The Sermon Story

Communication can go wrong in two very different ways. A true message can arrive in pieces and be misunderstood, or an empty message can arrive beautifully packaged and be believed. The book of James says that "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak" ( James 1:19 ), and both of these stories show why. These two stories about communication, retold in our own words, include a much-loved legend from the Napoleonic Wars and a real psychology experiment from a medical school in California. Each ends with a takeaway for preachers, teachers and anyone who has to listen carefully. Stories in this post: "Wellington Defeated": The Message in the Fog The Dr Fox Effect: When Nonsense Sounds Impressive ──────── ✝ ──────── "Wellington Defeated": The Message in the Fog This is a popular legend rather than documented history. News of Waterloo actually reached London by courier a few days after the battle. The story is retold here as a parable. On 18 June 1815,...