:12). Complements are added
either by words (as in the Gospel of John, I AM the light . . . the bread of life . . . the way, the truth and the
life . . .) or by using the I AM in a narrative showing what He is to people in relationship.
0 Oswald Chambers comments, God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ
Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-
examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the
completeness of our life in God and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil
in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being
dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. He seems to suggest that self-awareness is contrary to
Gods design for us. This is in contrast with the statements of Augustine (Grant Lord, that I may know
bound together by a mutual tie, [but we must] treat of the former in the first place, and
then descend to the latter. It is in our self-awareness that we in turn can respond to Him.0
Self-awareness is necessary for an I-Thou0 relationship.0 David expresses self-
awareness in Psalm 42: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed
within me? The Apostle John refers to this need for self-awareness in confession (1 John
1:9). The Apostle Peter alludes to self-awareness in personal growth (2 Pet 1:5-9). Unlike
God, who is eternal and fully self-aware, man grows in self-awareness through
relationship.0 God revealing Himself in relationship affects how people think about
themselves and consequently promotes their self-awareness. The principle is, In Thy
light we see light (Ps 36:9).

The Realms of Self-Awareness
Interpretation and proclamation of the Word of God is a process of personal
communicationfirst from the Author to the preacher and then from the preacher to the
congregation. Many aspects of this communicationaspects of the Author, aspects of the
audience, and aspects of the preachermust combine to communicate the Word in a
myself that I may know Thee), Thomas a Kempis (a humble self-knowledge is the surer way to God than
a search deep learning) and John Calvin (There is no deep knowing of God without a deep knowing of
self and no deep knowing of self without a deep knowing of God). Self-awareness is to be differentiated
from an introspection (self-focus) which is self-centered. Self-centeredness is focusing on ones self to the
exclusion of other things. Self-awareness is the awareness of what is taking place within ones self in a
neutral, observing way. It is seeing ones self from Gods perspective. The Psalmist said, Search me, O
God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me . . .
With Gods help, people can pray about their condition, circumstances, and concerns. Oswald Chambers,
My Utmost for His Highest (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Books, 2000).
0 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Revised ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson
Publishers, Inc., 2007), 1.1.23.
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 75. Though Waltke uses this I-Thou language
to explain how the neo-orthodox theologically approach Scripture. This is not the way it is used in this
paper, but in reading the Bible, there are two distinct, real personsthe reader and God.
0 Corinne Ware, Discover Your Spiritual Type (Bethesda, MD: The Alban Institute, 1995), 6.
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 82. Understanding rooted in the heart does
include the intellect, will, and emotions; it concerns the whole person... If Scripture is the reconciling love
letter from the living God, then understanding Gods message is more than a matter of the head; it concerns
the heart, person to person.
powerful, meaningful way. This research is focusing on the preacher primarily and the
conviction that self-awareness is an essential element in understanding and effectively
proclaiming Gods truth. This self-awareness broadly takes place in three arenas:
(1) the individuals spiritual condition; (2) the personal history and experience; and
finally, (3) how the individual uniquely listenshis personality type.

Self-Awareness of our Spiritual Condition is Essential in the Preparation and
Delivery of a Sermon
Peoples spiritual condition affects their comprehension. Man, though created
in the image of God and capable of self-awareness, is a fallen creature,0 which
consequently affects his ability to know and understand both himself0 and Gods truth.0
The church has focused extensively on the affects sin has on an individuals relationship
with God, his ability to listen to God and his ability to obey God. Edwards points out,
Insufficient understanding of Gods truth is a consequence of sin. Sin inhibits our

ability to fully interpret Scripture. Sin clouds our vision and injects unconscious
0 Louis Berkhof, The History of Christian Doctrines (Edinburgh, Scotland: Banner of Truth
Trust, 1969), 131136. Berkhof summarizes the Augustinian and Pelagian doctrines saying, According to
Pelagius, Adam, as he was created by God was not endowed with positive holiness. His original condition
was one of neutrality, neither holy nor sinful, but with a capacity for both good and evil. He had a free and
entirely undetermined will, which enabled him to choose with equal facility either of these alternatives. . . .
His fall into sin injured no one but himself, and left human nature unimpaired for good. There is no
hereditary transmission of a sinful nature or of guilt, and consequently no such thing as original sin. Man is
still born in the same condition in which Adam was before the fall. . . . [Augustine counters] Through the
organic connection between Adam and his descendants, the former transmits his fallen nature, with the guilt
and corruption attaching to it, to his posterity. . . . As a result of sin man is totally depraved and unable to
do any spiritual good. . . . The operation of the Holy Spirit is necessary, not merely for the purpose of
supplying a deficiency, but for the complete renewal of the inner disposition of man . . . Semi-Pelagianism
made the futile attempt to steer clear of all difficulties by giving a place to both divine grace and human
will as co-ordinate factors in the renewal of man, and by basing predestination on foreseen faith and
obedience. It did not deny human corruption, but regarded the nature of man as weakened or diseased
rather than as fatally injured by the fall.
0 Psychology has learned that man has a tendency toward mental protection. That is, he
thinks with defense mechanisms which are not true to what is existentially true. Some of these mechanisms
are rationalization, projection, sublimation, reaction formation, displacement, denial, and regression. All of
these defense mechanisms are alterations of the reality to protect the self. Chapter 8: Personality Theories
Psychoanalytic Theory: 282-83, accessed December 26, 2014,
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/1530/1567154/278-316_CH08_61939.pdf.
0 Sin made man aware of his nakedness (Gen 3:8-11). Sin, however, also brought about
spiritual death and made awareness of the spiritual dimension of man impossible without the work of the
Holy Spiritthrough His inspiration of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17); through His convicting ministry (John
16:8-9); through His illuminating ministry (John 16:13).
presuppositions that bias our understanding of Scripture. Only the Spirit can
overcome these noetic effects of sin.0
Similarly, Calvin affirms that being self-aware of ones spiritual condition is essential
before approaching the text of Scripture0:
For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and
wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice,
vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to
ourselves only, and not to the Lord also he being the only standard by the
application of which this conviction can be produced. For since we are all
naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite
enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself So long as we do not look
beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and
virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than
demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect
what kind of being he is what formerly delighted us by its false show of
righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity.0
Both Edwards and Calvin indicate that a persons spiritual condition affects his ability to
know and understand the Bible. Self-awareness of ones spiritual condition helps a person
deal with the sin in his life and enables him to listen to the text.0
Ministry is to be conducted in the presence of Godfrom study to
proclamation of the text.0 When dwelling in Gods presence, listening to His voice
through His Word, believers come to a self-awareness of both His holiness and their
sinfulness, even as Isaiah experienced:
0 J. Kent Edwards, Deep Preaching: Creating Sermons that Go Beyond the Superficial
(Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2009), 7778.
0 Mike Johnson, Toward a Reformed Theology of Self-Awareness Network (September

2011), accessed September 29, 2012, http://network.crcna.org/content/pastors/toward-reformed-theology-
self-awareness.
0 Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.1.2.
0 A student, as he picks up the Scripture and begins to study, should always begin with prayer
of confession for known sin, of thanksgiving for receiving blessing, and of the need of wisdom as he opens
the text. The only way to understand Gods Word is with Gods presence. Sin affects the presence of God.
0 The preacher ought to be conscious that he is both standing before the Lord and before the
Lords people as he preaches the Word. 1 Kings 17:1 refers to Elijah as he stands before King Ahab: As
the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand . . .
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD sitting on a throne, lofty and
exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him,
each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his
feet and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts,
the whole earth is full of His glory.
And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called
out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then said I,
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips
and I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
God reveals Himself to Isaiah. Isaiah in Gods presence sees himself more accurately as a
sinner in need of cleansing. Much of human knowledge is comparative. For example, the
only way to understand the light is in the context of darkness; tall is measured in relation
to small; warm is understood in contrast to cold. When Isaiah beheld the LORD, he had a
reference point by which to understand and see himself more accurately. In His presence,
believers have the greatest opportunity and potential to be most self-aware of their
spiritual condition. Consciously spending time in Gods presence allows the preacher to
hear Gods voice, to see Gods glory, and to see himself. Pastors would escape the snare
of pride if they spent time before Him.

Self-Awareness of Our History and Experience is Essential in the Preparation and
Delivery of a Sermon
As sin affects a persons ability to understand what God is saying in the text,
other factors also affect his ability to understand the text. Personal history and experience
potentially can affect the way that a person understands the text. A self-awareness of this
helps a person to evaluate how he is interpretingwhether he is reading his thoughts,
experiences, and culture into the text or whether he allows the text to speak.0 Marten H.
0 Americans and Europeans stand out from the rest of the world for our sense of ourselves as
individuals. We like to think of ourselves as unique, autonomous, self-motivated, self-made . . . People in
the rest of the world are more likely to understand themselves as interwoven with other peopleas
interdependent, not independent. . . . The social psychologist Richard E. Nisbett and his colleagues found
that these different orientations toward independence and interdependence affected cognitive processing.
T. M. Luhrmann, Why Are Some Cultures More Individualistic Than Others?, The New York Times,
December 3, 2014, accessed December 5, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/opinion/why-are-
some-cultures-more-individualistic-than-others.html.
Woudstra in his presentation, Critique of Liberation Theology by a Cross-Culturalized
Calvinist,0 demonstrates the importance of self-awareness of ones personal history and
experience and how that influences interpretation. Woudstra recounts how his life
experience impacted his perspectives saying,
These two movements [in the Netherlands, the separatist movement and also a
movement which addressed social, political and economic concerns
spearheaded by Abraham Kuyper] helped shape the community in which I
grew up, and they also had a profound effect on me personally. . . . One
could say that the life-style of my home was marked by a considerable
emphasis on separation. . . . Yet the outlook of my community was far from
individualistic. There was, among other things, the emphasis on the covenant
to which believers and their children were thought to belong. This kept us
from having an atomized view of the Christian community. . . . The various
godly influences within the home and the Christian church and community
created in me the desire to be a follower of Jesus.0
While recognizing that life experiences can have a beneficial effect on the individual,
Woudstra recognizes that ones personal history has the potential to govern
interpretation as he addressed liberation theology:
The true test of the liberation movement is not whether this movement agrees
with one's personal background and inclinations or whether it conforms to the
doctrinal tenets he or she has learned from childhood. The real test lies in its
conformity to the Word of God rightly understood. This is why the
hermeneutical question continues to be of primary importance . . . Evangelical
scholars, in their evaluation of liberation theology, have rightly pointed out
that the hermeneutics of this theology is a hermeneutics of history rather than
Scripture. It is a hermeneutics of the world instead of the Word. History is
seen [for liberation theology] as the key to hermeneutics.0
To be consciously aware of how ones personal history and experience affects his
perception allows him more easily to separate what he brings to the text from the
0 Marten H. Woudstra, A Critique of Liberation Theology by a Cross-Culturalized

Calvinist, Jets 23, no. 1 (1980): 3-12, accessed November 20, 2014, http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-
PDFs/23/23-1/23-1-pp003-012_JETS.pdf.
0 Ibid., 56.
0 Ibid., 7.
authorial meaning of the text.0 In other words, although a person cannot escape his
life experience, self-awareness allows him to understand the tendencies of his life
experience to color interpretations. While people recognize their life experiences,
they should affirm an unwavering commitment to pursue authorial intent through a
grammatical-historical hermeneutic.
Self-Awareness of Our Personality Type is Essential in the Preparation and Delivery

of a Sermon.
Besides an individuals spiritual condition and his personal history and
experience, a persons personality type as defined by Jungian psychology also
influences a persons perception and processing of the text. A persons spiritual
condition affects the degree to which he sees.0 His life history affects the perspective
from which he sees. His personality type affects how he sees. Self-awareness of what
a person brings into relational communication (condition, experience, and personality)
enables him to understand more accurately what the other is saying--understanding his
thoughts, feelings, and motivations.0 Dominant personality types, as defined in Jungian
0 S. Michael Craven, Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity

(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2009), 27.
0 Jesus explains this dynamic of knowing the Author and understanding, believing, and
responding to His Word in John 8:12-47. In this passage, He informs them of their spiritual condition and
destiny (8:21, 23). Even when told, they are unable to understand and grasp the truth wondering about
peripheral issues of where He is going, His earthly father, and similar issues. Jesus explains that their lack
of spiritual self-awareness and inability to understand are because of their lack of relationship with the
Father (8:47). Though all sin affects the ability to listen to Gods voice, not every sin affects in the same
way or to the same degree. That is why it is so important to deal with sin individually confessing each sin,
seeing each sin from Gods perspective (1 John 1:9). In seeing sin truly from Gods perspective
(confession=saying the same thing about), a person can examine the root cause, the choices a person
made along the way from temptation to overt act (Jas 1), the consequences both to a persons relationship
with God and in the lives of others.
0 The construct of self-awareness has been taken up by a wide array of academic disciplines,
suggesting that self-awareness may explain variance in a number of domains. Although definitions vary,
self-awareness is an inwardly-focused evaluative process in which individuals make self/standard
comparisons with the goal of better self-knowledge and improvement. Self-awareness is an evaluating
process of comparisonrelationship provides that with which to compare. Greg C. Ashley and Roni Reiter-
Palmon Uni, Self-Awareness and the Evolution of Leaders: The Need for a Better Measure of Self-
Awareness, Journal of Behavioral & Applied Management 14, no. 1 (Sep 2012): 2.
psychology, predispose an individual to perceive, process, organize, and present material
in a predictable way. Self-awareness of this enables one to trace how he arrives at
understanding the text and to adjudicate the process through self-awareness.

Summary
Each area of self-awareness impacts ones ability to listen and then to
proclaim Gods message. Each area must be given conscious attention with a view to
responding appropriately. For the student of Scripture to acknowledge that he is a sinner
is not enoughthe student must deal with his sin in a biblical fashion so that he might
then attend without impairment to the voice of God. Similarly, being self-aware of ones
history and experience, tracing Gods hand as He has led the student in paths of life, gives
him a confidence in Gods presence and involvement at each stage of life. It enables one
to realize that just as God has uniquely worked in his life, He uniquely works in other
believersnever growing any two people exactly the same way. Being self-aware of the
path that ones life has taken allows him to draw on experience without confusing that
with the meaning of Scripture. Being self-aware of how one receives and then processes
information enables an individual to evaluate his study and to supplement his study with
the insights of others.

The Interpretive Process and Personality Types
In the interpretive process, self-awareness allows one to consciously
differentiate between what one is bringing to the text and the critical study of the text.
Critical study requires the student to use the tools of grammatical-historical hermeneutics
in the pursuit of authorial intent. The grammatical-historical hermeneutic provides
limiting factors which control the boundaries of meaning (the meaning cannot be
inconsistent with the rules of interpretation). Into this process, each student brings
himself.0 David Barr explains this process saying,
0 Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, Crucial Conversations
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011), 93116.
. . . the interplay between text and reader is a dynamic interplay between the
fixed and the variable: Two people gazing at the night sky may both be looking at
the same collection of stars, but one will see the image of a plough, and the other
will make out a dipper. The stars in a literary text are fixed; the lines that join
them are variable. The incidents depicted in a text are like the fixed stars of the
heavens, objectively available to all. But the constellations depend on our
observations. One observer draws lines between these two; another between
those. The metaphor would be more compelling if one believed that the stars were
placed with purpose by some grand artist who was trying to tell us something. But
even so, it reminds us that the construction of meaning is neither an objective nor
a subjective process; it is both.0
Rather than imposing some pattern upon the text as one would impose a pattern on the
stars, readers seek to discern the patterns and meaning that the Divine Author intended
through the process of inspiration. The doctrine of inspiration that Dallas Seminary
affirms maintains that the text of Scripture is unlike any other writingthe message is
both personal (2 Tim 3:16), powerful (Heb. 4:12) and purposeful (Isa 55:11).0 The Holy
Spirit is available as a personal guide into all truth (John 16:13). Though a unique,
personal, and spiritual dynamic exists in the text, the student of Scripture is still required
to study the text prayerfully, not in a mechanical way but in a relational way diligently
seeking to listen and to understand the One that is desiring to communicate. In this
process of diligent study (listening to the Author and to His heart), there are
psychological activities of gathering information, often weighing what is said or not said
and the relative importance. Such activities require the use of prayerful intuition, not
simply observation. This gathering and weighing potentially reflects beliefs, prejudices,
education, and habits.0 Often, a person hears and sees what he wants to hear or expects to
0 David L. Barr, Using Plot to Discern Structure in Johns Apocalypse, Proceedings of the
Eastern Great Lakes and Mid-West Biblical Societies 15 (1995): 23-33, accessed October 11, 2013,
www.wright.edu/~dbarr/plotrev.htm.
0 A. W. Tozer, Gods Pursuit of Man (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread Publishers, 2007), 7980.
Tozer argues against the individual employing his intellect alone without the involvement of the Spirit
saying, The belief that the human mind is the supreme authority in the judgment of truth. . . is confidence
in the ability of the human mind to do that which the Bible declares it was never created to do and
consequently is incapable of doing.
0 Andrew Village and Leslie J. Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type Preferences
to Biblical Interpretation, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 18, no. 1 (2005): 78; Timothy J.
Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Grand Rapids, MI:
see rather than what is actually written. An accurate self-awareness helps reveal these
potential problem areas. In addition to gathering, the psychological function of organizing
sensory information is a personal process.0 This process of gathering and organizing is
not done apart from a personal God seeking to communicate clearly to the reader.0
Readers are called upon to perceive (utilizing the Sensing function) the objective details
of the passage and then combine them to convey meaning (utilizing the Intuitive, Feeling
and Thinking functions).0 Vygotsky notes the dynamics of meaning saying, A word in a
context means both more and less than the same word in isolation; more, because it
acquires new context; less, because its meaning is limited and narrowed by the context.0
The context of Scripture is not simply grammatical or historical, but ultimately Authorial0
and personal.0
Zondervan, 2012). Keller makes extensive reference to the fact that people bring a great deal of their own
experience and perspective into the process of not only understanding Scripture but communicating
Scripture. He develops, throughout his book, the need to be aware of ones theological and experiential
predispositions, knowing both their strengths and their limitations. What he says about theological and
experiential predispositions applies equally to personality predispositions.
0 David G. Benner, Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human (Ada, MI:
Brazos Press, 2011), 98.
0 Underlying the Scripture is the fact that God desires to communicate. In that desire to
communicate and to encourage people to listen attentively to His voice, He blesses with wisdom (Prov 1),
with blessing (Rev 1), with peace (Ps 1). He creates hunger in the soul to hear the voice of God and
experience His presence and those two cannot be separated (Ps 42). As the student comes to Scripture, he
ought to come with the conviction that God wants to communicate to him and talk to him about his life.
Bible study and reading is not simply reading a love letter God has written to you. It is reading that love
letter in the presence of the Beloved.
0 In the observation process, the student must see what is said and what is not said, how it is
said and in what context. The observer does not have the benefit of tone of voice or of body language,
which often provides a clarifying aspect of interpretation. With the raw material of written language, the
benefit of methods and experience, the input of others studies and insights, he is required to weigh and
organize the words and phrases into meaning and understanding.
0 Lev S. Vygotsky, Thought and Language, ed. Alex Kozulin, revised edition (Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press, 1986), 245.
0 Edwards notes, The Holy Spirit is not only personally involved in the inspired writing of
the Holy Writ, but He continues to personally help His children comprehend what He wrote. He inspired
Scripture in the past and illuminates it in the present. J. Kent Edwards, Deep Preaching: Creating
Sermons That Go beyond the Superficial (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 89.
While a great deal of peoples normal verbal communication process relies
upon tone and body language to aid in the understanding,0 the text does not present those
visual and auditory aspects.0 Believers need to supplement their study of Gods written
communication with a conscious effort to listen for tone, connections, and relationships,
which genre, word choice, allusions, and similar literary devices reflect. They should
guard against drawing upon subconscious paradigms and experiences imposing meaning
rather than discerning textual elements, which convey the authors message.
Self-awareness in this process of interpretation (the psychological processes

of how one is predisposed to gather and organize) is necessary for the process not to
become a subconscious endeavor. Francis observes, In the context of hermeneutical
evaluation, cognitive psychological models indicate that some decisions about meaning
may be driven by semi-automatic processes that are hard to recognize and difficult to
control, whereas other decisions require the more conscious application of hermeneutical
rules or method.0 Vygotsky explores the process of thinking and articulation (which are
personally unique processes) concluding that as people mature, their thought processes
become increasingly abbreviated, which is to say, increasingly subconscious.0
Subconscious processing requires a self-awareness which can act as an adjudicator of
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 35. Waltke explains the concept of illumination
saying, The Spirit, who is the first cause in our regeneration to faith, illumines Gods words so that his
people may understand his revelation, but not apart from human research and reason. . . . God is involved
in all aspects of this process of communication: . . he inspires the writing of those revelations in
Scripture . . . and the Holy Spirit empowers a dynamic relationship between the text inspired by God and
his people.
0 Morton T. Kelsey, Caring: How Can We Love One Another? (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press,
1981), 4142.
0 Vygotsky, Thought and Language, 242.
0 Leslie J. Francis and Andrew Village, Preaching: With All Our Souls: A Study in
Hermeneutics and Psychological Type. 1st ed. (London: Continuum, 2008), 32.

ones interpretations and conclusions.0 Readers should challenge their interpretation by
knowing what they bring to the conversation and how that is affecting their interpretation.
The difficulty is in attending to the message and also being aware of ones inner being.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) has a unique tool for helping the chaplain
learn to be self-aware and also fully present in listening. Its emphasis is to learn to listen
to understand rather than listen to respond, and as a person reads the text of Scripture, it
needs to be in that order and with that emphasis. There is danger in moving too quickly
from observation (listening) to interpretation (meaning) to application (responding). The

tool in CPE uses is called a Verbatim wherein the chaplain is required to recount an
interaction reflectively through three elements: what was said, what was happening, and
what was occurring in the chaplain himself (his response to the situation, inner thoughts
and feelings). Verbatims are then shared and discussed among the class or with a mentor.
This process of reflective evaluation helps the chaplain become self-aware of the process
and experience he had with a patient and enables him to be more present with future
patients. A similar practice would be beneficial for the readers interaction with the text.
Rather than having to reflect after the fact, however, each has the unique opportunity to
stop along the way, to talk to the Lord about what he is seeing and feeling, and to ask in
prayer for wisdom and clarification. This reflective study provides opportunity to listen to
the text in the Authors presence, drawing upon self-awareness and seeking
understanding. Interpretation of the text must never be allowed to become a mechanical
process. Rather, it is to be a process of continual movement in prayerful communion with
the Divine teacher back and forth from thought to word and from word to thought not
only drawing conclusions but thinking about how they arrived at those conclusions. As a
0 Ibid., 243.
process, it is important to be self-aware, understanding the dynamics that are overseeing
this interpretive endeavor.0

Consistent Need to Be Self-Aware in the Interpretive Process
Through repeated study, a person develops habits, intuitions, filters, which
become so much a part of the process that they are no longer examined or of which the
person is not consciously aware.0 The expert appears to perceive the solution as soon
as he perceives the problem, whereas the novice has to rely on a step-by-step conscious
working out of the problem.0 Those who have studied Scripture can abbreviate the
process potentially without examining how that is influencing their interpretation. The
novice begins by being conscious of the methods and principles of interpretation and with
experience begins to develop an intuitive aspect which allows him to filter and organize
the details of the text with the goal of understanding authorial intent in a quicker fashion.
Often the novice is focused on the method unaware of what he brings to the text
experientially, psychologically, or spiritually. The more mature student, having become
well-trained in the use of the tools, can focus on the more spiritual and personal
interaction which is listening to the text. Whether expert or novice, however, a person
must be aware consciously of both the methods and influences at work as he explores and
examines the meaning of the text.
0 It is difficult to intently listen to another person and at the same time be aware of ones
internal dynamics. The best, and only way to do this, that I have found, came through a course in Clinical
Pastoral Education. The students were required to write Verbatims, which were a record of the interaction
with the patient as well as a reflective process of what was internally happening in the chaplainfeelings,
thoughts, judgments and similar reflections. The Verbatims were then shared with the group and discussed
to explore why those internal dynamics were happening, how they affected the interaction with the patient,
what needed to be done or said better to be present. As the students worked through the process with the
help of others, they became aware of how they function (self-awareness) which could then be utilized and
built into future interactions. This helped the students understand what might block their ability to give full
and complete, empathetic listening to the other person.
0 Interpersonal communication often gets to the point of knowing what the other person is
going to say before he or she says it. This is a natural part of knowing another increasingly well, but there is
an inherent danger that a person will not listen but instead assume he or she already knows. When this
happens, communication suffers, and it is dishonoring to the speaker.

Consistent Need to be Self-Aware in the Preparation and Presentation of the Sermon
Hermeneutics is not simply about interpretation for oneself. The preacher is
also interpreting the text for the congregation. The uniqueness of the individual and the
uniqueness of the audience influence different elements. Having sought authorial intent,
the challenge is then to communicate the message in a meaningful way to the audience
recognizing both the individual dynamics as well as those of the group.0 The preacher
needs to understand the sense and the meaning of the Author0 and then for the audience.0
As the student needs to be aware of how he comes to the text, so the preacher needs to
discern how the audience comes to the text. Francis notes the importance of self-
awareness in this process for the preacher:
From a practical perspective, preachers may be well advised to appreciate the

extent to which their unconscious psychological type preferences may shape the
way in which they proclaim scripture from the pulpit. Such self-awareness may
also lead to more realistic understanding of how this preaching is perceived by
others. Within the perspective of Jungian psychological type theory, the individual
preachers dominant hermeneutical voice may fail to engage some members of the
congregation, or even go so far as to alienate them. For dominant intuitive types
in the congregation, the sensing type sermon may appear to be dull and
unimaginative, and it may fail to keep their attention. For dominant sensing types
in the congregation, the intuitive type sermon may appear to be disconnected from
the text and impossible to pin down, and it may fail to engage attention . . . 0
0 Ibid., 38.
0 Edwards, Deep Preaching, 7589. Edwards makes an important addition to this. This paper
is arguing the importance of self-awareness in the interpretive process. But the combination of the
hermeneutical skills, self-awareness, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the preacher aids him in arriving
at a full, complete, and accurate meaning of a passage of Scripture. He rightly suggests a separation of the
exegetical task (in which it is important to be self-aware) and the homiletical task. The Holy Spirit assists in
both arenas. He summarizes, Intimacy with and reliance upon the Holy Spirit will not eliminate the hard
exegetical work in the text. Far from it. But exegetical work alone is inadequate. It is only the first step in
the interpretive process. And, as challenging as this first step may be, it is often the easiest step. Deep
preaching requires that you have the Holy Spirit-assisted insight into the Scriptures you preach.
0 Recently, I had a conversation with my co-pastor Jesse. He shared how one of his preaching
professors in sermon preparation would imagine five people in his audience who differed in age, in
giftedness, and in maturity and consciously seek to communicate the truth of a passage to that individual.
Part of this process is to recognize that people also have unique personality traits: some want facts
(Sensing); some want patterns and connections (Intuitives); some want to build relationships (Feelings);
some want to see the big picture (Thinkings); some want clear resolution and application (Judgings); and
some want a direction in application (Perceivings).
The self-awareness of the pastor, both in his study of the text and in his presentation of
the sermon, enables him to engage his audience.

Summary
This research seeks to determine if a correlation exists between a pastors
sermon and his dominant personality functions. While language plays a significant role in
the communicating and organizing of thoughts by setting boundaries on interpretation,
other aspects affect the process and require self-awareness. This research seeks to
determine if a correlation exists between the dominant personality type (as defined by
Jungian psychology) and the perception, processing, and presentation (sermon) of the
biblical text. It is beyond the scope and ability of this research to examine and explore
other cultures and languages and how they impact the preparation and presentation of a
sermon. This research will be limited to an English-speaking and American cultural
setting.
The Quest for Self Awareness
Psychology and the Quest of the Self-Awareness

In an effort to understand the human condition and aid in the process of self-
awareness, psychology has explored personality and temperament. Monroe expresses the
difficulty of understanding personality saying,
Personality is stable, set like plaster (James, 1890/1981, p. 126), yet behavior is
highly responsive to situations. Personality is about what is unique to the
individual, but it is also about what is shared across people (Allport, 1962).
Personality is structured but, at the same time, dynamic. Personality is all of these
things and more, but it is not clear how they all fit together.0
This statement indicates the difficulty of analyzing, organizing, and describing the
internal processes of the individual. Further, the lack of consistent taxonomy among the
0 Leslie J. Francis, Interpreting and Responding to the Johannine Feeding Narrative: An

Empirical Study in the SIFT Hermeneutical Method Amongst Anglican Ministry Training Candidates,
HTS Theologies Studies/Theological Studies 68, no. 1 (n.d.): 8.
0 Stephen J. Read, Brian M. Monroe, Aaron L. Brownstein, Yu Yang, Gurveen Chapra, and
Lynn C. Miller, A Neural Network Model of the Structure Dynamics of Human Personality,
Psychological Review 117, no. 1 (2010): 61.
various schools and approaches to psychology make it difficult to compare, contrast, and
analyze the various approaches. In light of the differing perspectives and approaches and
taxonomies, this definition is helpful:
In psychology, personality refers to the pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviors

consistently exhibited by an individual over a long period of time, that strongly
influences the way that individual perceives the world and him/her. Personality is
a complex combination of traits and characteristics that determines our
expectations, self-perceptions, values and attitudes, and predicts our reactions to
people, problems and stress. Personality is not just who we are, it is also how we
are.0
Personality, then, is difficult to define, explain, and understand, but essentially, it reflects
consistent patterns of thoughts, behaviors, and feelings over a period of time. Self-
awareness of these aspects of personality, which are brought to the text, help the student
separate and not confuse his inner working with the message of the text.
The study of personality has been approached in different ways: (1) The
Psychoanalytic Perspective emphasizes the importance of early childhood experiences
and the unconscious. A series of unconscious impulses and reactions to unconscious
drives and desires influences personality development (Freud, Erickson, Jung, Adler0).
(2) The Humanistic Perspective focuses on personal growth and deals with people
reaching their potential.0 (3) The Trait Perspective seeks to identify, define, and measure
0 Personality and Perspectives of Personality Development, accessed March 18, 2013,

http://www.ilmkidunya.com/student_articles/personality-and-perspectives-of-personality-development-
153.aspx.
0 John Bargh, Our Unconscious Mind, Scientific American (Jan 2014): 34, accessed
December 25, 2014, http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/Bargh%202014,%20Our%20
unconscious%20mind.pdf; Contemporary Perspectives of Abnormal Behavior, Chapter 2, 66-67,
accessed December 25, 2014, http://www.csun.edu/~hcpsy002/Nevid_ch02.pdf; I do not accept everything
of Jungs school of psychology. An overview of Jungs complete approach to personality cannot be given
here, but there are certain elements which Jung holds that I do not hold, nor are they necessary for this
research. Jung talks about a collective unconsciousness based on a common evolutionary and ancestral
past. I do not hold this belief, but one need not hold to this view of humanity to recognize and utilize the
personality types that Jung discovers and develops.
0 A.B. Longman, Chapter 8: Personality Theories, Psychoanalytic Theory: 297, accessed

December 26, 2014, http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/1530/1567154/278-
316_CH08_61939.pdf.
specific traits that make up personality and generally how they interact with society
(melancholy, phlegmatic, choleric, and amiable). This assumes that each individual has a
unique set of traits and predispositions which govern interactions. (4) The Social
Cognitive Perspective emphasizes observational learning, situational influences, and
cognitive processes: how people process, store, and apply information about other people
and social situations. (5) The Motivational Perspective argues that personality arises from
structured and organized motivational systems and their interaction (Structure dynamics).
(6) The Biological Perspective looks at the biological components which affect
personality (Shiner).0 (7) The Behaviorist Perspective says that a person is conditioned by
a series of events which reinforce certain behaviors over others.0 Each of these
approaches has value and provides insight into components of personalitys development
and interactions. These largely focus on behavior and human interaction. Jungian
psychology is somewhat different in that it focuses on the internal processes of the
personality: the way a person perceives, processes, and interacts with the world.
Carl Jung
Carl Jung in 1920 wrote Psychological Types suggesting that people are
essentially and inherently different.0 They have a multitude of instincts called
archetypes, which drive them from within.0 Though the archetypes may vary, there are
four dimensions of human personalitytwo possible orientations (Extravert and
Introvert), two perceiving processes (Sensing and Intuition), two judging processes
(Thinking and Feeling) and two attitudes toward the outer world (Perceiving and
0 Rebecca L Shiner, Colin G. DeYoung, The Structure of Temperament and Personality

Traits: A Developmental Perspective, Working Paper, no. 2011-025 (Chicago, IL: Economic Research
Center, October 2011), Accessed March 18, 2013,
http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Shiner_DeYoung_2011_structure-temperament-
personality.pdf.
0 Longman, Chapter 8: Personality Theories, 293-296.
0 Ibid., 289.
0 Robert McPeek, The Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator and Psychological Type, Journal
of Psychological Type 68, no. 7 (n.d.): 5267.
Judging).0 The Jungian approach is of particular benefit for the consideration of
psychological types and hermeneutics because it is morally neutral. There is nothing
inherently wrong or sinful with Sensing over Intuition, or with Feeling over Thinking.
Second, this approach deals with the processes of gathering information and processing
information. The hermeneutical process and the development of sermons require the
gathering, processing, and organizing of information. Third, by use of the MBTI or the
Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, these functions can be measured, allowing a correlation
with (in the case of this study) the sermon of a preacher.0

Major Psychological Functions Defined and Explained
The two orientations (Extravert and IntrovertJungian terminology) address
from where psychological energy is drawn and focused. In Jungian thought, Extraverts
are focused on the outer world, on the world of events and people. They enjoy and thrive
in exciting environments. They focus on what is happening outside of themselves.
Conversely, Introverts, in the Jungian scheme, are oriented inwardly, energized by inner
thoughts and concepts. They draw energy from solitude, quiet, and contemplation. They
focus on what is happening internally. While this orientation makes the concept of self-
awareness easier for the Introvert, it is not impossible for the Extravert. According to
Myers & Briggs Foundation, the ratio of Extroverts to Introverts in the general population
is 49.3 percent (E) to 50.7 percent (I).0
The two perceiving functions (Sensing and IntuitionJungian terminology)
deal with the way an individual acquires information. Sensing types focus on the realities
0 Leslie J. Francis, Amanda Robbins, and Andrew Village, Psychological Type and he Pulpit:
An Empirical Enquiry Concerning Preachers and The SIFT Method of Biblical Hermeneutics, HTS
Theologies Studies/Theological Studies 65, no. 1 (2009): 1, accessed September 22, 2012,
http//www.ajol.info/index.php/hts/article/view/56652/45076.
0 A Comparison of DISC Classic and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Glenview, IL:
InScape Publishing, 1996), 4, accessed March 31, 2014,
http://www.resourcesunlimited.com/clientfiles/pdf/InscapeReport8.pdf.
0 How Frequent Is My Type?, accessed March 4, 2013, http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-

mbti-personality-type/my-mbti-results/how-frequent-is-my-type.htm.
and the details which can be perceived by the senses and are observable. Often, they
establish patterns of doing tasks and utilize skills learned already. They tend to be step-
by-step in their approach, intent on getting all the facts. They focus on the actual, the
practical and the details rather than the theoretical and the overall picture. Intuition,
however, is about perceiving through ideas, connections, relationships, and patterns.
While they do utilize senses, they are focusing on making connections between items.
They utilize memory and association in an effort to discern patterns, meaning, and
possibilities, following inspiration and hunches. While seeing the dots, they are focused
on connecting them. Allen explains these differences saying,
Individuals with the perception skill of Sensing are convergent thinkers who seek
structure, one answer, and standard operating procedures. As accurate observes of
what is, persons with the Sensing preference verify concrete data by their senses
and perceive by using their experiences and facts. Conversely, types that prefer
Intuition are divergent thinkers who seek many possibilities. The Intuition types
erect scaffolds of meaning that they fill in with data.0
These are different ways of perceiving the world. According to Myers & Briggs
Foundation, the ratio of Sensing to Intuitives in the general population is 73.3 percent (S)
to 26.7 percent (I).0
The two judging functions (Feeling and Thinking-- Jungian terminology) are
concerned with how decisions are reached: Individuals who prefer thinking make
decisions based on objective, logical analysis. Individuals who prefer feeling make
decisions by subjective values based on how people will be affected0; . . . thinking
should facilitate cognition and judgment, feeling should tell us how and to what extent a
thing is important for us.0 The technical terms of Thinking and Feeling should not be
0 Eileen Allen, Integrating Learning Types and Cognitive Taxonomies: Wedding Two Classic
Models, Journal of Psychological Type 67, no. 7 (July 2007): 60.
0 How Frequent Is My Type? Myers Briggs.
0 John Corlen, Speculations on the Logic of C.G. Jungs Feeling Function, Journal of
Psychological Type 69, no. 10 (n.d.): 133.
confused with the understanding of the terms in general conversation. In general
conversation, thinking and feeling are different and opposed to one another. Someone
might say in general usage that thinking has to do with reasons and logic while feeling
has to do with emotions. In Jungian psychology, however, Thinking and Feeling are
technical terms which address the way one processes information. The Thinking analyzes
according to the reason of logic, the Feeling analyzes according to the reason of
relationship. This is not the same as how something might affect a person emotionally
(feelings). Allen describes the process saying,
People with a preference for Thinking are motivated by truth and accuracy and
objectively examine the evidence against a model (the ST type uses standards or
traditional models, and the NT type employs a theoretical model), noting what
does not fit the model. Persons who prefer Feeling are motivated by affiliation or
harmony. The Feeling preference student first needs to positively connect with
others. If there is a positive connection, the Feeling type enters the situation and
asks how appropriate the data is to 'us.' This type takes a subjective view and
notes the affective data. Both typological Thinking and Feeling are reasoning
processes.0
Jungian psychology understands that individuals process information differently. Francis
refers to Thinkers as developing clear patterns of logical analysis, of weighing facts, of
anticipating consequences and seeking to be impartial. Thinkers have an ability to put
things in logical order. They are more inclined to respond to other peoples ideas rather
than to their feelings. They are strong in critical analysis. Feelers focus on relational
(rather than cognitive) significance, pursuing harmony and relationship (which often
requires recognizing the reality of feelings in a situation). They are characterized by
qualities of empathy and sympathy: Feeling, therefore, is . . . a kind of judgment,
differing from intellectual judgment in that its aim is not to establish conceptual relations
but to set up a subjective criterion of acceptance or rejection.0 The Feeling personality
type is not primarily an emotional reaction to events, but processing those events in a
0 Allen, Integrating Learning Types and Cognitive Taxonomies, 60.
0 Corlen, Speculations on the Logic of C.G. Jungs Feeling Function, 132.

relational rather than a logical way. This is clarified by Corlen, Like thinking it (Feeling)
must rationally organize perceptions and judge them; unlike thinking it [Feeling] judges
by values . . . although feeling does not operate on the basis of syllogisms, there is an
exactitude and demonstrable reason to its operations. . . . the feeling function is the
reason of the heart which the reason of the mind does not quite understand.0 This
different way of mentally processing events and experiences is again explained,
Thinking is a function that links ideas together by means of concepts, making logical
connections. Feeling is the function that arranges the contents of consciousness according
to their value.0 Both functions are rational but employ a different basis for how an
individual processes the information. The Thinking function ties the events and teachings
of the text to the meta-narrative, the bigger picture. The Feeling function ties the events
and teaching of the text to the relational. These, for the student of the Bible, are not
mutually exclusive but coordinate and complementary. Both of these personality type
functions are necessary for the full exploration of the text.0 In Carl Jungs words, . . .
thinking should facilitate cognition and judgment; feeling should tell us how and to what
extent a things is important or unimportant for us.0 According to Myers & Briggs
Foundation, the ratio of thinkers to feelers in the general population is 40.2 percent (T) to
59.8 percent (F).0
0 Ibid., 133.
0 Ibid., 134.
0 Relatively recently, there has been a tendency to incorporate this type of multi-faceted
approach to study and preaching. This is reflected in the process of developing an exegetical outline of a
passage (reflecting the Sensing and Intuitive aspects of personality), followed by a theological outline of
the passage tying the text to the meta-narrative or broader categories (which would employ the Thinking
aspect of personality) followed by the homiletical outline (which would aim at life change and might or
might not incorporate the Feeling aspect of personality type).
0 John G. Corlett and Glenn P. Kessler, Speculations on the Logic of C.G. Jungs Feeling
Function, Journal of Psychological Type 69, no. 10 (Oct 2009): 133.
0 How Frequent Is My Type? Myers Briggs.

The last of Jungian psychologys functions deals with how one addresses the
outer world. The terms Judging and Perceiving are Jungian terminology and can be
misleading. Judging means the desire . . . to seek order, rationalize and structure their
outer world, as they actively judge external stimuli. They enjoy routine and established
patterns. They prefer to follow schedules in order to reach an established goal and may
make use of lists, timetables and diaries. . . . They tend to make decisions quickly and to
stick to their conclusions once made.0 The Judging desires order and clarity to function
well. The Perceiving are internally more tolerant of a level of disorder and a lack of final
resolution. The Judging desire the answer whereas the Perceiving desire the
direction. The J preference is associated with the tendency to impose closure, order and
structure on the external world. Conversely, a P preference is associated with a relatively
open, receptive and adaptable orientation to the external world.0 These are different
points of resolution and comfort in responding to a stimulus. Perceiving types do not
seek to impose order on the outer world, but are more reflective, perceptive and open, as
they passively perceive external stimuli. They have a flexible, open-ended approach to
life. They prefer to leave projects open in order to improve them.0 According to Myers
& Briggs Foundation, the ratio of judging to perceiving in the general population is 54.1
percent (J) to 45.9 percent (P).0

Relationship Between Function Types
Jungian psychology further suggests that individuals develop perceiving and
evaluating functions at the expense of the others. Dominant Sensing shapes the practical
person concerned with making things work and who often does not see the overall
0 Leslie J. Francis, Amanda Robbins, and Andrew Village, Psychological Type and He
Pulpit: An Empirical Enquiry Concerning Preachers and The SIFT Method of Biblical Hermeneutics. HTS
Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 65, no. 1 (n.d.): 2.
0 Jerome Tobacyk, Psychological Type as a Basic Meaning Framework for the History of
Psychology, Journal of Psychological Type 62 (2003): 26.
0 Francis, Robbins, and Village, Psychological Type and the Pulpit, 2.
0 How Frequent Is My Type? accessed March 4, 2013, http://www.myersbriggs.org.

picture. Dominant Intuition shapes the imaginative person, full of ideas. Details do not
limit their thoughts. Dominant Feeling shapes the people-oriented person, concerned with
caring for people while not organizing and systematizing. Dominant Thinking shapes the
analytical, system-oriented person concerned with organization and consistent theory
often unaware of the relational aspects of communication. Though each individual has a
dominant type, one can appreciate and develop corresponding functions. Francis
explains,
One way of looking at Jungs model of psychological types is by comparing with

our experience of handedness. We are all generally equipped with two hands, but
we instinctively prefer one over the other. Consequently we develop more skills
with our preferred hand; and, at the same time, neglect to develop the less
preferred hand to its full potential. If we were to try to take notes, say in a lecture
or in a sermon, with our less preferred hand, we would notice three things. It
would take a lot more concentration and make it less easy for us to listen to what
is being said. It would be slower to write and much less easy to read. It would be
much more tiring and draining on our energy resources.0
This helpful insight suggests that a persons dominant type determines the normal
subconscious activity but with conscious effort, a person can utilize and develop abilities
in the other perceiving and processing functions.0 This insight is important for
psychological type and its relationship and importance for the hermeneutic dynamic.
Type Dynamicsthe Interaction of Type Functions
Within the study of psychological type functions, the development of type
dynamics explores the interaction between the various functions and produces certain
personality classifications. David Keirsey and others have seen patterns of behavior
associated with different combinations of Jungian personality type functions. Generally,
0 A Comparison of DISC Classic and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Glenview, IL:
InScape Publishing, 1996), 7, accessed March 31, 2014, The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator addresses
both thinking and behavior responses based on acquired habits of viewing and responding to the world in
general. Preferences are categorized into types, with a belief that certain habits predominate. The
assumption is that people will act on their preferences regardless of the situation. However, it is also
assumed that as people mature they can learn to use more of the neglected approaches in an effort to
increase their capacity. . .
the groups are NF (Intuitive/Feeling), NT (Intuitive/Thinker), SJ (Sensing/Judging) and
SP (Sensing/Perceiving). This effort coordinates Jungian theory with the four personality
type approach. When all of the functions and orientations are coordinated with one
another, there are sixteen possible combinations. David Keirsey, in Please Understand
Me II, develops a series of descriptions of the sixteen possible combinations, giving them
qualities and names0:
Table 2.1. Group Personality Types
Artisans--SPs GuardiansSJs
ESTP The Promoter ESTJ The Supervisor
ISTP The Crafter ISTJ The Inspector
ESFP The Performer ESFJ The Provider
ISFP The Composer ISFJ The Protector
IdealistsNFs RationalsNTs
ENFJ The Teacher ENTJ The Field marshal
INFJ The Counselor INTJ The Mastermind
ENFP The Champion ENTP The Inventor
INFP The Healer INTP The Architect
Table: In this grouping the first letter refer to the orientation aspectE, Extravert; I, Introvert.
The second pair of letters refer to the perceiving functionS, Sensing; N, Intuitive
The third pair of letters refer to the processing functionT, Thinking; F, Feeling
The fourth pair of letters refers to how one relates to the worldJ, Judging; P, Perceiving.
Personality type functions, when combined together, seem to exhibit consistent

characteristics.0 While this may be helpful when exploring the way an individual
functions in society, it is too complex for this study of the relationship between
personality and the interpretation of the Scriptures. Type dynamics is beyond the scope of
this study.0
0 David Keirsey, Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence, 1st ed.
(Prometheus Nemesis Book Co., 1998).
0 David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates, Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament
Types, 5th ed. (East Sussex, England: B & D Books, 1984); Tobacyk, Psychological Type as a Basic
Meaning Framework for the History of Psychology, 2342.
0 James Reynierse, The Case Against Type Dynamics, Journal of Psychological Type 69,
no. 1 (2009): 121.
Jungian Psychology and the Implications for Hermeneutics
A study of the methods of hermeneutics should address the issues of
psychological type, for, as indicated above, no method is mechanical. All methods must
be applied by an individual with a unique set of experiences, training, and psychological
types. Therefore, self-awareness of what the student/preacher brings to the process is
beneficial.
Hermeneutics is a process which requires observation followed by
interpretation and finally application. This cycle, in which words do not have meaning
independent of context, is only understood through the cyclical examination of the
combination and relationship of the words. The hermeneutic circle wherein details of the
text are observed (utilizing what Jungian psychology would call the Sensing function)
and then brought together in a meaningful way (utilizing the Intuitive function, the
Feeling function and the Thinking function) is the process of study and interpretation. As
the details are thus correlated, one should take that formulated interpretation and test it
against the details of the passage to see if it can account for the details, explaining why
certain details are included but not others and seeing how all the details, which are
present, fit into a greater whole (meaning/authorial intent). When one proceeds through
this process (refining, adding, deleting and rephrasing), the goal is to come closer and
closer to the authorial intended meaning of the text. All of this activity is an outflow of
the interactions of Jungian psychologys four functions of Sensing (observing), Intuition
(bringing ideas, details together), Feeling (seeing how they relate and are significant for
relationships) and Thinking (organizing them to be part of a greater whole).
To help illustrate the implications of utilizing Jungians dominant
psychological types and how it affects interpretation, consider the passage in 1
Thessalonians 5:16-23,
Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is
Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirits fire. Do not treat
prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind
of evil.
For each student approaching the text from a grammatical, historical hermeneutic, all
would recognize this as a list of commands within the context of the Book of
Thessalonians. The Sensing would tend to focus primarily on the individual commands
(recognizing each sentence as a complete thought). His tendency would be to focus on
the word meaning and grammar of each sentence: the details. He would seek to
understand and communicate the specifics of each command accurately. He might feel
that he understands the passage when he understands the grammar and the word
meanings of each command.0 The Intuitive, while doing those things (as a good Bible
student) would struggle with the pattern of the passage; that is to say, how do these
commands relate to one another? The thought that this is a list of commands would not
satisfy. He would not feel that he understands the passage until he sees how the pieces fit
together into a pattern. The dominant Feeling personality type would not be satisfied with
his understanding of the passage until he sees how it would affect relationships. He may
or may not see how all the details fit together, but that would not create the same tension
for him as it does for the Intuitive personality type. The dominant Thinking personality
type would tie it into the bigger picture, theology, Gods program for the world and the
church. Different personality type predispositions lead to different points of resolution,

reflection and emphasis. Ideally, the student ought to embrace each of these perspectives.
Self-awareness of his personality type predisposition allows the student to consciously
expand his normal approach to the text. Knowledge of ones dominant personality types
emphasis and its natural inclinations could provide direction and motivation to explore
the text in a greater and different way.
0 Thomas L. Constable, Notes on 1 Thessalonians (Plano, TX: Sonic Light, 2015), 4446,
accessed December 3, 2014, http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/1thessalonians.pdf. Constable,
in his pdf, is an excellent example of this. He has a clear, concise explanation of each command, but in his
discussion, he does not expound a connection between the commands.
Studies of the Relationship Between Personality Type and Interpretation
Few studies address or acknowledge the relationship between personality type
(as defined and developed by Jung) and reading and interpretation of the Scriptures. Most
studies into personality type are correlated with behavior, work, and relationships. Leslie
Francis and associates are among the few that have begun to explore the relationship
between dominant personality types and interpretation of the text of Scripture. His work,
as seen below, is helpful and insightful but does not perfectly correspond to the research
of this paper. This papers research affirms the responsibility of the student to study the
Word of God as inspired and inerrant utilizing the grammatical-historical hermeneutic
seeking authorial intent. Further, Dallas Seminary promotes a wholistic approach to
interpretation wherein the various passages of Scripture are interpreted in light of
surrounding passages and ultimately the entire book. It is important to affirm that the
Divine Author not only inspired the choice and order of words but also the placement and
relationship of paragraphs to communicate His message clearly. When a passage is not
anchored firmly in the context, one loses the ability to fully understand the Authors
meaning.
Dr. Leslie Francis0 and his associates have begun to explore the way Jungian
personality type can affect interpretation. Before looking at his findings, however, it is
important to understand the limitations of his work for this research. Francis research
examined primarily Anglican pastors, Anglican readers and those in preparation for
service in the Anglican Church. His research employed a critical reading of the text rather
0 The Revd Canon Professor Leslie J Francis PhD DLitt ScD DD FBPsS PGCE, Leslie J.
Francis is Professor of Religions and Education within the Warwick Religions and Education Research
Unit, and Canon Theologian of Bangor Cathedral, Wales. He obtained his PhD from the University of
Cambridge in 1976. His published works have been recognised by three higher doctorates: ScD from
Cambridge in 1997, DD from Oxford in 2001 and DLitt from University of Wales, Bangor in 2007. His
research in religious education has been shaped by creative links with practical and empirical theology and
with the individual differences approach to psychology. Leslie J Francis current research initiatives
include: assessing the role of personality in religious development and expression, drawing on personality
theories proposed by Eysenck, Cattell, and Jung, as well as the Big Five Factor model and assessing
learning styles in religious and theological education. The Revd Canon Professor Leslie Francis, accessed
January 30, 2015, http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/research/wreru/aboutus/staff/lf/.
than an exegetical analysis of the text. Absent from his research is any reference to either
a commitment to the inspiration of Scripture or a commitment to the grammatical-
historical hermeneutic of the subjects of his research, which is foundational to this
research. The Anglican Church puts a strong emphasis on the creeds, church tradition,
and the Churchs interpretation.0 Being liturgical and utilizing the liturgical calendar
could produce a tendency to take each paragraph or part of Scripture independently from
surrounding material.0 Noting these differences in perspective, according to the research
of Dr. Francis and his associates, psychological type does influence how an individual
perceives and processes the text. In citing their research, the author is not endorsing the
various interpretations as valid, only noting that psychological types perceive and process
the text differently. They gravitate toward different types of resolution and interpretation.
A study by Francis and Jones indicates the difference personality type makes
in the interpretation of Scripture.0 This study was conducted with Anglican clergy,
readers, and training candidates. Utilizing the resurrection narratives of Matthew and
Mark, they discover,
The group of high scoring sensing types place their emphasis on . . . seeing the
three women walking in the early morning light soon after sunrise, seeing these
women carrying spices on their way to the tomb; seeing these women looking
anxious and hearing them worry about moving the stone from the tomb; seeing
their look of surprise when the stone was rolled away. The high scoring sensing
focused on the details of the passage. In contrast, the high scoring intuitive types
placed their emphasis . . . and . . . their observations around the theme of
unfinished business. By the time the women went looking for him, Jesus had
already gone on ahead. The women had gone looking in the wrong placethey
0 Competencies: For Ordination to the Priesthood in the Anglican Church of Canada,

accessed January 30, 2015, http://www.anglican.ca/faith/files/2012/04/Competencies_web.pdf.
0 While possible, time constraints and responsibilities would make it difficult for the liturgical
pastor to study each passage in the context of the book. Often, to supplement that inability, the pastor would
appeal to the interpretation of the church and commentaries rather than personal, prayerful interaction with
the text. This is my observation.
0 Leslie J. Francis and Susan H. Jones, Reading and Proclaiming the Resurrection: An
Empirical Study in Psychological Type Theory among Trainee and Experienced Preachers Employing Mark
16 and Matthew 28, Journal of Empirical Theology 24 (2011): 810.
had misunderstood. The women had gone looking for the wrong thingthey had
misunderstood. Jesus had gone on ahead of them and had taken by surprise. The
God of surprise still takes us by surprise. . . . Using their less preferred perceiving
function (sensing) this group made but a cursory list of the details.0
Between the Thinking and Feeling functions, there was also a contrast in emphasis. The
high-scoring thinking types:
. . . analyzed out the structure of the passage and identified four themes that all
illustrated great contrast: the contrast between the fear of the women and the
angels salutation, Do not be afraid; the contrast between the two emotions with
which the women left the tomb going with fear and great joy; the contrast
between the appearance of the guards like dead men and the realization that
Jesus is alive; and the contrast between the lies spread by the priests and the
elders and the good news proclaimed by the disciples.0
The Feeling personality type expressed empathy:
[The high feeling] discussed the impact of the dramatic effect of the events on the
women; their experience of miraculous intervention; their sense of urgency; their
mixed emotions of fear and joy; their awareness of growing opposition and the
oppression of the cover-up... . The Easter message preached by this group is based
on the womens responses to the risen Jesus.0
This study indicates individuals read, reflect on, and interpret Scripture consistent with
their personality type.
A second study by Francis and Clark utilizing Mark 16:1-8 showed a similar
predisposition. This study indicates the group of high Sensing type function would
proclaim the passage differently than the high Intuitives:
The group of high scoring sensing types responded to the question What do you
see? by seeing the narrative as a live action in which they had placed themselves.
They were there in that space and at that time with the original actors. . . .They
were caught up in the details offered by the Marcan narrative. . . .When pressed
with the question, What do you want to preach?, the group of high scoring
sensing types wanted to draw their congregation into the live action play that they
themselves had found so engaging and spiritually profitable.0
0 Ibid., 910.
0 Ibid., 10.
0 Ibid., 1011.
0 Ibid., 1112.
In contrast, the group of high-scoring Intuitive types:
.. . responded to the question, What do you see? by seeing straight through to

some of the deep themes of the narrative. The things they saw were seen as
symbols. They saw the sun breaking through the early morning sky, and
recognized the coming victory of light over darkness. They saw the three women
walking to the tomb, and recognized the pioneering of women in the Christian
tradition. . .In response to the question, What do you perceive?, the group . . .
posed . . . the opportunities for resurrection and change, the need to leave the old
tomb behind to escape from the past, the need to trust . . . In response to the
question, What do you want to preach?, the group. . . identified four preaching
themes: Jesus is always going on ahead of us, and does not wait where we last
tried to place him; there are stones that need rolling back in our Church today to
set Jesus free; God has already done the hard work by rolling away the stone;
throughout his life, death and resurrection Jesus affirms the ministry of women.0
Those high in the Thinking type function wanted to understand the slant of Matthew and
contrast it with the accounts in other Gospels, noting inconsistencies.0 The group high in
the Feeling function wanted to explore the feelings of the women.0 Francis and Jones
conclude,
In reading the text, sensing types really do take trouble over the details, intuitive
types really do grasp the bigger vision, feeling types really do give priority to the
personal and interpersonal implications and thinking types really do go for an
analysis of the issues raised.0
Since there seems to be a predisposition to approach the text according to ones
personality type preference, the hermeneutic process is incomplete without a self-
awareness of how ones psychological type predisposes a student to approach the text.
A third study reflects the difference personality type preferences make in the
approach to the same passage. Francis and Village give a table which illustrates the
differences.
0 Ibid., 12.
0 Ibid., 13.
0 Ibid., 1314.
0 Ibid., 14.
Table 2.2 Interpretative Items Based on the Healing Story in Mark 9
Type Items
Interpretative choices by perceiving personality function
N Perhaps religious faith is often a mixture of belief and doubt.
S I can picture the scene clearly as the father cries out I believe; help my unbelief!
S I can picture the boy writhing on the ground and foam sticking to his face.
N Why does the boy start to writhe on the ground when he is brought to Jesus?
N Jesus takes the boy by the hand and brings him to life: a metaphor for resurrection?
S With simply authority, Jesus commands the deaf and mute spirit to leave and never enter the
boy again.
S The disciples were inspired to pray with faith: the pathway to future success.
N The disciples learn through the down-to-earth experience of failure.
S This story is a vivid account of a healing that speaks for itself.

N This story raises questions about the nature of sickness and the power of prayer.
Interpretative choice by judging personality function

T This is evidence that the disciples were already trying to heal the sick
F The disciples felt ashamed that they couldnt meet the fathers cry for help
T It seems unfair to blame the father for doubting when the disciples had just failed to heal his son
F I can feel the deep love of the father for his son.
F You can feel the awe that struck those who witnessed this miracle.
T There is no direct evidence to show how the onlookers reacted to these events.
T The evidence suggests that the boy had epilepsy; though what matters is how it was perceived
at the time.
F I feel sympathy for the boy, who must have been very frightened
F This is a story about people who feel hope, doubt, fear and love.
T This story is evidence that unbelief and lack of prayer can lead to a failure to heal.
Note: S = Sensing, N = Intuition, F = Feeling, T = Thinking
Items were presented randomly in pairs (SN or FT) and participants were given the following
instructions: These statements are comments on the story, given in pairs. In each case please circle the
one statement (a or b) that you prefer.0
In this study, Francis and Village surveyed 404 people in 11 churches in central and
southern England. The conclusion was that people chose the interpretation which was
0 Village and Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type Preferences to Biblical

Interpretation, 8081.
most consistent with their personality type preference. This table is included to show the
different approaches that the various personality type preferences bring to the same text.
Dominant personality types seem to affect the interpretive processhow one
observes the text, how he organizes the material, and how he integrates that material into
a larger whole which touches the lives of people and the program of God. The biblical
text was written to a culture and for a time far removed from the present, to fit together
(Intuitive emphasis), to build relationships (Feeling emphasis), and to complete the
picture of what God is doing in the world (Thinking emphasis). The preachers task is to
help the modern listener hear and understand all of these dimensions of the textwhile
recognizing that he might be predisposed to one. This being true, The first implication
[to the application of Jungian types to preaching] is that there may be a tendency for
preachers to nurture a congregation in their own image.0 Francis research indicates that
Sensing focus on details, Intuitive focus on discovering patterns, Feeling focus on
understanding relational implications, and Thinking focus on relating it to a larger, logical
whole. Since this seems to be the case, it is helpful for the preacher to be aware of the
tendencies of his personality type as he prepares and proclaims the text.
Having concluded that each person has a dominant psychological type which
influences how he approaches the text and that the functions often operate on a
subconscious level, suggests the question, Is it possible to more fully understand the text
or are we limited by our psychological type? Francis observes,
. . . left to their own devices preachers will emphasize their own type preference.
The preacher who prefers intuition will preach a message full of fast-moving
ideas and imaginative associations . . . The preacher who prefers sensing will
preach a message full of detailed information and the close analysis of text. . . .
The preacher who prefers feeling will preach message full of human interest and
loving concern for people. . . . The preacher who prefers thinking will preach a
message full of theological erudition and carefully argued nuance of perspective.0
0 Ibid., 133.
Though this consistency within a persons psychological type is easy to understand, the
preacher is not limited to only those insights into the text that can be gleaned by his
dominant psychological type function. In a study on hermeneutics and psychological
type, Francis, Village, and Robbins conclude,
. . . the preferred hermeneutical perspective reflects the psychological dominant

preference of the community of preachers themselves. A sensing perspective is
four times more likely than a thinking perspective to be given priority. The second
point is that, when presented with the full range of sensing, intuitive, feeling and
thinking perspectives, these perspectives are appreciated almost equally by those
for whom the perspective reflects the dominant preference and for those for whom
it reflects the inferior preference.0
In other words, though a person might have a dominant psychological type, which is his
preferred way of approaching the text, he can learn, benefit, and appreciate approaching
the text through a different type function. This begins, however, with self-awareness and
conscious effort. Francis and Village note, We are all generally equipped with two
hands, but we instinctively prefer one over the other. Consequently we develop more
skills with our preferring hand, and, at the same time, neglect to develop the less
preferred hand to its full potential.0 To use the less preferred hand requires conscious
effort which will not take place unless there is a clear reason to utilize the less preferred
hand. A student can be challenged to develop other personality type aspects. The
challenge for the student and the preacher is to be self-aware knowing how his dominant
function approaches the text, to see both the strengths and the limitations of that types
approach and to consciously supplement it with use of other functions.
Dallas Seminary, in its grammatical, historical approach to the text,
emphasizes what is understood as the function of Sensing (seeing the details in its
emphasis on observation and grammar).0 The result of that emphasis, potentially, for
0 Francis, Robbins, and Village, Psychological Type and the Pulpit, 6.
0 This is typical for those that are committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and committed to a
more literal approach to the text: People who have a preference for intuition, in contrast, are more likely to
those who have a dominant Sensing function is to strengthen that which is their dominant
function without developing the coordinating functions of Intuition, Feeling, and
Thinking. This development of one type function at the expense of the others is not
recognized easily and a conscious program at Dallas Seminary could strengthen and
integrate other type functions in the student. The benefit of such a strong emphasis on the
Sensing aspect of study for those whose dominant function is Intuition or Feeling or
Thinking, is that they are developing a secondary function type (Sensing).
Francis notes other interesting and potentially useful implications to the use of
the Jungian psychological type approach for the preacher. According to his research,
certain types of sermons come easier or harder corresponding to the personality type. Part
of the ability of the preacher to communicate narrative literature or to communicate story
with an audience requires the use of imagination. The ability to imagine the details of the
passage is helpful in the study and preaching of narrative genre in the Scriptures. Andrew
Villages research indicates a relationship between personality type and the ability to use
imagination. In a study of 404 Anglican pastors, he found,
Around 65% could do so (imaginers) and 35% could not. The likelihood of
being an imaginer was higher among (i) women than among men, (ii) those who
preferred intuition to sensing or feeling to thinking, and (iii) those who were most
charismatically active. Readers with intuition as their dominant function were
most likely to be imaginers, while those with thinking as their dominant function
were least likely to be so.0
He goes on to explain his findings,
Psychological type could influence the ability of people to imagine themselves

into a biblical story, though the effects might operate in several ways. Such an
exercise is essentially one of introversion, and might be inherently difficult for
extraverts. Those who prefer intuition over sensing might find it easier to deal
prefer interpretations that establish connections beyond the immediate passage and raise deeper questions
about it. Village and Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type Preferences to Biblical
Interpretation, 85-86.
0 Andrew Village, The Influence of Psychological Type Preferences on Readers Trying to

Imagine Themselves in a New Testament Story, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 65, no. 1
(n.d.): 1.
with an exercise that requires of us the imagination rather than sensing the
immediate environment. On the other hand, some meditations deliberately rely on
imagined senses and this sort of approach might appeal to types.0
Not only do the functions of Extrovert and Introvert play a role, but the type functions of
Thinking and Feeling show the greatest influence on the ability to employ imagination.
The strongest relationship between imagining and psychological type was in the
judging process, with those who preferred feeling being more likely than those
who preferred thinking to imagine themselves as a character in the story. This
would accord with the feeling type propensity to relate to others and to having a
developed ability to empathize. Thinking types might approach the story in a
more analytical fashion that would find identification with a character more
problematic.0
The ability to imagine (place oneself in the narrative) is beneficial for one to
communicate narrative literature in story form in general and to do first-person narrative
sermons in particular. This then does indicate that self-awareness of ones dominant
personality type could assist by: (1) affirming that there is not something wrong with a
preacher who feels uncomfortable with first-person narrative; and, (2) that if one is self-
aware of the dynamics which make such sermons difficult, those areas necessary for such
sermons can be developed through conscious effort. A useful tool for such development
would be the series of books that Francis and Atkins have published on the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke.0 Francis has developed the SIFT method of approaching the
text which would be helpful for the preacher in integrating the psychological types as
explained by Jungian psychology. In this method, he begins to approach the text with the
Sensing function, followed by Intuition, Feeling, and finally Thinking (SIFT). In the
0 Ibid., 2.
0 Ibid., 4.
0 Leslie J. Francis and Peter Atkins, Exploring Matthews Gospels, 1st ed. (London:
Continuum, 2005); Leslie J. Francis and Peter Atkins, Exploring Marks Gospel: An Aid for Readers and
Preachers Using Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary, 2nd ed. (London: Continuum, 2003); Leslie J.
Francis and Peter Atkins, Exploring Lukes Gospel: A Guide to the Gospel Readings in the Revised
Common Lectionary, 1st ed. (London: Mowbray, 2001).
books he has written on Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he helps people identify and develop
different type functions which may not be their dominant type. He explains,
Bible study groups which contain such a rich mix of people (with each of the
types represented) can be exciting for many Christians and open their eyes to the
different ways in which scripture can enrich the lives of the people of God. When
individual Christians meditate on scripture in the privacy of their own home they
need to have their eyes opened to the variety of perspectives which can be brought
to the same passage by other Christians who see things in a different way. Carl
Jungs theory of psychological type not only opens our eyes to the ways in which
people differ, but also to the rich variety of perspective within ourselves. The
theory makes us more conscious of those parts of ourselves which we may under-
value and under-exercise. Type theory concerned with the richness of our own
psychological composition has important implications for how we allow ourselves
to be nurtured and nourished by Scripture.0
These books give direction to the nature of, the development of, and the strengthening of
type functions which are not dominant. These books give questions which students can
explore, and in so doing, they can gain insight into the passages and into their own
thought processes.
0 Francis and Atkins, Exploring Matthews Gospels, 2.

Language Use and Personality
People Communicate Consistent with their Personality Type
The way people communicate reveals the inner working of an individual:
The words we use in daily life reflect what we are paying attention to, what we are
thinking about, what we are trying to avoid, how we are feeling and how we are
organizing and analyzing our worlds.0 In communicating, the individual expresses
something of his inner being to the outer worldwhether that is information, emotion, or
values. Psychology recognizes that in the communication process, not only do the words
convey a message, but they also reveal the messengereducation, background,
experience, psychological conditions, and activities (some of which are personality
types). Take the example Pennebaker and Chung give:
Consider the ways in which three different people might summarize how they feel
about ice cream:
Person A: Id have to say that I like ice cream.
Person B: The experience of eating a scoop of ice cream is certainly quite
satisfactory.
Person C: Yummy. Good stuff.
All three are saying essentially the same thing, but their ways of expressing
themselves are hinting at other issues: Person A is a bit tentative; Person B is
overly formal and stiff; Person C more easy-going and uninhibited. The three
people differ in their pronoun usage, use of large versus small words, verbosity
and dozens of other dimensions.0
The same message can be conveyed in a multitude of ways, but an individual who speaks
or writes, chooses his genre, the words, and the arrangement of the words. Someone
might argue that an author could choose to use any of these statements and it would not
necessarily be a reflection of the authors personality type. That is true; however, a skilled
author in choosing how his character expresses his enjoyment of ice cream recognizes
0 Yla R. Tausczik and James W. Pennebaker, The Psychological Meaning of Words: LIWC
and Computerized Text Analysis Methods, Journal of Language and Social Psychology 29 (2010): 30.
0 Cindy Chung and James Pennebaker, The Psychological Function of Function Words, in
Social Communication, ed. K. Fiedler (New York: Psychology Press, 2007): 345, accessed December 15,
2012, http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/reprints/Chung&JWP.pdf.
and affirms that each of the sentences reflects something significant about the character in
the story. The author recognizes that what is said and how it is said develops and gives
insight into the psychology of the character. The associations and arrangements are not
accidental nor incidental, but they subtly and clearly reflect and reveal the psychological
make-up of the speaker.0 The what of the text (topic) is differentiated from the how of the
text (style, Pennebakers term), as Pennebaker notes,
We start from the intuitive notion that style is indicted by features representing the
authors choice of one mode of expression from a set of equivalent modes for a
given content. At the surface level, this may be expressed by a wide variety of
possible features of a text: choice of particular words, syntactic structures,
discourse strategy, or all of the above and more. The underlying causes of such
variations are similarly heterogeneous, including the genre, register, or purpose of
the text, as well as the education background, social status and personality of the
author and audience. What all these dimensions of variation have in common,
though, is an independence from the topic or content of the text .0
Differentiating between the content words and the function or structure words helps
people see how a person is linking information and conveying thought: Unlike content
words, function words do not have consistent references across contexts. Instead, they
can clarify the meaning within phrases and sentences and serve as conversational place
holders of information shared by the interactants.0 The way an individual links together
his thoughts gives insight into the Jungian personality type processes. Function words
often go unnoticed. Pennebaker and Campbell give this helpful example contrasting
content and function words:
Original text
0 Donald Lofferedo, Susan K Opt, and Rick Harrington, Communicator Style and MBTI
Extraversion-Introversion Domains, Journal of Psychological Type 68, no. 4 (April 08): 30.
0 Shlomo Argamon, Sushant Dhawle, Moshe Koppel, James W. Pennebaker, Lexical

Predictors of PersonalityType, 2005 Joint Annual Meeting of the Interface and the Classification Society
of North America (2005): 2.
0 Ewa Kacewicz, James W. Pennebaker, Matthew Davis, Moongee Jeon, and Arthur C.
Graesser, Pronoun Use Reflects Standings in Social Hierarchies, Journal of Language and Social
Psychology (September 19, 2013): 2.
Coming to college conjured up these feelings. Excitement, anxiety, happiness,
worry, anticipation, glee, nervousness, sadness, grief and many others. Most of all
I felt very excited I could not wait to get away from anything having to do with
high school. I hated high school. Any possible way I could get away from my
high school I would do it. I waited to go to another high school all throughout my
high school career. Mine never satisfied me. Going to college was the ultimate
escape for me. It gave me a fresh start in a new world where I could make a name
for myself. A new name which would be mine for the rest of my life. I was
somewhat anxious to find out exactly what this name would be for myself.
Text with content words highlighted and style words with strikethrough
worry, anticipation, glee, nervousness, sadness, grief and many others. Most of
all I felt very excited I could not wait to get away from anything having to do
with high school. I hated high school. Any possible way I could get away from
my high school I would do it. I waited to go to another high school all
throughout my high school career. Mine never satisfied me. Going to college
was the ultimate escape for me. It gave me a fresh start in a new world where I
could make a name for myself. A new name which would be mine for the rest of
my life. I was somewhat anxious to find out exactly what this name would be for
myself.0
To make it more graphic, removing those words which are categorized as function words
by the LIWC program and leaving the content words shows:

worry, anticipation, glee, nervousness, sadness, grief and many others. Most of
all I felt very excited I could not wait to get away from anything having to do
with high school. I hated high school. Any possible way I could get away from
my high school I would do it. I waited to go to another high school all
throughout my high school career. Mine never satisfied me. Going to college
was the ultimate escape for me. It gave me a fresh start in a new world where I
could make name for myself. A new name which would be mine for the rest of
my life. I was somewhat anxious to find out exactly what this name would be for
myself.
The function words, often overlooked, are the glue that connect the content words
together and to a large degree convey thought0:
Particles [function words] serve as the glue that holds content words together. But
particles are more than mere glue. They are referential words that have
0 R. Sherlock Campbell and James W. Pennebaker, The Secret Life of Pronouns Flexibility
in Writing Style and Physical Health, Psychological Science 14, no. 1 (January 1, 2003): 62.
0 See Appendix F to consider function words in the Gettysburg Address.

tremendous social and psychological meaning. To use a pronoun requires the
speaker and listener share a common knowledge of who is the referent.0
In analyzing the use of function words, there are insights into the psychological function
and focus of the author. To explain further,
In any given sentence, there are two basic types of word. The first is content
words, which provide meaning. These include nouns (table, uncle), verbs (to love,
to walk), adjectives (blue, mouthwatering) and adverbs (sadly, hungrily).
The other type are function words. These serve quieter, supporting roles
connecting, shaping and organising the content words. They are what determines
style. Function words include pronouns (I, she, it), articles (a, an, the),
prepositions (up, with), auxiliary verbs (is, don't), negations (no, never),
conjunctions (but, and), quantifiers (few, most) and common adverbs (very,
really). By themselves, they dont have much meaning. Whereas a content word
such as table can trigger an image in everyones mind, try to imagine that or
really or the.0
The content words convey the topic and much of the meaning, while the function words
connect the content words to form thoughts.
As the way the message is conveyed reveals some of the inner workings of the
author, so the way the message is conveyed has an impact on how it is received.
Communication style can be defined as, The way one verbally, nonverbally and
paraverbally interacts to signal how literal meaning should be taken, interpreted, filtered
and understood.0 Thus, the style, which flows from the personality type, reveals not only
the author but also affects the listeners reception of the message. This perspective ought
to help guide the preacher to use a multitude of faceted approaches, from stories to
definitions, from abstract to concrete.
Pennebaker refers to how a person says what he says as the authors style,
which is conveyed through function words.
0 James Pennebaker, Matthias Mehl, and Kate Neiderhoffer, Psychological Aspects of

Natural Language Use: Our Words, Our Selves, Annual Reviews Psychology 54 (2003): 563.
0 James W. Pennebaker, The Secret Life of Pronouns, New Science: Science in Society, no.
2828 (September 11, 2011): 1.
0 Donald Offered, Susan K Opt, Rick Harrington, Communicator Style and MBTI
Extraversion-Introversion Domains, Journal of Psychological Type 68, no. 4 (April 08): 30.
. . . it became apparent that there are two very broad categories of words that have
different psychometric and psychological properties. Content words are generally
nouns, regular verbs, and many adjectives and adverbs. They convey the content
of a communication.... Intertwined through these content words are style words,
often referred to as function words. Style or function words are made up of
pronouns, prepositions, articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs and a few other
esoteric categories.0
Pennebaker notes, from a psychological perspective, style words reflect how people
are communicating, whereas content words convey what they are saying.0 Both style
(function) words and content words are necessary to convey meaning: Function words
help shape and shortcut language. People require social skills to use and understand
function words, and they (function words) are processed in the brain differently. They are
the key to understanding relationships between speakers, objects and other people.0 An
important insight into this dynamic is:
Although we tend to have almost 100,000 English words in our vocabulary, only
about 500 (or 0.05%) are style (function) words. Nevertheless, style words make
up about 55% of all the words we speak, hear, and read. Furthermore, content and
style words tend to be processed in the brain very differently. (Miller, 1995)0
Content words reveal where a person is focusing. Function words often show how a
person is processing the situation.0 The use of function words has remained relatively
stable across time.0
Function words, often overlooked, are processed in the brain differently than
content words:
0 Tausczik and Pennebaker, The Psychological Meaning of Words, 29.
0 Ibid.
0 James W. Pennebaker, Your Use of Pronouns Reveals Your Personality, Harvard Business
Review (December 2011): 2.
0 Ibid., 3032.
0 An analysis of four of John Owens sermons indicate 57.99 percent of the words he uses are
function words as categorized by Pennebaker. An analysis of six sermons by Thomas Watson indicates
55.40 percent of the words he uses are similarly function words.
Language, too, has an important link to frontal lobe function. In general, the
majority of language functions are housed in the temporal and frontal lobes.
Within the left temporal lobe (at least for most people) is Wernickes area.
Wernicks area is critical for both understanding and generating most advance
speechincluding nouns, regular verbs and most adjectives. Brocas area, on the
other hand, is situated in the left frontal lobe. Damage to Brocas areawhile
Wernickes area is intactresults in people speaking in a painfully slow,
hesitating way, often devoid of function words. People with functioning Brocas
areabut with damage to Wernickes areaexhibit a completely different social
style. These people often speak warmly and fluidly while maintaining eye contact
with the target person. The only problem is that they primarily use function words
with no content at all (e.g. Miller, 1995).0
This indicates that the brain processes function and content words differently and
consequently reflects different thought processes.
In analyzing function words, Tausczik and Pennebaker notes, Cognitive
complexity can be thought of as a richness of two components of reasoning: the extent to
which someone differentiates between multiple competing solutions and the extent to
which someone integrates among solutions by. . . exclusion words and conjunctions.0
Appendix C gives three charts used by permission by Dr. Pennebaker visually showing
these relationships. Pennebaker breaks function words down into cohesion (how an
author organizes concepts and relates them to one another0), assessment or modality
(contextual qualification of the epistemic or rhetorical status of events or propositions
represented in a text0) and appraisal (how language expresses an attitude toward the
focus0). By analyzing the function words, one can recognize how the author is putting
information together which ultimately reflects personality dynamics. Analysis of the
function words is not primarily what is communicated, but how it is communicated. For
instance, the use of time function words indicate he is processing something temporally,
0 Chung and Pennebaker, The Psychological Function of Function Words, 345, 47.
0 Argamon, Dhawle, Koppel, and Pennebaker, Lexical Predictors of PersonalityType, 5.
0 Ibid., 6.
0 Ibid., 7.
while the use of logical functional words indicate he is processing logically. The finding
that personality is revealed in language use has important theoretical implications. . . .
Language use at the word level is an observable and measurable behavior shown to be
relatively stable across time and contexts0 As a result, examining word usage can give
insight into the psychological processes of an individual.0

Conclusion
The goal of the preacher is to understand the text and communicate it in a
meaningful way. This process requires observation and interpretation of the text followed
by the organization and presentation of the sermon. These processes are not mechanical
but involve psychological and relational functions. To interpret the Word fully and
accurately, one should possess the tools or methods of Bible study and a self-awareness
of how his uniqueness affects the process. Jungian personality theory is especially helpful
and measureable for evaluating this process. Psychological processes are indicated by
word usage.
0 Chang H. Lee, Kyungil Kim, Young Seok Seo, Cindy K Chung, The Relations Between
Personality and Language Use, The Journal of General Psychology 134, no. 4 (2007): 411.
0 James W. Pennebaker and Laura A King, Linguistic Styles: Language Use as an Individual
Difference, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77, no. 6 (1999): 1303.
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Introduction and Overview
The goal of this research is to ascertain if a significant correlation exists

between a persons personality type, as evaluated by Jungian psychology, and the way a
preacher perceives, processes and ultimately proclaims a text of Scripture. It is not
possible to analyze what happens inside a preachers mind; however, it is possible to
evaluate the clues he gives while preaching his sermon. This project will utilize the
Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTSII) to assess the personality types and the LIWC
program to analyze word usage of the text of sermons. In this chapter, these two
instruments will be examined as to their validity, why they were chosen for this study,
their benefits, and their potential limitations. In this chapter, the method of securing
participants from Dallas Seminary for the study will be laid out. The students of Dallas
Seminary all come with similar tools, patterns of study, and perspectives of Scripture.
This has been discussed already, but it is essential in limiting other variables so that a
proper correlation of personality type and the proclamation of the Scripture can be as
objective as possible. The statistical method for evaluating the data and correlating the
results will be presented in Appendix E.
The Instruments Used for this Study
Instruments must be used to analyze both the personality type and the text of a
text in order to correlate the two. Two instruments commonly are used to analyze
personality type from a Jungian perspective (Extravert/Introvert, Sensing/Intuitive,

Thinking/Feeling and Judging/Perceiving): the Myers Briggs Temperament Indicator
(MBTI) developed by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers, first published in 1943, refined
and evaluated over the years, and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II (KTSII). The MBTI
is an extensive test, which requires both a self-evaluation and an interview with a trained
individual to confirm and validate the results. This would have been difficult and cost
prohibitive for this study. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II was chosen because of the
ease of administration and the validity of results. In the past, analysis of a text was done
by readers which brought an element of subjectivity into the process. With the Linguistic
Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program variables, which a reader analysis might
introduce, have been minimized.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II measures the same elements of Jungian
personality type which the MBTI instrument measures. Whereas the MBTI has been
substantially used and perfected since its first publication in 1943, the Keirsey is a newer
tool for measuring personality trait types. The MBTI has a manual in its third edition, and
there are many studies that validate its reliability.0 The KTSII has not been as extensively
studied and validated. Dodd and Bayne have, however, examined the KTSII saying,
The KTSII is worth investigating because it is likely to be widely used. Its

predecessor, the KTS, and other measures created by Keirsey, have been
completed online at Kierseys website by more than 6 million people (August
2003 figure). The KTSII is the current online version. In addition, the KTSII has
some advantages over the MBTI assessment in research using postal surveys, as it
is shorter and the response rate may therefore be higher.0
0 Nick Dodd and Rowan Bayne, Internal Reliability and Item Analysis of the Keirsey
Temperament Sorter II, Journal of Psychological Type 67, no. 8 (2007): 73.
0 Ibid.
Their study reveals some limitations of a self-assessing instrument and suggests some
possible changes, which could improve the validity of the KTSII.0 However, they
conclude: Although by no means ideal, the internal reliability of the KTSII is
satisfactory for research, and it has adequate discriminatory power on each of the four
scales.0 The Keirsey was easy to administer to a number of students in preaching classes
at Dallas with a good participation rate. Though it lacks the in-depth evaluation the MBTI
utilizes (a self-assessment then confirmed by a trained professional to validate results),
the study by Dodd and Bayne indicates that it is sufficiently valid for this research. A
second study concludes, The internal reliability of KTS-II was satisfactory for samples
of American, Canadian and Korean business students, both individually and in a
combined sample.0 This second study indicates that the KTSII is reliable in cross
cultural and various professional applications. The KTSII was chosen for this study based
on this documented reliability and ease of application to a large number of students.
The LIWC Instrument

Words people use in daily life reveal not only what they are thinking but how
they are thinking. Psychologists and psychiatrists recognize words as diagnostic and as
0 Social psychologists all know that self-reports suffer from multiple shortcomings. Surveys
are susceptible to an assortment of response biases that question the validity of these measures. What
people say about themselves often reflects their self-theories rather than serve as objective markers of their
true thoughts and feelings. Despite the awareness of these problems, researchers remain seduced by their
most attractive features, self-reports are cheap, fast and easy. Cindy Chung and James Pennebaker, The
Psychological Function of Function Words, In Social Communication, ed. K. Fiedler (New York:
Psychology Press, 2007), 356, accessed December 15, 2012,
http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/pennebaker/reprints/Chung&JWP.pdf.
0 Dodd and Bayne, Internal Reliability and Item Analysis of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter
II, 81.
0 Neil R Abramson, Internal Reliability of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II: Cross-
National Application to American, Canadian and Korean Samples, Journal of Psychological Type 70, no. 2
(2010): 28.
strongly related to personality.0 Word usage has become a tool to detect general
psychiatric disorders, depression and suicidality, physical and health behavior, situational
and social processes, and psychological and health changes.0 It has long been assumed
that:
. . . phrases, sentences or entire texts must be considered within the context of the
goals of the speaker and the relationship between the speaker and the audience.
Because of the complexity of communication, this strategy assumes that the
investigator must attend to the meaning of the utterances in context. However
defined, meaning is believed to be multilayered to only be decoded by human
judges who then evaluate what is said or written.0
With the advent of computers a different approach has been developed and exploreda
quantitative analysis of the text. There are several programs and approaches for
quantitative analysis of texts beside the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC)the
two most notable being DICTION (Hart, Jarvis, Jennings and Smith-Howell, 2005) and
Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA; Foltz, 1996).0 The methods of quantitative study of
language generally take one of three approaches:
Judge-based thematic content analysis typically involves judges who identify the
presence of critical thematic references in text samples on the basis of empirically
developed coding systems (Smith 1992).. . . [to analyze]imagery . . . explanatory
styles . . . cognitive complexity . . . psychiatric syndromes . . . goal structures . . .
arousal patterns . . . levels of thinking . . .[Second] A relatively new approach,
word pattern analysis. . . to learn how any new writing samples are similar to one
another. Traditionally, this technique has been used to determine the degree to
which two texts are similar in terms of their content. . . . The third general
methodology prominent in quantitative text analysis focuses on word count
strategies. Psychological word count strategies exist for both the analysis of
content (what is being said) and style (how it is being said).0
0 Jacob B. Hirsh, Jordan B. Peterson, Personality and Language Use in Self-narratives,

Journal of Research in Personality 43 (2009): 527.
0 James Pennebaker, Matthias Mehl and Kate Neiderhoffer, Psychological Aspects of

0 Ibid., 549.
0 Chung and Pennebaker, The Psychological Function of Function Words, 344.
0 Pennebaker, Mehl and Neiderhoffer, Psychological Aspects of Natural Language Use,

549550.
The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) uses a word count strategy whereby:
. . . it searches for over 2300 words or word stems within any given text file. The
search words have previously been categorized by independent judges into over
70 linguistic dimensions. These dimensions include standard language categories .
. . psychological processes . . . cognitive processes . . . relativity-related words . . .
and traditional content dimensions. The LIWC dimensions are hierarchically
organized . . . Whereas some of the LIWC categories were initially derived from
psychological theories. ... most categories try to capture information at the very
basic linguistic . . . as well as psychological level.0
Further, the LIWC has shown itself to be a useful approach to correlating word use and
the Big Five personality dimensions (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness,
conscientiousness and openness to experience).0 Because of the objective quality of this
analysis, the LIWC was chosen for this research.
The difficulty of determining the validity of the LIWC is acknowledged by the
developers saying,
. . . inquiry into the validity of the LIWC scales presents a dilemma. Although,
traditionally, validation of a measure is conducted by looking for relations with
measures of theoretically relevant constructs (or the same construct measured in a
different way), the validity studies presented here were, by necessity, exploratory.
Although word usage is a highly reliable phenomenon, the psychological meaning
of this phenomenon is unknown.0
This reflects the fact that communication is a complex system and that this approach is
relatively new; however, recent studies indicate an increasing evidence of its validity.
The Procedure
With the help of Roger Raymer and Craig Schill, students from a cross section
of the Dallas Seminary student body were given a KTSII for self-evaluation in class.0
0 Ibid., 553.
0 Ibid., 558.
0 James W. Pennebaker and Laura A. King, Linguistic Styles: Language Use as an Individual
Difference, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77, no. 6 (1999): 130304.
0 The students were students from all disciplines within the school who were taking a class in
preaching. It is assumed that they all held to the literal, plenary view of Scripture and had the basic Bible
study techniques and approach taught at Dallas Seminary.
They were asked to indicate their year and their major (information which might or might
not be significant). Sixty-eight students responded and completed the KTSII which was
then scored indicating the Jungian personality type of each student. Each student was
contacted to ask for a sermon manuscript to be analyzed for this research. A total of sixty-
eight individuals completed the survey, and forty-three manuscripts were received. The
results of the KTSII were correlated and compared with the general populations
personality type distribution.
Manuscript Analysis
Manuscript analysis was done utilizing the LIWC program. All texts were
reduced to a TXT file or a Word document (which is required by the LIWC). Extraneous
information, such as outlines and presentation notes, were edited out so only the
manuscript text remains. A correlation analysis was conducted between the KTSII and the
results of the sermon manuscript analysis with the personality dimensions as independent
variables and the word category percentages as dependent variables.
The results were validated using regression calculations. Evaluation of their
significance was done using standard statistical methods, by calculating the probabilities
of the two null-hypotheses, namely 0 = 0 and 1 = 0, i.e., the possibility that the
regression coefficients do not represent any significant relationship between the variables.
For each correlation, the regression equation, the r2 coefficient, and the 0 & 1 S.L.
(Significance Level) ps will be shown in Appendix E.
After the computer analysis, there was a reading of selected manuscripts by
the author. Since this research is specific to the Sensing dimension as opposed to other
personality type traitsthe manuscripts selected were at the extremes of each type (the
highest Sensing, Intuitive, Thinking and Feeling). This reading was to verify whether, in
the view of the reader, there were noticeable differences between the sermons of those
that were high Sensing, Intuitive, Thinking, and Feeling as reflected in the correlation of
the KTS II and the LIWC program. This is admittedly a subjective aspect of this study.
Conclusion
This research is to see if there is a significant correlation between a preachers
personality type and the way he proclaims the text of Scripture. It is assumed that the way
an individual perceives and processes the text will be reflected in the way that text is
proclaimed. The KTSII, while not as extensive as the MBTI, in revealing a persons
personality type as understood by Jungian psychology, was sufficiently valid for this
study and offered the benefit of ease of application and good participation rate. The
LIWC computer analysis program provided a unique tool in the analysis of the text
according to function words and content words. A correlation of the personality type as
measured by KTSII and the text of the sermon as analyzed by the LIWC program would
indicate whether there is indeed a significant correlation between the personality of the
preacher and the presentation of the text in sermon form.

CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
The hypothesis of this research project is that Personality types, as defined by
Jung and measured by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, significantly influence the way
a preacher presents the material from the biblical text in his sermons. Consequently:
be more detail focused in the presentation of the sermon than a preacher with a
dominant Intuitive function, as defined by Jungian psychology.
be less relationship oriented in the presentation of his sermon than a preacher with
a dominant Feeling function, as defined by Jungian psychology.
3. A preacher with, with a dominant Sensing type, as defined by Jungian psychology
will be less theological oriented in the presentation of his sermon than a preacher
with a dominant Thinking function, as defined by Jungian psychology.
This chapter will first present a comparison of the Personality type profile of
the participating students to the general population. This will be useful in understanding
the dynamics of communication relevant to the preacher and the audience. This has
important implications if indeed a preacher does preach in a way consistent with his
dominant personality type and the audience hears the sermon and responds to the sermon
generally in accordance with their dominant personality type. After this will be an
analysis of the correlation between the dominant personality types and the sermon to
indicate whether or not there is a difference in the way a dominant Sensing individual
proclaims the text (as measured by the LIWC program). This will test the hypothesis.
There will then be observations and suggestions of the implications of dominant
personality types on the preaching of sermons.
Personality Types of the Participants with Comparison to the General Population
As the data from KTS II is compiled, there are two types of analysis to be
made. First, we see the general personality type make up of the participants. Within a
class there are a variety of individuals with different personality types. These will be
visually recorded as a histogram. The second type of analysis is to compare the
participants (theological students) with the general population. In this comparison, there
are important and significant differences.
Table 4.1. Extrovert/Introvert Analysis and Comparison
The histogram of
the students
dimension of
Extrovert/Introvert is interesting and unexpected in that normally a Gaussian distribution
(bell curve) might be expected. In comparison with the general population as recorded by
the MBTI, there is a significant difference.

Table 4.2. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant
Extrovert/Introvert Type Functions
KTSII Students MBTI general Trait KTSII Students MBTI general

Trait
population population
E 32.3% 49.3% I 67.7% 50.7%
This sample
indicates that the
students, as a group,
are more introverted
than the general
population. This is consistent with other studies of those that enter into ministry by
Francis and Village, which shows that theological students tend to be more introspective
as indicated above. This significant introspective difference between the general
population and the students is important to note in seeking to preach in a way that
connects with the general population. Though it is not the focus of this study, since there
is a significant statistical difference in the Extrovert/Introvert dimension of the preachers
and the general population, the question which might be pursued is: How do extraverts
hear/listen to a sermon? If Extroverts listen to a sermon differently than an Introvert,
what implications might that have for the preacher?
Sensing/Intuitive Analysis and Comparison

The Sensing/Intuitive histogram for the students is a Gaussian distribution
skewed toward Sensing. Interestingly, however, this sample is not skewed as much
toward the Sensing dimension as compared to the general population.

Table 4.3 Sensing/Intuitive Histogram for Students
Table 4.4. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant Sensing and Intuitive
Functions
MBTI
KTSII MBTI general
trait general Trait KTSII Students
Students population
population
S 61.5% 73.3% N 38.5% 26.70%
This will be significant in the way a sermon ought to convey truth. Since the general
population is strongly Sensing, they want details and concrete information. As this
chapter explains later, often that reflects specific behaviors and examples to be followed
rather than principles to be applied.
Thinking/Feeling Analysis and Comparison

The Thinking/Feeling dimension for the students is a Gaussian curve skewed
toward the feeling dimension with a few outliers, but the pattern is clear. This is
consistent with the general population.
Table 4.5 Thinking/Feeling Histogram for Students

Table 4.6. Student Comparison to General Population for Dominant Thinking and Feeling Functions
MBTI general MBTI general

Trait KTSII Students Trait KTSII Students
T 36.9% 40.2% F 63.10% 59.8%
This would indicate that while it is helpful and important to tie the sermon to the larger
theological perspective, most people are listening for how a truth/sermon affects
relationships. Dallas Seminary in recent times has promoted an approach to sermon
preparation which begins with the exegetical outline (reflecting more of the Sensing
function), followed by a theological outline of the passage (reflecting the Thinking
function) finally moving to the homiletical outline (reflecting perhaps more of the P/J
dimension). Since the dominant Feeling function accounts for nearly two-thirds of all
listeners, it is important to show and to stress how a truth affects relationships
something which, while held to be true, is not always the emphasis of the sermon. The
combinations of Intuitive and Thinking (NT) or Intuitive and Feeling (NF) each make up
12 percent of the population.0 While this is not as large a segment of the general
0 Spotting Keirsey/Myers-Briggs Temperaments at a Glance | Personal Branding Blog -

Stand Out In Your Career, accessed October 21, 2014, http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/spotting-
keirseymyers-briggs-temperaments-at-a-glance/.
population as SJ and SP (each representing 38 percent of the general population0), it is
important to address and engage these types of listeners in preaching. The NTs are
analytical and pursue knowledge and integrating the sermon logically. The NFs are
idealists and interested in changing the world and making it better for others.0
Judging/Perceiving Analysis and Comparison

The Judging/Perceiving dimension for the students is again Gaussian but
skewed to the desire to have resolution and clarity. It is significantly at variance with the
general populationindicating that generally the students want to arrive at a definitive
answer while the general population is willing to have more ambiguity.
Table 4.7. Judging/Perceiving Histogram for Students
Table 4.8. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant Judging/Perceiving Type
Functions
MBTI general MBTI general
Trait KTSII Students Trait KTSII Students
J 72.3% 54.1% P 29.7% 45.9%
0 Ibid.
0 Ibid.
The contrast here is significant. The students tend to desire more closure with a clear and
definitive conclusion than the general population desires. We will suggest implications to
this later in Chapter 4.
Looking from a summary perspective comparing the general population with
the seminary students we see significant differences.
ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ Table 4.9

11.60% 13.80% 1.50% 2.10%
General
Comparison of F 6.9% F 19.6% F 1.6% F 0.8% the General
population
M 16.4% M 8.1% M 1.3% M 3.3%
Population and Students 19.20% 18.50% 9.60% 1.50% the Students
ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

5.40% 8.80% 4.40% 3.30%
General
F 2.4% F 9.9% F 4.6% F 1.8%
population
M 8.5% M 7.6% M 4.1% M 4.8%
Students 0.00% 0.80% 4.20% 5.40%
ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

4.30% 8.50% 8.10% 3.20%
General
F 3.0% F 10.1% F 9.7% F 2.4%
population
M 5.6% M 6.9% M 6.4% M 4.0%
Students 0.80% 3.50% 9.20% 0.00%
ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

8.70% 12.30% 2.50% 1.80%
General
F 6.3 % F 16.9% F 3.3% F 0.9%
population
M 11.2% M 7.5% M 1.6% M 2.7%
Students 12.30% 9.60% 5.40% 0.00%
Table: E=Extrovert vs. I=Introvert dimension; S=Sensing vs N=Intuitive dimension

F=Feeling vs. T=Thinking dimension; J=Judging vs. P=Perceiving dimension
This chart indicates the diversity and distribution of the dominant personality type
preferences for the general population compared to the students to be: ST (30% to
32.3%), SF (43.40% to 32.4%), NF (16.50% to 28.4%), and NT (10.4% to 7.8%)0
Keirsey and others have noted a correlation between SJ (strong Sensing and
Judging) and SP (strong Sensing and Perceiving). These two combinations each make up
0 MBTI Personality Traits, accessed October 21, 2015,

http://www.timeenoughforlove.org/MBTI.htm.
38 percent of the general population.0 There is a significantly higher ratio of SJ in the
student sample than the general population (59.6% to 38%) and a significantly lower
percentage of SP in the student sample than the general population (5.1% to 38%). If a
correlation between the personality type preferences and the way a person perceives and
processes information exists, then there are implications in how a preacher presents the
text. There will be 38 percent who prefer to have the sermon/application focus on
specifics, preferring things to be clear and definitive in terms of behaviors and
applications. These listeners desire a clear to do list. Conversely, there will be 38

percent who embrace change and ambiguity to some extent, who perhaps desire the
freedom to explore and apply a truth in their own way. Honoring and appealing to both
personality types can make a sermon more meaningful and helpful to a broader part of
the population.
It is beneficial to know ones own personality type and how that may affect
ones reading, study, processing and proclamation of the text. Of equal importance, if we
intend to connect with our audience and move them to respond to the Word, is to
understand and prepare our material in a way that different personality types respond to
most naturally.0
Analysis and Observations of the Correlation
Between Personality Type and the Sermon Manuscript Text
0 Spotting Keirsey/Myers-Briggs Temperaments at a Glance.

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/spotting-keirseymyers-briggs-temperaments-at-a-glance/ (accessed
October 21, 2014)
0 Ibid. For instance the SJs and NTs tend to use the language of conservatives maintaining
the status quo, while the SPs and NFs tend to use the language of liberals talking about embracing change.
Different combinations are attracted to different reading material: For enjoyment, the SJs and NTs will
most likely read more concrete material, like history, biographies, autobiographies, and business/technical
books. The NFs and SPs will gravitate more toward the abstract what if books fiction, poetry, science
fiction, and escapist materials. NFs are idealists who want to change the world and help people better
themselves. With regard to Small Talk: . . .The Ss want to get to work immediately; the SJs have work to
do, and the SPs want to get to the end results with as little effort as possible. Neither type necessarily wants
to do small talk. On the other hand, the Ns are happy to shoot the breeze. The NTs are still amassing
knowledge, and the NFs just want to get to know you better. If youre an S selling to an N, suck it up and
talk to them. If youre an N selling to an S, get straight to the point.
The hypothesis of this research project is that Personality types, as defined by
Jung and measured by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, significantly influence the way
a preacher presents the material from the biblical text in his sermon. Analyzing the data
and correlations (details in Appendix E), there seems to be a number of correlations
which are statistically significant between the personality type and the manuscript texts.
The S/N index (the way an individual perceives) has 10 strong, 3 moderate and 3 weak
correlations. The E/I index (the way an individual is oriented toward the world) has 1
strong, 5 moderate and 5 weak correlations. The J/P (the way the individual interacts with
the world) index has 1 strong, 4 moderate and 2 weak correlations. The T/F index has 1
strong, 2 moderate and 2 weak correlations. Clearly, the Sensing expresses himself
significantly differently than the Intuitive in the manuscripted sermons.
The hypothesis also posited that the dominant Sensing would express himself
in a way significantly different than the Feeling and the Thinking types. This could not be
confirmed because each individual has either a Sensing or Intuition dominant way of
perceiving information and a Feeling or Thinking dominant type to process the
information. When these are combined students in the research were 32.3% ST
(Sensing/Thinking), 32.4% SF (Sensing/Feeling), 28.4% NF (Intuition/Feeling) and 6.9%
NT (Intuition/Thinking). It would take more extensive study with a larger group to
compare and to correlate the possible combinations of the perceiving and processing
functions to sermon manuscripts to arrive at any significant conclusion (ST, SF NT, and
NF).
There is, however, a statistically significant different way that dominant
Sensing and dominant Intuition personality type express themselves. A strong Sensing
function (as opposed to strong Intuitive), according to the analysis, uses more present
tense, more emotive words, more personal pronouns (especially first-person), more
negative words, more quantitative words, and more social words. Strong Sensing function
uses fewer articles, fewer impersonal pronouns, less past tense, fewer prepositions, and
fewer general social words. Sensing generally have shorter manuscripts. These are
statistically significant differences. This indicates a difference in the way the material is
communicated (structure of thought).0 The table which shows these correlations is in
Appendix E.
The distinguishing linguistic aspects of the Sensing personality type need to
be more fully explored and understood. Though Pennebaker and his associates have
begun the process of accessing word usage and psychological dynamics, there is still
much to be done. However, their results and interpretations in conjunction with this
research are suggestive of some significant differences in psychological processes which
can benefit the preacher. The statistically significant use of more present tense according
to Pennebakers research indicates verbal immediacy: Individuals who were verbally
immediate tend to use the present tense, are more personal in their interaction and draw
on the speaker and audiences shared realities.0 In contrast, past tense is used to create
distance and time.0 Sensing seem to use more personal pronouns and few impersonal
pronouns. Pennebaker indicates that pronoun use often reflects overlapping processes:
The attention rule. Pronouns can be thought of as markers of attentional focus. If

a speaker is thinking and talking about a friend, expect high rates of third person
singular pronouns. If worried about communists, right wing radio hosts, or
university administrators, words such as they and them will be higher than
average. The I is no different... The ownership rule. Use of FPS [First Person
Singular] can also serve as a territorial marker. If people want to emphasize their
connection with their topic, they may increase their use of I-words. The use of I-
words, then, links their connection of self to their conversational target.0
0 Yla R. Tausczik and James W. Pennebaker, The Psychological Meaning of Words: LIWC
and Computerized Text Analysis Methods, Journal of Language and Social Psychology 29 (2010): 29.
0 James Pennebaker, Matthias Mehl and Kate Neiderhoffer, Psychological Aspects of

0 Ibid.
0 James Pennebaker, Language Log What is I saying? (2009), 3, accessed December 4,

2014, http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1651.
If individuals feel extremely close to an object, event or other person, they tend to link
their sense of self to it.0 There is a statistically lower use of prepositions with the Sensing
than with the Intuitive personality type. Preposition usage is significant for
. . . the use of prepositions signals that the categorization process is being done in
a hierarchical and spatial way. Think about when we use prepositions: The keys to
the trunk of the car from Maria are next to the lamp under the picture of the boat
painted by your mother. The words to, of, from, next to, under, of and by specify
whose keys and exactly where they are in space. There is a hierarchical structure
in the sense of these are not just any keys. Rather, they are part of a category of
trunks, which are part of the category of cars from Maria. Similarly, the location
of the keys is specified in both horizontal (next to) and vertical (under) planes.0
This categorization process reflected in preposition usage is about orienting something to
something else; that is, perceiving in relationship (Intuitive activity). The fact that
Sensing types use fewer prepositions indicates they are more focused on the individual
item rather than relating that item spatially or temporally. By contrast, Intuitives use more
prepositions which is consistent with seeking patterns and relationships. Sensing use
fewer articles (which generally are specifiers and Sensing would be expected to perhaps
use more if focusing on itemsthe rock, an airplane, etc.), but when taken with the
lesser use of prepositions, the use of fewer articles makes sense (often prepositional
phrases incorporate articles, which would be absent because of the few prepositions).
Sensing also use more quantity words, which would correspond to the focus on the senses
in perception reflecting, not relationship to other things, but size or number.
0 Leadership and Managing People, Harvard Business Review (December 2011), accessed
December 5, 2014, https://hbr.org/product/harvard-business-review-december-2011/an/BR1112-MAG-
ENG. In an interview with Dr. Pennebaker, there is an interesting exchange, Can insignificant words really
provide a window to the soul? Professor Pennebaker defend your research." Pennebaker: When we
began analyzing peoples writing and speech, we didnt expect results like this. For instance, when we
analyzed poems by writers who committed suicide versus poems by those who didnt, we thought wed
find more dark and negative content words in the suicides poetry. We didntbut we did discover
significant differences in the frequency of words like I.
0 James W. Pennebaker, The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us (New
York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011), 60.
In looking at these differences, the strong Sensing is concrete in terms of
personal experience (reflected in the use of first-person pronounshe sees the world
from his perspective and not theoretically). In speaking concretely, the Sensing does not
speak of a chair in a platonic, idealistic sense of something with the qualities of chairness
(conceptual) but of a chair that he can visualize (concrete), one that he has sat upon.
Illustrations tend therefore to be illustrations from his concrete experience which are real
in his mind (can be easily visualized) in the present. Similarly, Sensing types use fewer
prepositions. The use of prepositions indicates adding complexity to thought or

coordinating an object with something else (specifying patterns).0 This indicates the
preference to view individual items or specific behaviors without indicating relationships
to broader categories and/or patterns. The use of more negative words and emotive words
indicates a value judgment (SJ combination) or feeling judgment (SF combination) on the
part of the speaker, which would correspond to the speakers specific feelings, values,
appraisal which are real and concrete in the mind of the speaker.0 Sensing personality
types do not speak of goodness (for instance) in an abstract sense, but in his concrete
assessment of a specific experience or behavior. While using more social words, the
Sensing uses fewer general, social words.0 This, again, is based on the Sensing speakers
concrete relational experiences and observations rather than an abstraction.0 In doing
0 Andrew Village and Leslie J. Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type Preferences
to Biblical Interpretation, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 18, no. 1 (2005): 8081. For a
perspective on this consult Appendix C, which graphically depicts appraisal function words.
0 Social words in this case according to the LIWC are words like friend, mother,
brother, which have a personal connection indication. General social words are people, nation,
organization, meeting.
0 An example of this dynamic is from a sermon manuscript from one of the students in the
class with a high Sensing personality type: Whether crunchy or creamy, Smuckers, Jif, Peter Pan, and
especially all natural, I must confess that I personally have a love-hate relationship with peanut butter. I
absolutely love the rich, creamy taste, and I love the smell. The texture of it is simply amazing, and I even
like the way it sticks to the roof of my mouth before it slowly melts. I love the sweet and salty taste. Put it
on a bagel, on a banana, or even better, just on a spoon, and Im there. However, I also really, really hate
peanut butter. I hate how my fullness cues just dont seem to quickly respond to peanut butter as they do
these things, the Sensing invites the listener into his world to see the world through his
eyes and experience.
Possible Implications for the Dominant Sensing Personality Type In Preaching
There are implications for both the speaker and listener if the preacher has a
dominant Sensing personality type. Since the Sensing orients life from his perspective, he
might be inclined to invite the listener to join him in seeing from his perspective. The
degree to which the listener is willing or able to enter into the Sensings experience
determines the effectiveness of the sermon. A sermon is often built upon shared
experience which requires the listener, to some degree, to enter into the world of the
Sensing. Such a sermon or illustration can be effective and is often appreciated because
of the naturalness of the dynamic of shared experience. If, however, it is not consciously
examined, it can hinder communication. The questions need to be asked repeated, Does
the listener have this experience? And if he doesnt, is he willing to enter into this
experience? How can I make this experience real to my audience? This will help in the
choice and structure of the illustration.
The natural movement of the Sensing-type sermon/illustration seems to begin
with the speaker.0 When there is much in common, this can be effective. An alternate
approach would be for the speaker to enter into the world of the listener, to see the world
through the listeners eyes and then lead from that reference point applying the truth to
with other foods. So let me be honest, there have been many times where a serving of peanut butter turned
into a solid consumption of most if not the whole jar in a couple of days or even in a day, and yes,
sometimes even in one sitting. I just always seem to have a lingering feeling of wanting just a little bit
more. And apparently Im not aloneStatistics have shown that we as Americans alone consume 857
million pounds of peanut butter in a year. That means that each person eats 3-4 pounds of peanut butter
annually. Now, I am sure that some of you may have peanut allergies or not even like peanut butter, but I
am confident that I alone make up for the peanut butter you dont consume. High Sensing speak as seeing
from their perspective and experience. This is more than just speaking concretely, it is speaking self
referentially.
0 Though lacking in objectivity, this seems to be the type of illustrations and approach of the
sermons of those with strong Sensing predominance according to my judgment.
his situation. This approach underlies the notion that an introduction is to uncover a felt
need in the listener. It is difficult, psychologically, to enter into the world of another, to
understand and articulate a need through the eyes of the listener, but it is perhaps the most
effective approach to preaching. It builds an instant rapport with the listener. The listener
finds himself saying, He understands me, my life, my trials, my problems. Andy
Stanley refers to this in his book on preaching in the initial phase of getting hooked up to
the audience.0 Andy Stanley, in his sermons, spends a great deal of time helping the
audience surface and articulate their experience, their thoughts and their feelings. From a
biblical perspective, even as Jesus entered into our world, so the preacher is called to
enter into the world of the listener. As it required sacrifice and a conscious effort on the
part of the eternal Son to enter humanity, so it requires sacrifice to enter into the life of
those a preacher seeks to address. This can be done by the Sensing, but it does not come
naturally or easily.
When the Sensing deal with narrative literature (story), they might become
focused on the detail.0 The Sensing shows a general desire and an ability to enter into the
world experience of the characters of the story in terms of the objective facts as they
understand them to be.0 Often, however, in placing themselves in the story, they see, hear
and feel from their perspective (that is, what they imagine they would feel and see if they
were there) rather than entering into the lives of the characters of the story. This can lead
to a form of eisogesis and obscure the plot and point of the story. As they recount the
story, they are inviting the listener to enter into the world of another. All good story-
telling has this dynamic of inviting the listener to enter into anothers world or at least
into anothers perspective. The more similar the world and perspective, the easier it is to
0 Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 20-24.
0 Village and Francis, The Relationship of Psychological Type Preferences to Biblical

Interpretation, 8081.
0 Ibid.
enter. The Sensing, as well as all personality types, to maximize effectiveness, need to
understand this and to bridge that gap for the listener. Though the Sensing enters into the
world of the narrative, noticing and seeing the details and events, his challenge is not to
remain in the details but to understand the patterns (utilizing the Intuitive dimension) and
then relate it both logically (the Thinking dimension) and relationally (the Feeling
dimension). These dimensions need to be explored to understand that the story is told
with and for a purpose by the Author. The Sensing are strong in knowing the details of
the storythe more significant challenge is to perceive, process and then proclaim why
the story was recorded by the Holy Spirit in the Bible in this way and in this place for a
congregation today. For the Sensing, the natural approach is to try to relive the story from
the standpoint of one of the characters. The unconscious assumption being that as the
listeners relive the story they will get out of the story what the characters received by
living through the event. Often, in the biblical narrative, however, the characters do not
learn the lessons nor understand the movement of God in history, so reliving the events is
not necessarily sufficient to communicate meaning. In choosing to identify with one of
the characters, it is possible to miss the authorial purpose of the story.0 The recent trends
in preaching (Redemptive historical, missional) as well as psychological approaches to
the text have recognized that a recounting of the story is not sufficient.0
0 An example of this might be whether the reader/preacher identifies with David or with the
people of Israel in the Goliath narrative. The typical sermon leads the listener to identify with David with
some form of You face giants in your life and can overcome them even as David overcame his giant. Lisa
Eary, utilizing what she calls evangelical narrative criticism argues, The story is less about overcoming
giants than it is about seeing situations from Gods perspective and acting in faith on that belief.(Elliot
Ritzema, The Real Message of David and Goliath | Logos Talk, accessed November 6, 2014,
https://blog.logos.com/2013/09/the-real-message-of-david-and-goliath/.) However, such an interpretation
ignores the flow of the story and that David is a type of Christ. The later part of the chapter records how the
armies of Israel, once the champion of Israel had defeated the champion of Gath, were then free and
fearless to defeat the enemy. In the context, it might be better to say we are to identify with the fearful
people on the hillside with the point of the story being, Because of Christs victory we can have victory.
It is critical to understand the flow of the passage, what the author is trying to communicate (not simply the
details and events) and then to understand with whom we are rightly to identify.
0 Welch uses Scripture to address a number of psychological and relational issues. Other
books that are worth reading are: Edward Welch, Addictions: a Banquet in the Grave (Greensboro, NC:
New Growth Press, 2012); Edward Welch, When I am Afraid: A Step by Step Guide Away from Fear and
Self-awareness is necessary in this process. The Sensing need to be self-aware
of his strength in recognizing detail, but the goal of interpretation is to determine
meaning which requires understanding the significance and relevance of details and
structure to advance the plot and meaning the Author intends.
. . . in discourse comprehension relevance is primarily assigned to semantic

structures. Hence, phonetic, phonological, syntactic, lexical, stylistic and
rhetorical structures will, in general, only serve as cues or signals of relevance.
They will express relevance such that the reader may (re-)construct which
meaning or what part of the meaning is particularly important . . .0
Seeing the details of the text is not enoughthere needs to be an assignment of relevance
and then a bringing together for authorial meaning. The self-awareness of the Sensing
journeys from seeing the details to pressing on to determine relevance and relationships
that produce meaning. Dijk notes,
In the psychological process model for relevance assignment we at least need the
following items:
1. a distinction between the various levels of semantic analysis at which
relevance assignment is possible;
2. for each level, the categories, units or structures which may be assigned
relevance;
3. the respective surface structures (phonetic, phonological/graphical, syntactic,
stylistic, etc.) expressing these kinds of relevance
4. the specification of the various components of the cognitive set of the
reader/listener . . .
5. specification of the processes whereby the various factors of the cognitive set
operate on the semantic analysis. . .
6. specification of the analysis by which a reader/listener interprets surface
relevance cues . . .
7. specification of the interaction between textual and contextual [what the
reader brings] relevance comprehension . . . how will the cognitive set of the
reader/listener follow or ignore the relevance cues of the text?0
Anxiety (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2008); Edward T. Welch, Depression: Looking Up from the
Stubborn Darkness (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2011).
0 Teun A. Van Dijk, Relevance Assignment in Discourse Comprehension, Discourse

Processes 2 (1979): 114.
0 Ibid., 114115.
Though not speaking of biblical interpretation, Dijk proposes that the details and
structure of the passage need to be assigned relevance and be combined for meaning. This
is not a mechanical process, but must be done in the presence and with the aid of the
Holy Spirit using the tools of Bible study well. Because the reader/student needs to assign
relevance to different items, whether they are details or structures, the reader needs to be
consciously aware of this process.
In the Sensings self-awareness, there needs to be an increasing conscious
development of the other dimensions of the psychological processes of Intuition,

Thinking, and Feeling. In this process, all preachers need to become increasingly self-
aware and insightful. Kuruvilla in his work Privilege the Text challenges the student to go
deeper into the reason the Holy Spirit inspired a certain story to be recorded in the text
where it is and as it is.0 As a student looks at Scripture, he will see patterns (Intuitive
dimension). These patterns will have some common elements because God does not
change, because man is sinful, because God is redemptive and a host of other themes.
Kuruvilla shows that seeing general patterns in Scripture is not enough. While students
might recognize patterns and themes, they need to notice specifics and unique details in
individual passages. These specifics are signposts for relevance intended to add to
peoples understanding and not simply repeat the same truth in a somewhat different way
and context.0 In his commentary on Mark, Kuruvilla challenges the student to recognize
that while the same event may be recorded in several Gospel accounts, each Gospel
writer has a different purpose in telling the story the way he does where he does. Self-
awareness recognizes the tendency to read into parallel accounts what one has seen (or
thought he has seen and concluded) from another account. In self-awareness, the student
0 Abraham Kuruvilla, Privilege the Text!: A Theological Hermeneutic for Preaching, New
Edition (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013).
0 Abraham Kuruvilla, Mark: A Theological Commentary for Preachers (Eugene, OR: Wipf &
Stock Pub, 2012).
refuses simply to assume he understands what an individual author intended. Self
awareness asks, Why am I coming to this meaning of the text? If the answer is,
Because that is what I concluded from a similar text, or, Because that is a pattern I
saw in another portion of Scripture, then the student needs to examine the text and his
own thinking more closely to see if there is perhaps more. While the story might be the
same story generally, it is significantly and purposefully different, both in details and
placement, so that something new is added to the students understanding. Although the
listener to a sermon might be satisfied with the generalities of the text, the preacher is
called to know it more deeply, to recognize and appreciate how each detail adds a new
facet to ones understanding of God, His work and purpose, the human condition and
similar issues. To be self-aware of what we bring to the text, how we perceive and
process the text, and how we proclaim the truth are all necessary for preaching to be at its
highest level.
In study, the Sensing (as noted above) develop patterns for doing tasks,
utilizing skills already learned.0 Sensing tend to be methodical relying on standard
operating procedures. Dallas Seminary gives the student skills and methods for
approaching the text which work well for epistolary literature in the New Testament. The
predisposition for the Sensing to look at detail coupled with the tools and approach Dallas
promotes works well in epistolary literature where the author has already organized the
thoughts in a distilled, logical and propositional manner. The approach of observation,
interpretation, application or the approach of determining of subject and complement
yields both insight and a clear, concise message. Epistolary literature lends itself to this
type of detail orientation toward the text.0
0 Eileen Allen, Integrating Learning Types and Cognitive Taxonomies: Wedding Two Classic
Models, Journal of Psychological Type 67, no. 7 (July 2007): 60.
0 Word studies, diagramming and similar detailed examination of the text characterize this
type of exegetical work.
The challenge for the Sensing is to also develop and utilize other dimensions
of Intuition (seeing and recognizing patterns), Feeling (relationships), and Thinking
(theology) which are necessary for the understanding of other genre. Francis, in
recognizing both the strengths and the limitations of the Sensing personality preference,
has developed the SIFT approach which would explore the text from multiple
perspectives. As noted above, the passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 which has a series of
commands,0 if approached only through a Sensing dynamic does not yield all or perhaps
the more dynamic applications of the passage. The Sensing, unless he develops other
personality type preferences, may not ask questions like: How are these eight commands
related to one another? This seeks a pattern which incorporates the Intuitive function.
Why does Paul begin this series of commands with the command to rejoice? In what
ways does rejoicing prepare the heart for prayer or thanksgiving or the ministry of the
Spirit or an openness to the Word or allow for insight into things good or evil? What is
the movement of these commandsis it significant that the author seems to move from a
verbal response toward God to peoples walk, from a dependent, trusting attitude to an
obedient life? Such questions can be asked by the Sensing, but they belong more to the
realm of the Intuitive seeking patterns or relationships. When those questions are asked of
the text, new insights are revealed which give the text a synergism wherein each
command in relationship to the other commands is more than it is alone. The Sensing
need to move on to the relational elements of the text asking questions that the Feeling
might: How does rejoicing affect my relationship with God and with one other? How
does a lack of joy or intermittent joy affect a relationship? How does my joy affect
others joy and their joy affect me? Does God just like to hear joy and happiness or does
it, in ways of which we are not aware, build relationships in a positive fashion? Where do
0 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for
you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold
on to what is good, reject every kind of evil (1 Thess 5:16-22).
I find joyin the circumstances (looking for a silver lining) or in the relationships I
enjoy and develop in and through the circumstances? How does my relationship with
God and with His people enable me to have joy always? What is the danger of only
rejoicing in the good and pleasant times for my relationship with God? The Sensing also
need to move to the Thinking dimension asking questions such as: What theological
truths enable one to rejoice in all kinds of circumstances? How does the death of Christ,
the fact that in the midst of ultimate pain and suffering and yet for the joy set before
Him (Heb 12) inform my suffering? How does Gods sovereignty and His loving-
kindness reflect on suffering as well as on abundance to produce a response of joy? Does
rejoicing in any way affect and impact or flow from or into the doctrines of ecclesiology,
angelology, soteriology, pneumatology, or bibliology? The Sensing, who focus on the
details of the text, can ask these questions, but his psychological predispositioned type of
Sensing might tend to begin and end with the details of the passageword studies, the
tense of the command (present tense expressing continuous actions) and that it is a
second person plural (it is to be done by all believers). While the Sensing predisposition
would get the truth of the command, there is a synergy in exploring the command from
the Intuitive dimension, the Feeling dimension, the Thinking dimension. The Sensing,
being self-aware that he is detail-focused can push himself and train himself to ask more
questions of the text which will open the text up for himself and for the audience
integrating the command with life and theology.
The Sensing has a challenge in dealing with narrative literature. He sees the
details and desires others to see the details of the story. He might explore details,
explaining the nature of the rocks David picked up, or the kind of armor Goliath probably
wore. He might give a verbal picture of the size differential. All of those elements can
help a story come alive (as long as they are skillfully woven into the story rather than
simply given as facts).0 The danger of the Sensing is to give the details of the story but to
lose the flow and thrust of the story. The point of the story is not found in the details but
in the plot. The Sensing would benefit from developing skills in understanding the nature
of story and analyzing plot.0 Books such as Haddon Robinsons Its All in How You Tell
It: Preaching First-Person Expository Messages0 or books on crafting a story0 should be
incorporated into preaching classes to develop the ability to understand the dynamics of
story to communicate truth. Books which broaden the student and draw upon insights into
the communication process would be beneficial.0 To explore the Feeling dimension,

books written from a consistent and clear conservative view of psychology would be
helpful to begin to open the world of relationship.0 For the Sensing, detail-oriented
person, it is not easy to move from details to the plot of the story, next moving to the
0 A preacher might say something like, David had learned what to look for in stones. As he
went through the wadi, picking up stones that had been shaped and smooth by the waters, stones that were
round and weighed, stones that felt right in his hand and in the sling. Normally David would have not only
had his sling ready and select stones in his pouch, but on this day that God would provide a warrior to
Israel, that warrior had to rely upon Gods provision of stones for the sling . . . It is insufficient and lacks
art to simply give information about the stones. A good story teller needs to weave information into the
story rather than stopping the action to supply details.
0 Kent Edwards as guest lecturer for the DMin. preaching cohort at Dallas in the summer of
2013 shared a simple and helpful approach to narrative of diagramming a story from beginning
(introduction of characters) to introducing conflict building to climax and finally resolution.
0 Haddon W. Robinson and Torrey W. Robinson, Its All in How You Tell It: Preaching First-
Person Expository Messages (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003).
0 John Truby, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, 1st edition.
(New York: Faber & Faber, 2008).
0 From a secular perspective one might read Susan Strauss and Parastou Feiz, Discourse
Analysis: Putting Our Worlds into Words (New York: Routledge, 2013). With a clear view to the text of
Scripture one might utilize. Steven E. Runge, Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament: A
Practical Introduction for Teaching and Exegesis, Bilingual edition (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson
Publishers, Inc., 2010).
0 In my own experience, there was a time that I avoided consideration of such books. I have
found several authors that have helped me personally to integrate the psychological with the exegetical. Of
particular benefit has been David Benners writings and Edward Welch. Both approach the text from a
commitment to the authority of Scripture but their emphasis is applying the truths to the inner life of the
believer.
point of the story and finally to the theology of the story.0 The Sensing personality type
might not explore all the dimensions of the text if he is unaware of his personality
predispositions strengths and weaknesses. The Sensing, however, are methodical, relying
on standard operating procedures. If the Sensing becomes self-aware and his methods of
study and his approach to the text is expanded to include and incorporate elements which
develop and explore the Intuitive, the Feeling and the Thinking dimensions, the Sensing
have a great potential not only to gain insights that will meaningfully affect their lives but
also the lives of their audience. Francis summarizes this fourfold approach:
These principles posit that the four key psychological functions of sensing,
intuition, feeling, and thinking reflect the richness of individual differences that
are part of the intentionality of the divine creator and that are embedded within
the rich image of God in whose image human beings are themselves created. This
view posits that when the people of God corporately approach the word of God
they need to attend to all of the four perspectives generated from the four
psychological functions. In other words, the hermeneutical process is incomplete
without taking seriously this range of voices. The data . . . support these
theological principles by demonstrating that the four voices are indeed distinctive
and complementary.0
The Sensing are exceptional at mining the text for details and then desiring the audience
to see all the details. His challenge is to take the details and combine them, with the help
of the Holy Spirit into a message which reflects Authorial intent. The Sensing has the
ability to explore the Intuitive, Feeling and Thinking dimensions of personality, but it
takes conscious self-awareness and effort.

Summary
In analyzing the students utilizing the KTS II (which indicates the Jungian
personality orientations, perceiving, processing and interaction), the students were
0 To use the easy, This shows Gods sovereignty in working out His plan and purpose in the
world is not sufficient and does not honor the text. A Redemptive/historical looks for how a story is an
integral part of the meta-narrative. Books such as can be helpful in giving a perspective of how doctrine
and the text are intended to complement one another.
0 Leslie J. Francis and Susan H. Jones, Reading and Proclaiming the Resurrection: An
Empirical Study in Psychological Type Theory among Trainee and Experienced Preachers Employing Mark
16 and Matthew 28, Journal of Empirical Theology 24 (2011): 11.
skewed more toward Introverted, Sensing and Judging type than the general public,
which has implications for how the preacher presents his sermon. The correlation of the
students personality type and his sermon indicates that there is a significant difference in
how a Sensing and an Intuitive deliver a message. This has implications and the Sensing,
if he is self-aware, can develop other personality type functions which will add to the
effectiveness of his preaching.

CHAPTER 5
INTRODUCTION
Imagine Itzhak Perlman stepping forward to perform Tchaikovskys Violin
Concerto in D. The audience sits silently in anticipation desiring to drink in every note
and phrase. As the master draws his bow across the string, the string vibrates and fills the
Stradivarius with sound. The instrument begins to resonate with each note, and in the
resonance, there is a depth of tone beyond description filling the concert hall. He does not
need to ask or demand that the audience attend, for all give their attention willingly.
Some measures are full with volume and force. Some measures are soft, barely audible
and yet heard clearly by every ear. Some measures are fast-moving, others slower and
thoughtful. The music is made of notesnone standing alone and none unnecessary. The
violin is able and willing to resonate with every pitch, every fortissimo and pianissimo.
The Stradivarius has become one with the music and resonates fully filling the room with
music. None of this is lost on the audience, for as the notes resonate in and from the
violin, something happens in the heart of each listenerit too begins to resonate. The
music that was once ink on a piece of paper has been transformed. When the heart
resonates with the music, the heart is forever changed for the music is written upon it.
That is the goal of preaching which can only be accomplished as the Holy Spirit wraps
himself around a human instrument that has been prepared to resonate with the truth of
God. Preaching is communication of truth through human personality in all its
dimensions.
This research is intended to begin a discussion of one of the elements often
neglected in the preparation of the student to preach the Word of Godself-awareness

and specifically self-awareness of ones personality type predispositions. It is not enough
to give a student the tools for study and teach him a method of how to use the tools if the
goal is to produce quality human instruments which resonate with Gods truthfilling
not a concert hall occasionally but pulpits each Sunday. One might never suspect that
Itzhak Perlman has unusually large hands for a violinist and had to learn how to use his
hands to play eloquently. 0 What Itzhak Perlman had to do, becoming self-aware of both
the strengths and limitations of those hands and consequently adapt, so the preacher
needs to do. The preacher needs to understand and embrace his uniqueness learning how
to work in and through that uniqueness as He preaches the Word of God. The purpose of
this research is to open a discussion which moves from the academic teaching of tools
and methods to the artistic use of harnessing all the uniqueness of the individual preacher
to resonate with the truth of Gods Word.

Interpretation of Results and Conclusions
Philip Brooks, in his classic definition of preaching, indicates that preaching is
about communicating Gods truth through human personality.0 Yet, in most homiletic
courses, little is discussed about or directed toward the personality, in part because the
relationship between the personality and the understanding and proclamation of the Word
has not been explored. In this initial excursion into this dimension of preaching, I have
learned some things. I have also confirmed some things that I have suspected but have
been unable to articulate clearly.
1. To preach well and to faithfully proclaim what God wants others to hear and
know requires a depth of understanding beyond facts.
0 Itzhak Perlman, "Big Hands," Part 2, accessed February 1, 2015,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZIdJVsZqwc.
0 Full Text of Lectures on Preaching, Delivered Before the Divinity School of Yale College
in January and ..., 2330, accessed December 15, 2014,
https://archive.org/stream/lecturesonpreac00broogoog/lecturesonpreac00broogoog_djvu.txt.
2. Understanding requires tools and skills in the use of those tools, but
understanding is not a mechanical process. It is a relational process.
3. As a relational process, the better I know myself (how my uniqueness affects how
I listen) and the better I know Gods heart (for, I am convinced, communication of
the depth that we are seeking is a matter of the heart), the more accurately I will
understand what He is saying and the more clearly and faithfully I can
communicate both the thoughts of God and the heart of God.
4. Part of knowing ourselves is understanding how our environment, education and

experiences affect the way we think and understand. Part of knowing ourselves is
understanding how sin has affected our lives. Part of knowing ourselves is
understanding how our unique personality types affect our ability to perceive and
process what God says. All of these are essential for self-awareness.
5. In knowing myself more fully and in knowing my personality type, I can grow to
develop and to embrace the different aspects of personality type toward the text in
the Sensing, the Intuitive, the Feeling and the Thinking dimensions. This opens up
the full meaning of the text in ways that an academic approach cannot. This
deeper process is rooted in self-awareness and in a growing awareness of Gods
presence and love. From this flows a desire to know and to resonate with Gods
truth and Gods heart. As my soul and spirit resonate with the truth of God in
union with the heart of God, preaching takes on a depth which touches the hearts
of men. Only hearts that resonate with Gods truth can truly proclaim that truth in
a way that calls other hearts to so resonate.
These things have been confirmed in my thinking and experience. The research of this
paper suggests, for the psychological processes are unseen and cannot be proven, that a
persons personality type can affect how he perceives, processes and finally proclaims
Gods Word. This research indicates that, for this group of students, there was a
significant difference in the way that a Sensing personality type and an Intuitive
personality type preaches.
Limitations
This research is limited in a number of ways which could give rise to further
study and research:
1. The sample is not sufficiently large to draw absolute conclusions. There was a
total of 68 individuals that completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II with 43
manuscripts provided for analysis. This is a relatively small sample and does not
provide enough samples to fully explore the various combinations of Jungian
personality types. It does, however, provide enough to suggest the need of further
exploration into the relationship between personality type and preaching.
2. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, while adequate for general categorization of
Jungian personality types, is not sufficiently nuanced for an in depth exploration
of the students personality types. It is a self-assessing instrument without
verification as opposed to the more exhaustive Myers-Briggs. While the KTS II
has been demonstrated to be adequate for this initial research, it has limitations
which could be addressed in future studies.

3. The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program has not previously been used to
analyze a Jungian approach to personality. It has been used to correlate the Big
Five personality traits with word usage and proved both helpful and accurate.
Further study and perhaps modifications and adaptations might need to be made
to more fully analyze word usage from a Jungian approach to personality.
4. There is a difference between the way an individual writes his thoughts and the
way that he speaks his thoughts. Since preaching is a verbal endeavor, ideally the
analysis would have been done on transcribed sermons that were actually
preached rather than on manuscripts written in preparation for preaching. My

hunch is that the verbal presentation of a sermon more accurately reflects an
individuals personality type being more extemporaneous.
5. The manuscripts were of students taking an initial class in preaching. In some
ways, this is good in that their personality is perhaps more fully reflected. Those
who have preached for an extended period of time have, ideally, developed their
preaching beyond the predispositions of their own personality.
6. Further limitations of this study arise from having a single individual analyzing
and interpreting the data. To have a team with both linguistic, computer and
psychological expertise would add to the clarity and accuracy of the conclusions.
Since the KTS II records personality types in contrasting pairs (Extrovert vs.
Introvert; Sensing vs. Intuitive; Feeling vs. Thinking; Judging vs. Perceiving), a
nuanced analysis of combinations of personality types is not easily accomplished,
especially by one not trained in the finer points of psychology and personality.
Recognizing these limitations, there was still significant statistical difference in the way
that a Sensing personality type and an Intuitive personality type preach.
Implications for Ministry

The focus of much of the preparation of the preacher in an academic
institution is to develop the ability to provide a detailed analysis of the text (emphasis on
the Sensing function). While such training is important, to place the tools and methods in
the hands of unique individuals without addressing how their uniqueness influences the
use of those tools makes this type of preparation incomplete. Jesus, in preparing Peter to
go and preach the Word, brought him to a point of self-awareness, which was
uncomfortably necessary (John 21). In that self-awareness, Peter discovered both
strengths and weaknesses which needed to be brought under the control of the Holy
Spirit. This self-awareness, found in the presence of the LORD, brings both humility and
dependencewhich are necessary for a pastor. Knowing ones personality
predispositions is part of that self-awareness.
The preparation of the preacher, while being an academic endeavor, must
become more. While the details of grammar and syntax in epistolary literature are
important and while analyzing plot in narrative is essential, there needs to be a relational
emphasis which is often lacking. The heart must resonate with the heart of God. Kent
Edwards, in Deep Preaching, suggests utilizing a grid of questions to move from the
academic to the personal and relational. I have adapted these for my personal use, and
they are in Appendix Gthis is a work in progress. Further, it would benefit the student
of preaching to be mentored personally and academically. To spend time with a godly
pastor seeing him labor in preparation and in prayer over a text from beginning to
finished sermon would be transformational. This would require recruiting pastors and/or
advanced-level preaching students with a vision of building into the lives of students and
students willing to invest the time to be so mentored.
It would be beneficial for each student to take either the MBTI or the KTS II
upon entrance to seminary. The results ought to be explored with the student individually
in terms of what his personality type means for the study and proclamation of the Word
of God. Helps could be created (questions and directions to be thoughtfully and
prayerfully explored), which would aid the student in exploring and applying the text first
to himself and then to others. This could include developing of the various personality
type functions of Extrovert/Introvert, Sensing/Intuition, Feeling/Thinking, and
Judging/Perceiving. Francis books on the SIFT method referenced above could be a
good starting point for this type of growth.
There is a need for slowing down the process of study. It takes time to be self-
aware and aware of Gods presence. It takes time for the heart of the preacher to resonate
with the heart of God. Preaching that transforms lives takes time. Itzhak Perlman, in
mentoring violinists, says, If you learn something slowly, you forget it slowly. If you
learn something quickly, you forget it quickly . . . the brain has to have time to absorb.
So, the slower we do it, the better it is.0 There is a haste about our society and ministry
which creates quantity but often not quality. In theological schools, this is accentuated as
paper after paper is cranked out without time for the brain, much less the soul, to absorb
and to begin to resonate with the truths of Gods Word. If preaching is to become art and
music which resonates in the souls of men, it must have time. The Psalmist instructs in
Psalm 37, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Only in prayerful
stillness before the Divine Author with text open can truth resonate within us and be
written upon our hearts.
I have been in a single pastorate and know the demands of wearing numerous
hats. Often there is not time to do all things well. I remember a teacher at Dallas
Seminary once said, Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. After the shock of
hearing those words wore off, he explained that we do not have time to do everything
well, so do the best you can with the time you have and then commend it to God.
Certainly, that is good advice for the world we live in, but preaching has a sacredness
which should not heed that advice. We are commanded to preach the Wordand preach
it well. Handling the Word of God before men in preaching and handling the hearts and
lives of men before God in prayer cannot be shortcut. The student needs to learn how to
take time in solitude, with an open Bible before a holy God to represent Him well before
men.
One of the lessons learned in Raymers preaching cohort was the value of
studying passages of Scripture with other godly pastors. He suggested that we find a
group of several men with which to meet. In these meetings, there could be a planning of
sermons. The benefit of such a group would be:
1. Camaraderiedevelopment of friendships around the Word of God and life.
0 Itzhak On Practicing, accessed February 1, 2015, http://youtu.be/h3xEHigWShM?

list=RDh3xEHigWShM.
2. Preparing a sermon calendar that is thought through with the input of others.
3. Possibly tapping into the Jungian personality types of other pastors and benefiting
from their unique strengths.
In this process a synergy takes place which helps each be more effective in preaching
from and to each personality type preference.
Each Jungian personality type has its own way of perceiving and processing
information in general and the text of Scripture in particular. Since this is likely true, it is
also very likely that the preacher has amassed commentaries which reflect his personality
type predispositionthat is, the Sensing would probably gravitate to commentaries that
focused on detail, the Feeling more devotional and relational type of commentaries, the
Thinking more theological type of commentaries. It would benefit the preacher to know
his personality type predisposition and force himself to seek out and read commentaries
and reference books which approach a passage from the other directions of Sensing,
Intuitive, Feeling, and Thinking. If that is not possible, the preacher could, knowing his
own personality type preference, seek out individuals that have other personality types
and look at the passage with them. It would be most natural to select individuals similarly
gifted and with a similar personality type, but that would not expand the preacher to
embrace personality type dynamics.
None of these things is new or novel, but understanding that individuals
perceive and process the text differently and benefiting from one anothers gifts and
strengths only serves to make each better. Understanding the Jungian personality type
uniqueness gives a reason to embrace and listen to one another, and an ability to embrace
the insights of another without abandoning our own.
Implications for Future Research

This research was only an initial journey into the exploration of the
relationship between Jungian personality types and the way an individual perceives,
processes and proclaims the Bible. Further research might include:
1. A greater sample with more detailed personality analysis (MBTI) to either
confirm or dispel what is suggested by the present research.
2. The comparison and contrast between manuscripted and then preached sermons
(not read in the pulpit) would be an interesting endeavor.
3. An analysis of preachers who have preached a period of time to see if they have
adapted and developed other personality type strengths might be revealing.
Since little has been done in thinking through the implications of an individuals unique
personality and the study and proclamation of the text, the possibilities are endless.
Conclusion
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God

as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
If a preachers desire is to tickle the ears of his listeners or to create a
following and name for himself, his commitment is not to the Word of God and the souls
of men. If, however, his commitment is to the Word of God, believing it to be inspired,
and the souls of men, desiring their hearts to resonate with the heart of God, then he
needs to be a workmanutilizing the tools and methods of the grammatical-historical
hermeneutic in exploring the inspired, inerrant text of Scripture. But it is not enough to be
a workman, he needs to be a student who sits before the Holy Spirit as He illumines and
interprets the text. As we spend time with an open Bible and an open heart before a
loving and holy LORD, we come to know Him and ourselves in a more accurate, perhaps
painful, and sanctifying way. In seeing ourselves and knowing what our uniqueness
brings to the text, we have the ability to differentiate between our thoughts and the
authorial intent of the divine Author. In knowing how we tend to perceive, process and
then proclaim the text, we can grow, overcoming our weaknesses and building upon our
strengths. As we do these things in solitude, in His presence, the truth of God resonates in
our hearts and through our words to touch the hearts of men.
APPENDIX A
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS IS NOT MECHANICAL
In 1948 Claude Elwood Shannon published A Mathematical Theory of
Communication article in two parts in the July and October issues of the Bell System
Technical Journal. The ShannonWeaver model of communication has since formed the
basis of understanding the communication process. It embodies the concepts of
information (ideas/thoughts) translated into a message (encoded), transmitted through a

medium (in our case the Bible), received, decoded (interpretation) and finally
understood.0 In this foundational study he breaks down the various components of the
communication process. Shannons model has been further clarified by Weiner noting the
bi-directional nature of most communication,0 which takes place in interpersonal
relationships.0 People really do adapt their messages based on the feedback they
receive.0 A number of relationships are described by Shannons model:
Messages are created and consumed (received) using language. . . .

Creators of messages created messages within the context of their perspectives of
and relationships with anticipated consumers of messages. Creators optimize their
messages to their target audiences. Consumers of messages interpret those
0 Richard C. Meyer, One Anothering, vol. 1 of Biblical Building Blocks for Small Groups
(Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Books, 2004), 3942. The word decoding while technically correct is not
relationally correct. Decoding is a mechanical process. It should be understood that we are more properly
speaking about listeninglistening with a motivation of loving God. There is a difference between
utilizing tools of exegesis and listening with the heart to the heart. M. Scott Peck indicates this saying, The
principle form that the word of love takes is attention. When we love another we give him or her our
attention; we attend to that persons growth . . . by far the most common and important way in which we
can exercise our attention is by listening. M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1978), 120-121.
0 Ibid., 4242.
0 Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the
Machine, Second edition (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1965).
0 Davis Foulger, Models of the Communication Process, 6, accessed February 25, 2014,
davis.foulger.into/research/unifiedModelOfCommunication.htm; God, being omniscience, does not need
feedback to accurately communicate with us. However, we are suggesting that it is necessary for us to get
His feedback through prayer and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order for us to accurately understand
His thought and meaning.
messages within the context of their perspectives of, and relationships with,
creators of messages. Consumers make attributions of meaning based on their
opinion of the message creator. . . . The messages creators of messages construct
are necessarily imperfect representations of the meaning they imagine. Messages
are created within the expressive limitations of the medium selected and the
meaning representation space provided by the language used. . . . The message
created is almost always a partial and imperfect representation of what the creator
would like to say.0
The encoding of thought into symbols (language) which then must be transmitted,
received and finally decoded by someone with a different perspective, life experience,
thought process is clearly a linguistic, psychological, relational undertaking and not
strictly a mechanical process.0 As Foulger later notes,
A medium of communication is, in short, the product of a set of

complex interactions between its primary constituents: messages, people (acting
as creators of messages, consumers of message and in other roles), languages, and
the media. Three of these constituents are themselves complex systems and
subjects of entire fields of study, including psychology, sociology, anthropology
(all three of which study people), linguistics (language), media ecology, media,
and communication (messages, language and media). [All of which affects]
observation, learning, interpretation, socialization, attribution, perspectives and
relationships.0
Despite the difficulty, a message is fundamentally a desire and an attempt to
communicate something one thinks or imagines to another person in a way that can be
understood. It has a relational component as well as linguistic component.0

Language Alone is Insufficient to Convey Meaning
Many things influence the ability to discern meaning (authorial intent)
because communication is not a mechanical process which can be reduced to grammar
and methods as Lev Vygotsky notes, To understand anothers speech, it is not sufficient
0 Foulger, Models of the Communication Process, 9.
0 Morton T. Kelsey, Caring: How Can We Love One Another? (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press,
1981), 67.
0 Foulger, Models of the Communication Process, 10.
0 Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, Crucial Conversations
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011), 4951.
to understand his wordswe must understand his thought. But even that is not enough
we must also know its motivation. No psychological analysis of an utterance is complete
until that plane is reached.0 This means that to truly understand the Scriptures, people
need to know the Author; and, the better they know the Author, the more accurately they
will understand His meaning. This is not a mechanical process, but a spiritual, relational
listening dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit.
There are many elements in communication cycle which can potentially
introduce misunderstanding. There is the encoding of thought into shared symbols, the
transmission of those symbols and the decoding of those symbols into thought. In each
of these there is the possibility of introducing error and miscommunicating. This, in part,
accounts for two people hearing or reading the same thing and yet coming to differing
conclusions. The message of the Bible, however, is different, in that the divine Author,
the Holy Spirit, who superintended the writing of the text, is available to the believer to
aid understanding. Since the communication process has the potential for
miscommunicating meaning, then we must be aware of what we bring to the process
(self-awareness), of the limitations of language and where we need divine help (prayer).
Scripture itself indicates that there is a spiritual dynamic to understanding (1 Cor. 2:10-
14), which often is limited by spiritual maturity (1 Cor. 3:1-3).
Some suggest that language itself is the dominant influence of our thinking
(perceiving, processing and proclamation), which when applied to Scripture, leads to the
conclusion that language by itself is sufficient to convey meaning and understanding
accurately.0 Whorf explains, The world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of
impressions which has to be organized by our mindsand this means largely by the
0 Lev S. Vygotsky, Thought and Language, ed. Alex Kozulin. Revised edition (Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press, 1986), 253.
0 David J. McKinley, John Owens View of Illumination: An Alternative to the Fuller-

Erickson Dialogue, Bibliotheca sacra, no. 154 (March 1997): 94. Fuller believes that any individual
(including the agnostic or atheist) with adequate exegetical skills can interpret the Scriptures accurately.
Thus, the Spirits illumination is not needed to attain a cognitive understanding of the text.
linguistic systems in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts and ascribe
significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in
this wayan agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in
the patterns of our language.0 This statement, however, ascribes too much absolute
ability to language to organize information and to convey meaning. Paul Bloom and
Frank Keil of Yale raise the issue,
Nobody doubts that language can inform, convince, persuade, soothe, dismay,
encourage and so on. This is what language is for. It is clear that much of the
content of our minds exists because of information conveyed through the medium
of language. Without language there would be no quantum physics, constitutional
democracy or professional sports. . . . A common language connects the members
of a community into an information-sharing network with formidable collective
powers. The debate, as we see it, is not whether language shapes thoughtit is
whether language shapes thought in some way other than through the semantic
information that it conveys.0
The study of the relationship between thought and language suggests there are other
influences which ought to be considered by the hermeneutical process along with
language.
The issue of whether or not language influences thought is tricky since more than
one factor affects thought patterns. Many researchers have used differing
languages to study the relationship between language and thought, and they have
come up with many different hypotheses. We propose that although specific
languages would affect the part of the brain that one uses, it is not language alone
that produces linguistically differentiated thought patterns.0
Linguist Benjamin Whorf and anthropologist Edward Sapir from their work with the
Hopi Indians suggested, . . . the language people used determined their perception of the
world and consequently their thought.0 This study would seem to indicate that speakers
0 Ibid.
0 Paul Bloom and Frank C Keil, Thinking Through Language, 351, accessed August 28,
2012, http://www.yale.edu/cogdevlab/aarticles/bloom%20and%20keil.pdf.
0 Chang H. Lee, Kyungi Kim, Young Seok Seo, and Cindy K. Chung. The Relations
Between Personality and Language Use. Journal of General Psychology 134, no. 4 (October 2007): 4.
0 Palgrave MacMillan Psychology and Neuroscience: Thinking and Language, 331,

http://www.palgrave.com/psychology/malim/pdfs/chap_15.pdf.
of English think differently than speakers of Hopi think. If this was true then the quest to
know the language and historical context better (accepting a new paradigm of thought) is
a necessary and sufficient path to understanding authorial intent. That language can
facilitate thought is clearly seen,0 but that it is absolutely determinative in the ability of an
individual to think, communicate and understand must be rejected as Bloom explains,
Consider a simple example: Q: How is it that people can think about time?
A: Because we learn the language of time, words like was and tomorrow. But
this answer immediately raises another question: How do we learn these words?
The answer to this had better not presuppose a prior ability to think about time.
More generally, any theory positing that the understanding of X requires a grasp
of the linguistic expression that conveys X has to explain how this linguistic
expression can be acquired without prior understanding of X.0
People evolved language when they need to communicate ideas that existing language is
not sufficient to.0 Therefore, the reality that languages grow and develop indicates that
while language can affect our on-line perception of the world, to shape the categories we
form, to enable us to perform logical inferences and causal reasoning, to underlie social
reasoning and to structure our basic ontological commitments (about time, space,
matter),0 there are other factors which influence our ability to perceive, process,
organize, understand and communicate meaning. Allowing for growth and development,
it is maintained that
. . . language offers the concepts and mechanisms for representing and making
sense of our experience, thereby radically shaping the way we think. . . . even
though language does not completely determine thought, it still affects peoples
0 Patterson et al., Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, 93116.
Patterson et al. observe that until the subconscious feelings and thoughts are internally verbalized, that is,
expressed in words, one cannot interact in a meaningful way. The act of putting feelings/thoughts to words
enables one to examine, alter, and manipulate thoughts in the process of becoming self-aware.
0 Bloom and Keil, Thinking Through Language, 362.
0 Davis Foulger, Models of the Communication Process, 10. We see this process in the New
Testament when Paul creates words resulting in hapax legomena. According to some counts there are
roughly 400 true hapax in the OT and over 600 in the NT.

habitual thought patterns by promoting the salience of some categories and
downgrading others.0
Language provides a collective, generalized consciousness of shared and named
experiences which enables a communication process. This process of generalization
facilitates memoryboth drawing on past experiences of the community and building a
reservoir of information (memory) on which to continue to build. Shared memory is
preserved through language. Memory allows both the organization and manipulation of
concepts and experiences.0 Bloom and Keil conclude,
Does language influence thought? Obviously yes; this is why we use language in
the first place. Does language have a dramatic influence on thought in some other
way than through communication? Probably not. It is often proposed that the
language we learn enables us to perform abstract inferences (as in domain of
theory of mind), and helps us carve the external world into distinct categories (as
in the domain of object categories). Such proposals might turn out to be true, but
there is considerable evidence to the contrary.0
Language, then, while it facilitates thought does not determine thought absolutely nor in
any absolute way convey thought and so does not absolutely govern the interpretive
process.0 Faccone lays out a middle ground saying,
Linguistic relativity refers to the assertion that the speakers of different

languages have differing cognitive systems, and that these different systems have
an influence on the ways in which the speakers, of the worlds many languages,
think about the world (Sternberg, 1999). . . . linguistic relativism is that language
may not determine thought, but there is certainly an influence. There is a clear
interaction between the two. Language facilitates thoughts, and in turn, affects
perception and memory; it also simulates encoding, storage and retrieval of
information with memory.0
0 Lee et al., The Relations Between Personality and Language Use, 5.
0 Claudia Faccone, Robert Kearns, Ashley Kopp, Elizabeth Watson, The Effects of
Language on Thought: 2, accessed October 22, 2012,
http://www.unc.edu/~jdumas/projects/languagethought.htm.
0 Ibid.
Language is the way God has chosen to communicate with the assistance of the Holy
Spirit (inspiration/illumination). Grammar, with vocabulary and syntax, is a tool to
approach the text for the purpose of acquiring an understanding of authorial intent. As a
tool, however, it is placed in the hand of a unique individual who will use that tool in a
personal way rather than in a mechanical way.
Seeing the complexity of the communication process and applying it to Gods
endeavoring to communicate with man, we come to certain conclusions:
1. The accurate encoding of the message by God through holy men moved by the
Holy Spirit is essential. It is not necessary to say that language perfectly captures
the exhaustive thoughts and meaning of God, but that, to the degree possible by
language, it is an accurate and true representation of Gods meaning. Verbal,
plenary, inerrant inspiration of Scripture must be affirmed.
2. The text has been maintained accurately. This is the realm of textual criticism and
is essential for one to consistently and reasonably pursue the goal of the authorial
intent of God. Those who suppose the Bible is the product of men over a period
of time essentially deny God speaking and deny authorial intent. Those who deny
the integrity of the text, similarly, reduce the possibility of ascertaining authorial
intent.
3. The breakdown in understanding is with those that receive the text, in their
decoding of the symbols of language (our ability and commitment to listen to the
heart of God speaking to us through the Word of God). A historical grammatical
approach to the text is the proper approach to pursue authorial intent (this is the
discussion of Appendix B), but the use of the tool is subject to men who have
been touched by the effects of sin, who are significantly removed from the
original declarations, and who possess unique personalities and perspectives. It is
important for the student to know and understand himself, the presuppositions and
the predispositions he brings to the text. It is essential to know the heart of God
for that is essential for true understanding of the text of Scripture.

APPENDIX B
PURSUIT OF MEANING--AN OVERVIEW OF HERMENEUTICS
A method of interpretation which seeks authorial intent honors the text and its
Author. Communication of the nature and depth that we are pursuing has both an
academic/cognitive element as well as a relational element. The academic and cognitive
element, which is governed by language in context and the rules of language, sets the
boundaries of meaning. The way that one approaches the text is called hermeneutics. The
following is a history of hermeneutics to provide an overview which leads to the
commitment that the grammatical-historical approach to the understanding of the text
provides the greatest opportunity to discover and discern authorial intent of the text.
The term hermeneutics, tracing its roots back to the Greek hermeneutice used
by Plato and the Stoics, was not a formalized, systematic theory or approach to
interpretation. Origen adopted an approach which suggested three levels of meaning to
Scripture, each of which reflects deeper spiritual maturity and insight, culminating in an
allegorical approach. This approach practically denies that Scripture has a singular
meaning reflecting authorial intent. This tri-level approach to meaning had few controls
to guide in the interpretive process leading to the possibility of multitudes of
interpretations and had elements of subjectivity. Augustine, by way of contrast,
introduced . . . the universality-claim of hermeneutics. This claim arises from the
connection Augustine establishes between language and interpretation, but also from his
claim that interpretation of Scripture involves a deeper, existential level of self-

understanding.0 After Augustine, because of the limited ability of individuals to read and
the limited availability of Scripture, the church generally did not focus on hermeneutics
and the individual reading or study of Scripture. The meaning of Scripture was what the
church declared the meaning of Scripture to be (authority rested in the churchs
interpretation). Hermeneutics emerged as a response to the reintroduction of Scripture to
the common man through translation and distribution of Scripture with the advent of the
printing press. The Reformers held that the text could be understood and the meaning of a
passage discerned by readers. Hermeneutics provided an approach to the text with a view
to understanding. This began a new emphasis on the methods and approaches of reading
and studying Scripture.
The hermeneutic cycle began to emerge as a controlling principle for
interpretation in the seventeenth century. Spinoza articulated the need to employ a
hermeneutic cycle of parts to whole to parts (Tractatus theologico-politicus, 1670).
Ramberg summarizes,
. . . in order to understand the most dense and difficult sections of Holy

Scriptures, one must keep in mind the historical horizon in which these texts were
written, as well as the mind by which they were produced. There is an analogy,
Spinoza claims, between our understanding of nature and our understanding of the
Scriptures. In both case, our understanding of the parts hinges on our
understanding of a larger whole, which again, can only be understood on the basis
of the parts. Seen in a larger perspective, this hermeneutic circle, the movement
back and forth between the parts and the whole of the text is an important
hermeneutical theme.0
0 Bjorn Ramberg and Kristin Gjesdal, Hermeneutics, in The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta (Summer 2009), 1, accessed December 20, 2012,
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2009/entries/hermeneutics/.
0 Bjorn Ramberg and Kristin Gjesdal, Hermeneutics, in The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Summer 2009, 2, accessed December 20, 2012,
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2009/entries/hermeneutics/.
Vico (Scienz nuova, 1725) added that understanding must be rooted in a cultural context.0
This preliminary cyclical approach to Scripture was not formalized at this point.0 Ast
(Grundlinien der Grammatick, Hermeneutik und Kritik, 1808) added that the hermeneutic
circle must include the texts relationship to historical tradition, analogy of faith; while
Wolf (Museum der Altertumswissenschaft, 1807) affirmed the need to study the culture
and be sensitive to the individuality of the author.0 These developments led to seeking the
original intention of the author. Hermeneutics was taking on an historical and
grammatical approach.
Schleiermacher (1768-1834) attempted to provide a universal hermeneutic
which could be used not simply for the Scriptures or ancient texts alone, but would
provide a framework of linguistic meaning in general.0 In seeking a universal
hermeneutic which could be applied to any textual communication, he did not
acknowledge the uniqueness of the biblical text as inspired by God.0 He did posit
elements, however, that would be incorporated into grammatical-historical interpretation.
First, the . . . meaning of a term is to be derived from the unity of the word-sphere.0
Second, Before the interpretation proper of a text can even begin, the interpreter must
0 Ibid., 3.
0 Ibid., 2.
0 Ibid., 3.
0 Michael Forster, Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, in The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Fall 2008., sec. 4, accessed December 31, 2012,
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/schleiermacher/.
0 J. Kent Edwards, Deep Preaching: Creating Sermons that Go Beyond the Superficial
(Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 76. Edwards makes an important observation noting, Christians
are not necessarily the best interpreters of Ernest Hemingway, William Wordsworth or Sinclair Lewis. But
when it comes to Holy Scripture, however, Christians have a clear edge. Because unlike laptops and
atheists, Christians have the Holy Spirit, the Bibles coauthor, residing within us. And one of the things that
the Holy Spirit does is give us insight and understanding into His Word. . . . it takes the supernatural
enabling of the Holy Spirit to move beyond mere exegesis to the fuller understanding of Scripture that God
intends for his children.
0 Forster, Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, 4.

acquire a good knowledge of the texts historical context.0 He stressed a wholism in
interpretation holding,
Ideal interpretation is of its nature a wholistic activity . . . In particular, any given

piece of text needs to be interpreted in light of the whole text to which it belongs,
and both need to be interpreted in light of the broader language in which they are
written, their larger historical context, a broader preexisting genre, the authors
whole corpus, and the authors overall psychology. Such wholism introduces a
pervasive circularity into interpretation, for, ultimately, interpreting these broader
items in its turn depends on interpreting such pieces of text. Schleiermacher does
not see this circle as vicious . . . Rather it lies in the (very plausible) thought that
understanding is not an all-or-nothing matter but something that comes in degrees,
so that it is possible to make progress towards full understanding in a piecemeal
way.0
Because of his universalistic hermeneutic, Schleiermacher laid a foundation that one
could, using the proper methods, understand the text as an objective endeavor.
Heidegger (Sein und Zeit, 1927) introduced a more subjective approach,
saying the object (text) and the subject (reader) are not separable. The world in which one
lives shapes the reader's perspective and understanding of the text. He believed that
through the study of shared states of being articulated through dialogue common beliefs
and practices can be revealed. Ramberg summarizes,
In Spinoza, Ast, and Schleiermacher, the hermeneutic circle was conceived in

terms of mutual relationship between the text as a whole and its individual parts,
or in terms of the relation between the text and tradition. With Heidegger,
however, the hermeneutic circle refers to something completely different: the
interplay between our self-understanding and our understanding of the world. The
hermeneutic circle is no longer perceived as a helpful philological tool, but entails
an existential task with which each of us is confronted.0
At this point in the development of hermeneutics, we have a tension between an objective
approach to Scripture and a subjective, existential approach.0
0 Ibid.
0 Ibid.
0 Ramberg and Gjesdal, Hermeneutics, 4.
0 Here, then, is the issue. Understanding anothers thoughts has an objective element, but it is
not entirely an objective pursuit. Understanding also has a subjective element, but if there are no objective
In the first half of the twentieth century, Hans-Georg Gadamer introduced
what Ramberg calls a Hermeneutic Humanism saying,
Human being . . . is a being in language. It is through language that the world is

opened up for us. We learn to know the world by learning to master a language.
Hence we cannot really understand ourselves unless we understand ourselves as
situated in a linguistically mediate, historical culture.0
Gadamer suggested a co-determination of text and reader in the hermeneutical circle,
with each ones reading adding to the meaning of the text. He placed a great emphasis on
uncovering both the texts and the readers prejudices. Rather than judging these
prejudices they become an integral part of the study. Challenging these prejudices is not
to eliminate them but to give them voice and make them visible. There is, in his thinking,
no end point of interpretation but a continuous process of expanding and unfolding
meaning resulting in a consequent relativism.0 The issue is one of the authority of the text
over the individual.0 In his approach, there is not a closer and closer approximation of the
meaning of the text (Schleiermacher), but an ever potentially expanding meaning of the
text.
boundaries then each is free to read into and interpret a message in any way that strikes him. Understanding
also has a relational element, between the Author of Scripture (the Holy Spirit) and the reader of Scripture.
0 Timothy J. Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 105. Keller discusses the issue of this interaction between reader
and text in his discussion of contextualization saying, But the deeper flaw in this hermeneutical circle
approach is that it cannot exist in real life. Though we may say we make the Bible and culture equally
authoritative, in the end we really are not doing so. If we state that what the Bible says over here is
regressive and outdated, we have absolutized our culture and given it final authority over the Bible. Either
the Bible has final authority and determines what in the culture is acceptable or unacceptable, or the culture
has final authority over the Bible and determines what in the text is acceptable or unacceptable. . . . If
Scripture and culture are equally authoritative, the movement back and forth between text and context is an
endless circle of change. But if the Scripture is the supreme authority and the interaction with culture is for
the purpose of understanding the text more accurately (not to bring it into line with the culture), then the
text-context movement is a spiral, moving us toward better and better understanding of the Word of God.
Emilio Betti (Teoria della interpretation, 1964) and Eric D. Hirsche (Validity
in Interpretation, 1967) sought to address the problems of relativism in Gadamer.
Ramberg summarizes Bettis argument,
Speech and texts . . . are objectified representations of human intentions. To

interpret their meaning is . . . possible because although the interpreters
individuality and the individuality expressed in the text are constitutively
different, the interpreter may overcome his own point of view in order to get a
grasp on the meaning of the text. At issue is an attempt to re-create the original
process of creation: not in order to reach the psychological state or content of the
author, but to get at the true and only meaning of the text.0
This rejection of the psychological state of the author is in contrast to Schleiermachers
need to focus on an authors psychology.0 Similarly, Hirsch was concerned with the
concept of validation without which no interpretation would be any more compelling
than any other.0 There needed to be a standard of validity, which Hirsch suggests as
authorial intent. This was a desire to remove or at least reduce the relativism of
interpretation.
Karl Barth becomes a pivotal contributor in the concept of hermeneutics for
the present era. In his Church Dogmatics, The Doctrine of the Word of God, Barth
develops the idea that the Bible is a witness to revelation rather than revelation itself.0
Bromiley summarizes Barths thinking,
The Bible is not revelation as it comes directly to prophets and apostles; the Bible
is certainly revelation as it comes to us who are not prophets and apostles. The
witness is the contemporaneous representation of revelation so that to receive the
witness is to receive revelation itself. . . . since God has revealed Himself in His
Son, we cannot equate the Bible quite simply with the Word or revelation of God,
but that all the same we cannot deny that the Bible is itself the word of life and
power and therefore the Word of God.0
0 Forster, Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, 4.
0 Ramberg and Gjesdal, Hermeneutics, 7; Eric Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New

Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1967).
0 Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, vol. I.2 (Edinburg, Scotland: T. & T. Clark, 1963), 512.
The Bible then is a revelation mediated through man and hence fallible,0 which requires
revelation through the Spirits work in the reader. Inspiration is not an absolute act by the
Spirit on the human authors guaranteeing accuracy and infallibility of the text.0
Verbal inspiration does not mean the infallibility of the biblical word in its
linguistic, historical and theological character as a human work. It means the
fallible and faulty human word is as such used by God and has to be received and
heard in spite of its human fallibility.0
Since the Bible is only a witness to revelation and not revelation itself, inerrancy is not
presumed or needed.
The Bible is a book apart by its very nature. But it is so, Barth maintains, only by
its nature as a witness. Considered in other respects or on other levels, as a book
of history or religion, it is like other books. The distinction is not just one of
degree. It is the distinction of the book which instructs us in a revelation of the
absolute God.. . . because God does associate with man, mediating His revelation
through human writings, we must not attempt to absolutize or divinize the Bible
as such.0
The Bible becomes Gods revelation to us as the Spirit works in the reader.0 This leads
Barth to the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Biblewe are to come to the
text with a sense of expectancy. Bromiley reveals the weakness of Barth,
In detail, there are two main points at which the teaching of Barth seems to be
neither right nor necessary. The first is in relation to the fallibility of the Bible,
which he goes out of his way to emphasize the correlative of its humanity. . . . it is
not really necessary to insist on errors in the Bible to maintain its true
humanity. . . . The second point is in relation to the understanding of inspiration
0 G.W. Bromiley, Karl Barths Doctrine of Inspiration, Journal of the Transactions of the
Victoria Institute 87, no. 6680 (1995): 74.
0 Ibid., 73.
0 Bruce K. Waltke and Charles Yu, An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical,
and Thematic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 33. Waltke makes in important point
regarding Barths concept of revelation, In contrast, the present volume makes explicit that although the
Bible does contain words about God, they are Gods words about God. In other words, the Bible is
Gods formulation and conception about his own nature and his relationship to humanityhis
interpretation of his acts in history.
0 Barth, Church Dogmatics, 533.
0 Bromiley, Karl Barths Doctrine of Inspiration, 72.
0 Ibid., 74.
itself. It is right and proper that the work of the Holy Spirit in the reader should be
given a greater prominence than in many statements, but it is just a question
whether this can rightly be described as a second phase which completes the work
of inspiration. The true work of inspiring was properly in the authors, so that in a
derived and secondary but very real sense their works can also be described as
inspired. And this is irrespective of the spiritual state of the readers.0
Barth, responding to the objectifying of Schleiermacher, leaves his followers with a text
that is fallible, in which and by which the reader can receive revelation as the Spirit
works in the reader. This has opened the door to interpreters like Rob Bell.0 In Emilio
Betti (Teoria della interpretation, 1964) and Eric D. Hirsche (Validity in Interpretation,
1967), we have the desire to provide some objective framework for interpretation. With
Barth, we no longer have an objective, inspired text to study. Validation with such a view
of the text becomes essentially an individual, subjective endeavor.
In this historical progression of hermeneutics, several elements come together.
First, interpretation has an objective component which leads to grammatical-historical
methods of study. Second, interpretation has a subjective component where the reader, as
a unique individual, interacts with the text employing the perceiving and processing
aspects of his personality type. Third, interpretation must have some means of verifying
validity; otherwise no interpretation is any more accurate or compelling than another.
Fourth, interpretation has an element of the Holy Spirits work in our lives, which is
0 Ibid., 79.
0 Ken Silva, Rob Bell and Karl Barth, Apprising Ministries, accessed January 1, 2013,
http://apprising.org/2008/08/21/rob-bell-and-karl-barth-2/.
relational and real.0 Errors in approach arise as one of these four elements becomes
emphasized to the exclusion or the minimization of the others.
Jacques Derrida, rejecting the concept that interpretation can be or should be
validated and maintaining that the text is not infallible, introduces the concept of
deconstruction. Derrida maintains that in language there are only differences (language
names and recognizes A and not A, or A and B). Not only are there differences, but
there are implicit hierarchies of difference (value) which are part of the differences
subconsciously held (for example: youngold, smartsimple, richpoor). Whereas

grammatical-historical interpretation seeks to take the parts in the context of the whole to
attain meaning, deconstruction is to pursue meaning by exposing these differences and
supposed contradictions upon which these internal oppositions are founded. It seeks to
demonstrate that any text is not a unified whole, but contains irreconcilable contradictory
meanings which make it impossible for any text to have a singular interpretation.
Consequently, . . . truth is not an objective idea but a human construct, something that
individuals create.0 When thought is reduced to writing (rather than speaking, since the
writer is absent and cannot clarify meaning), the reader is limited by the textwhich is a
system of signs and symbols which only have meaning in terms of differences.
0 John Webster, Illumination, Journal of Reformed Theology 5 (2011): 333, 37. Divine
illumination sets created intellect in motion, arousing the exercise of the powers which God bestows and of
whose movement he is the first principle. Illumination . . . is a seeing of which man was previously
incapable but of which he is now capable. . . . A theology of illumination avoids both hermeneutical
naturalism in which the acting of the mind, unmoved from outside, claims sufficiency for itself, and the
hermeneutical immediacy in which seizure by the Spirit breaks off the exercise of intelligence and
interpretation becomes rapture.. . . Acted upon in this way by the Holy Spirit, regenerate intelligence is
established and set to work in knowing the divine truth in Scripture. . . . Acquisition of knowledge is not
instantaneous and intuitive. It is a temporally extended process, one which does not occur without the
natural implements through which we come to know.
James George Samra, God Told Me: Who to Marry, Where to Work, Which Car to Buy-- and
Im Pretty Sure Im Not Crazy (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012). Often we are too academic and this
volume affirms that God really does want to communicate with us in a meaningful way.
0 Graham Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-first

Century Listeners (Ada, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 31.
According to Derrida, the idea that a text has a fixed and determinate meaning
indeed, the idea that there can even be such a thing as meaningis based on
metaphysical assumptions that can never be substantiated. Meaning can never be
fully present in language, but is always deferred endlessly (through difference)
when one may look up a word in a dictionary, only to be given other words, and
so on endlessly. While speech gives the illusion of a fixed originthe presence of
the speakerwhich can guarantee the meaning of an utterance, writing is more
clearly unauthenticated and open to unlicensed interpretation.0
Words are not self-sufficiently meaningful, but take on meaning as part of comparison
and contrast.
To deconstruct an opposition is to explore the tensions and contradictions between

the hierarchical ordering, especially those that are indirect or implicit. Such a
deconstruction would show that the opposition is not natural or necessary but a
product, or construction, of the text itself.0
The reader, therefore, needs to deconstruct the text (recognize differences and hierarchy
of value inherent in the text which are not morally neutral).0 This demonstrates the
inability of the author to clearly communicate in part because the meaning of the
language he uses is beyond his control and must be interpreted through this
deconstruction process. Understanding the text is not an objective pursuit but one which
is highly subjective with no possibility of validation.0 As a result of the deconstruction
movement, the force of the written word was diminished. Words carried no true
meaning.0 In such an approach, not only is the authority of the text abandoned, but the
possibility of understanding the meaning of the author is impossible. Interpretation

becomes a subjective exercise.
This brief survey of the development of hermeneutical thought leads to
several conclusions. First, ones view of inspiration and illumination will come to define
0 Nicola Chalton, Hugh Barker, and John Bratherton, Philosophers: Extraordinary People
Who Altered the Course of History (They Changed the World) (North Yorkshire, England: Basement Press,
2008), 186.
0 Ibid., 187.
0 Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World, 31.
0 Ibid., 37.
0 Ibid., 48.
a persons hermeneutics. Second, language, as a set of representative symbols, is subject
to a number of forcesgrammar, history, culture, individual perspective, interpretation
and life experience. Communication is generally difficult and often imprecise0. Without
the author present to clarify, the reader is left to examine, analyze, and organize by
himself with no absolute validation (which would require the author to be present). This
process of approximation requires that the reader perceive and process the particulars and
patterns, weighing each aspect in a way that has subjective elements according to his
personality type of perception and processing. We should however integrate and rely
upon the doctrine of illumination0 and trust that the Author of Scripture promises His
presence in the interpretive process to those attune to His voice.0 The Spirits presence
does not remove the effects of the uniqueness of the reader (his humanness and
personality) in interpretation (illumination) any more than it removes the uniqueness of
the author in inspiration.0 Because of His presence in the interpretive process, there is
hope of truly and accurately understanding what God is communicating through the
Scriptures.0
0 Webster, Illumination, 339. The author warns, The hegemony of scientific exegesis in
biblical study is such that linguistic, textual and comparative historical-cultural skills are sometimes
considered not only necessary but sufficient for understanding the biblical text; the cogency of this view
depends in part upon a silent assumption that the end of understanding a text is reached when its natural
properties have been exhaustively enumerated.
0 Clark H Pinnock, The Role of the Spirit in Interpretation, JETS 36, no. 4 (December
1993): 491494. Pinnock notes, The illumination of the Holy Spirit is regularly mentioned in theological
literature; yet detailed discussion of this subject is rare... traditionalists often operate with a nave illusion
about textual objectivity. They attempt to ignore the fact that readers bring interests and presuppositions to
the text and settle comfortably into a positivist framework of interpretation, viewing the text as a stationary
object and the reader as detached examiner.
0 Seaman, Illumination and interpretation, 55.
0 Waltke and Yu, An Old Testament Theology, 34.Waltke cites Warfield, The whole of
Scripture is the product of divine activities which enter it, not by superseding the activities of the human
authors, but by working confluently with them, so that the Scriptures are the joint product of divine and
human activities, both of which penetrate them at every point working harmoniously together to the
production of a writing which is not divine here and human there, but at once divine and human in every
part, every word and every particular.
0 Clark H Pinnock, The Role of the Spirit in Interpretation, 49394.The goal of the Spirit
as he works within our lives shedding light on the Word is to deepen our friendship with God. . . .If
APPENDIX C
DR. PENNABAKERS CHARTS

(Used by permission)
Pennebaker graciously granted permission to include his charts from his work
Lexical Predictors of Personality Type0 to aid in understanding his LIWC program.
illumination had to do with conveying esoteric information about the original meaning of the Bible, there
would be cause for anxiety. But it does not. It has to do with drawing readers deeper into the world of the
text, deeper into the kingdom of God, closer to Gods heart.
0 Shlomo Argamon, Sushant Dhawle, Moshe Koppel, James W. Pennebaker, Lexical

Predictors of PersonalityType, 2005 Joint Annual Meeting of the Interface and the Classification Society
of North America (2005): 6-8, accessed August 28, 2014, http://www.lingcog.iit.edu/wp-content/papercite-
data/pdf/argamon-etal-csna.pdf.
APPENDIX D
AN EXPLANATION OF THE LIWC
Table 1: LIWC2007 Output Variable Information

Words in category refers to the number of different dictionary words that make up the variable
category. Validity judges reflect the simple correlations between judges' ratings of the category with the LIWC
variable (from Pennebaker & Francis, 1996). Alphas refer to the Cronbach alphas for the internal reliability of the
specific words within each category. The binary alphas are computed on the occurrence/non-occurrence of each
dictionary word whereas the raw or uncorrected alphas are based on the percentage of use of each of the category
words within the texts. All alphas were computed on a sample of 2800 randomly selected text files from our language
corpus.
The LIWC dictionary generally arranges categories hierarchically. For example, all pronouns are
included in the overarching category of function words. The category of pronouns is the sum of personal and
impersonal pronouns. There are some exceptions to the hierarchy rules:
Common verbs are not included in the function word category. Similarly, common verbs (as opposed to
auxiliary verbs) that are tagged by verb tense are included in the past, present, and future tense categories but not in the
overall function word categories.
Social processes include a large group of words (originally used in LIWC2001) that denote social
processes, including all non-first-person-singular personal pronouns as well as verbs that suggest human interaction
(talking, sharing).
Perceptual processes include the entire dictionary of the Qualia category (which is a separate
dictionary), which includes multiple sensory and perceptual dimensions associated with the five senses.
APPENDIX EAnalysis of data
Correlation Between the KTSII and the Manuscript Analysis
The manuscripts of the students were analyzed utilizing the LIWC. The raw
results were then adjusted to reduce the number of categories (e.g., all first person
pronouns combined, etc.) and subcategories recalculated as a percentage of their parent
category (e.g., personal pronouns as a percentage of pronouns, first person as a
percentage of personal pronouns, and so on), and some subcategories were simply
ignored. This reduced data is shown in appendix D. A total of 87.33 percent of the words
used in the sermons were contained in the LIWC dictionary, with 57.45 percent of all
words being function words.
A correlation analysis was then conducted as before (see appendix D) with the
personality dimensions as independent variables and the word category percentages as
dependent variables, resulting in 144 correlation calculations. The result of this analysis
showed the regression coefficients varied from r2 = 0 to a maximum of r2 = 0.2812. Of the
144 correlations, 97 (67.4%) had an r2 < 0.05, 23 (16.0%) had 0.05< r2 < 0.10, 10 (6.9%)
had 0.10 < r2 < 0.15, 10 (6.9%) had 0.15 < r2 < 0.20, 3 (2.1%) had 0.20 < r2 < 0,25, and 1
(0.7%) had 0.25 < r2. In the process, I noticed that in many categories one personality
dimension had a significantly larger regression coefficient than the others.
To begin to examine the significance of these correlations, the four largest and
the smallest correlations were graphed. Examination of these graphs showed an apparent
relationship for the largest correlations, with little or none for the case r2 = 0. The large
vertical scatter probably accounts for the moderate values of the correlation coefficients.
This is highly suggestive, but it does nothing to evaluate significance objectively.
The regression calculations produce the two parameters of a least-squares
linear relation P = 0 + 1*I, where P is the category percentage and I is the personality
index. Evaluation of their significance can be done using standard statistical methods by
calculating the probabilities of the two null-hypotheses, namely 0 = 0 and 1 = 0, i.e., the
possibly that the regression coefficients do not represent any significant relationship
between the variables. This was done in the standard manner: a Z-Score is calculated for
each correlation (the value divided by the standard error); these Z-Scores were then used
to calculate the One-Tailed Hypothesis P-Value and the Significance Level probability
using the Social Science Statistics - P Value from Z Score Calculator.0 The 1 null-
hypothesis was first examined for the largest correlation(s) in each category, since if
1 = 0, the correlation is of little value regardless of 0. Nine were found to not be
significant at a 90 percent or greater confidence interval. The 0 null-hypothesis was
then evaluated for the remaining significant correlations. This is shown tabulated below,
sorted by decreasing r2 value. For each correlation, the regression equation, the r2
coefficient, and the 0 & 1 S.L. (Significance Level) ps are shown.

Compared to Introverts, Extroverts are more likely to:
Strong correlation:
1 Use more conjunctions, P = 5.830 + 1.478*IE/I, r2 = 0.1921, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L.
p < 0.01.
Moderate correlation
2 Use more words/sentence, P = 17.249 + 7.474*IE/I, r2 = 0.1245, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
3 Use fewer verbs, P = 14.201 - 2.035*IE/I, r2 = 0.1202, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p <
0.05.
4 Use fewer social words, P = 15.622 - 3.454*IE/I, r2 = 0.1121, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
5 Use fewer pronouns, P = 16.865 - 2.232*IE/I, r2 = 0.1016, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L.
p < 0.05.
6 Use fewer positive emotion words, P = 71.560 - 14.561*IE/I, r2 = 0.0978, 0 S.L. p <
0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.05.
Weak correlation:
7 Use more analytic words, P = 80.558 + 3.079*IE/I, r2 = 0.0658, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
8 Use fewer auxiliary verbs, P = 8.706 - 0.843*IE/IP, r2 = 0.0627, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
0 Social Science Statistics, P-Value from Z Score Calculator, accessed November 15, 2014
http://www.socscistatistics.com/pvalues/normaldistribution.aspx.
9 Use more words > 6 letters, P = 9.761 + 0.601*IE/I, r2 = 0.0607, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
10 Use more future tense, P = 7.907 + 2.216*IE/I, r2 = 0.0514, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
11 Use fewer question marks, P = 0.740 - 0.277*IE/I, r2 = 0.0483, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
Compared to Intuitive people, Sensing people are more likely to:
Strong correlation:
1 Use more present tense, P = 50.047 + 18.684*IS/N, r2 = 0.2811, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
2 Use more emotive words, P = 3.699 + 3.925*IS/N, r2 = 0.2441, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
3 Use fewer articles, P = 8.591 - 3.271*IS/N, r2 = 0.2022, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L.
p < 0.01.
4 Use fewer impersonal pronouns, P = 42.938 - 13.711*IS/N, r2 = 0.1797, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.01.
5 Use more personal pronouns, P = 57.037 + 13.732*IS/N, r2 = 0.1711, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.01.
6 Use more negative words, P = 0.939 + 0.765*IS/N, r2 = 0.1667, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
7 Use less past tense, P = 30.173 - 14.348*IS/N, r2 = 0.1587, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L.
p < 0.01.
8 Use more quantity words, P = 1.524 + 1.424*IS/N, r2 = 0.1551, 0 S.L. p < 0.05, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
9 Use more cognitive words, P = 15.772 + 4.515*IS/N, r2 = 0.1520, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
10 Use more 1st person pronouns, P = 42.937 + 22.347*IS/N, r2 = 0.1513, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.01.
Moderate correlation:
11 Use fewer prepositions, P = 15.484 - 2.381*IS/N, r2 = 0.1268, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
12 Use more personal social words, P = 2.511 + 7.570*IS/N, r2 = 0.0846, 0 S.L. Not
Significant, 1 S.L. p < 0.05.
13 Use fewer 3rd person pronouns, P = 35.299 - 17.384*IS/N, r2 = 0.0821, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.05.
Weak correlation:
14 Use fewer commas, P = 5.574 - 1.756*IS/N, r2 = 0.0754, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1 S.L.
p < 0.10.
15 Use fewer general social words, P = 7.803 - 3.982*IS/N, r2 = 0.0630, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.10.
16 Have shorter manuscripts, P = 2372.42 - 411.42*IS/N, r2 = 0.0553, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.10.
Compared to Feeling people, Thinking people are more likely to:
Strong correlation
1 Use more negative words, P = 1.008 + 0.807*IT/F, r2 = 0.2427, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
2 Use more cognitive words, P = 16.690 + 3.454*IT/F, r2 = 0.1163, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
3 Use fewer prepositions, P = 14.992 - 1.800*IT/F, r2 = 0.0948, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
Weak correlation:
4 Use fewer question marks, P = 0.759 - 0.346*IT/F, r2 = 0.0716, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
5 Use more function words, P = 56.125 + 3.410*IT/F, r2 = 0.0684, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
Compared to Perception people, Judgment people are more likely to:
Strong correlation:
1 Use more negative words, P = 0.887 + 0.735*IJ/P, r2 = 0.1954, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.01.
2 Use fewer 2nd person pronouns, P = 28.302 - 15.280*IJ/P, r2 = 0.1385, 0 S.L.
p < 0.01, 1 S.L. p < 0.05.
3 Use more social words, P = 10.727 + 5.831*IJ/P, r2 = 0.1384, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
4 Use more cognitive words, P = 15.817 + 3.753*IJ/P, r2 = 0.1331, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
5 Use more perception words, P = 1.435 + 1.008*IJ/P, r2 = 0.0961, 0 S.L. p < 0.05, 1
S.L. p < 0.05.
Weak correlation:
6 Use more personal social words, P = 2.394 + 6.618*IJ/P, r2 = 0.0820, 0 S.L. Not
Significant, 1 S.L. p < 0.05.
7 Use fewer analytic words, P = 84.401 - 4.318*IJ/P, r2 = 0.0560, 0 S.L. p < 0.01, 1
S.L. p < 0.10.
In all cases but two,0 the 0 S.L. p < 0.01, so the 0 = 0 null-hypothesis can be
rejected at a 99 percent Confidence Level for these results. This conclusion is not
surprising, since none of the data are 0. All correlations were classified as strong with 0
and 1 S.L. p < 0.01, and r2 > 0.1513, moderate with 1 S.L. p < 0.05, and 0.0821 < r2 <
0 The two cases being S/I & J/P Personal Social Words, where the 0 results are not
significant.
0.1385, and weak with 1 S.L. p < 0.05 or 0.10, and r2 < 0.0820. The fact that all
correlations with r2 > 0.1513 have 0 & 1 S.L. p < 0.01 suggests that these represent
significant relationships, despite the only moderate r2 values.
Of interest is the disparity between the personality dimensions: the S/N Index has 10
strong, 3 moderate, and 3 weak correlations; E/I has 1 strong, 5 moderate, and 5 weak
correlations; J/P has 1 strong, 4 moderate, and 2 weak correlations; and finally, T/F has 1
strong, 2 moderate, and 2 weak correlations. The analysis of the sermons, utilizing the
LIWC to assess function words in the manuscripts (which indicate the psychological
processes) and the correlation with the personality preferences recorded by the KTSII,
indicate that a dominant Sensing type does proclaim the biblical text in a different way
(which indicates a difference in perception and processing) than other dominant
personality types. This has implications for the student, as he studies the text, and for the
preacher, as he seeks to engage the people since the listeners will be utilizing their
personality types to perceive and process what the preacher is proclaiming.
APPENDIX F
With a view to the influence and power of function words as opposed to content words,
consider the Gettysburg Address:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new
nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great
battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not
hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have
consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.. . .
Removing the function words we are left with
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new
nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great
battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not
hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have
consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. . . .
Appendix G
1. What is the subject of the passage:

What is the complement:
What is the exegetical idea:
What is the purpose of the passage? What is intended to happen in the reader in
response to this passage? What was the problem?
How is the exegetical idea developed in the passage?
How is it related to the previous paragraph and the following paragraph? What
does it add to the argument?
2. In what ways are our circumstances similar to those of the original recipients?
In what ways different?
3. What would it look like if the original recipients responded in faith to this
passage? How would their lives be different?
How would it affect their relationship with the Lord?
How would it affect their relationship with one another?
How would it have influenced their mission to be lights in the world?
4. What would this look like if it was true in our church today? How could I explain
it to
To children?
To teens?
To young adults?
To young marrieds?
To empty nesters?
To the elderly?
5. How does this affect our relationships? (Feeling function)
Our relationship with God?
Our relationship to other believers?
Our relationship with those I desire to reach for Jesus?
6. What are the theological underpinnings of this thought/text?
7. How could the thought be put into words that would

Catch my attention? Illustrations?
Catch the attention of adults? Illustrations?
Catch the attention of teens? Illustrations?
Catch the attention of chidren? Illustrations?
8. What happens if we do not respond to this truth? What happens if we do?

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Personality Type and Preaching

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1

PERSONALITY TYPE AND PREACHING

the Faculty of the Department of Doctor of Ministry

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Ministry

PERSONALITY TYPE AND PREACHING

Readers: Dr. David Wyrtzen and Dr. Rodney Cooper

Sensing significantly influenced the proclamation of the text of Scripture.

personality types in a significant way in this study.

2. PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND LITERATURE REVIEW...................................27

4. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS AND POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS86

2.1. Table of Group Personality Types..........................................................................57

2.2. Interpretative Items Based on the Healing Story in Mark 9..................................64

4.1. Student Extrovert/Introvert distribution.................................................................87

4.2. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant

4.3. Sensing/Intuitive Histogram for Students..............................................................89

4.5. Thinking/Feeling Histogram for Students.............................................................90

4.6. Student Comparison to General Population for Dominant Thinking

4.7. Judging/Perceiving Histogram for Students..........................................................91

4.8. Student Comparison to General Population for the Dominant

4.9. Comparison of the General Population and the Students......................................93

to undertake this journey of discovery or to pursue my doctorate. My children, now

give a special acknowledgement to my good friends, Marvin and Twylia Sekavec,

Imagine Itzhak Perlman in a concert hall. He picks up a good quality student

instrument itself resonating and responding to each note and phrase.

Preparation of the Preacher

components tend to be objective and can be addressed in an academic fashion--his view

Preach the Word is emblazoned across the crest of Dallas Theological

preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted

1 History | Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), accessed December 15, 2014,

and the personality of the preacher.

highest form, the sermon is art.

2 Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository

5 Lowry, The Homiletical Beat, 7.

of God), Gods message is to be communicated from a historical context, from a larger

7 Lowry, The Homiletical Beat, 16.

10 Gibson, Preaching to a Shifting Culture; David W Henderson, Culture Shift:

This research seeks to explore whether personality type exerts influence on

on behavior. Instead, it focuses more on the internal dynamics of an individual.

approach for understanding.

Limiting these variables permits the possibility of establishing a correlation

11 E. Jerry Phares William F. Chaplin, Introduction to Personality, 4th Edition (Longman,

the teacher of preaching.

correlation between an individuals personality type, as defined and developed by Jungian

grammatical-historical hermeneutic but to provide a working overview of these issues as

it applies to preaching and to this research. The grammatical-historical hermeneutic

12 In Appendix A, the communication process will be addressed. In reality, the goal of

hermeneutic cycle sets the boundaries of interpretation and so hinders disparate

interpretations, but interpretation and proclamation will never be a mechanical process.

Pursuit of Meaningthe Text of Scripture

A theologically conservative understanding of the inter-related elements of the

ZKPQ and NEO-PI-R, Personality and Individual Differences 36 (2004): 10931108.

14 M. X. Seaman, Illumination and Interpretation: The Holy Spirits Role in Hermeneutics

15 This is developed in Appendix A.

approach is that the Bible is an ordinary book to be examined, redacted, deconstructed

a product of human, fallible authors, a position articulated by Barth,21 also be surveyed in

18 William R. Osborne, The Philosophical Hermeneutics of Friedrich Schleiermacher,

19 An overview survey of the various approaches described here is presented in Appendix B.

rather, it is a witness to revelation in which errancy is presumed. A third approach is that

aspects of hermeneutics, having a working overview of the various approaches to

hermeneutics is useful. A fuller discussion of the development of the grammatical-

historical hermeneutic is provided in Appendix B. The grammatical-historical

methodology to the understanding of Scripture is of value primarily if meaning can be

grammatical, historical, literary approach to Scripture developed tools for analysis of