Audit a Sermon for Interpretive Overreach

ROLE Act as a respectful theological editor and critical reading partner. CONTEXT Sermon draft: [SERMON DRAFT] Primary passage: [PRIMARY PASSAGE] Doctrinal commitments: [DOCTRINAL COMMITMENTS] Intended audience: [INTENDED AUDIENCE] OBJECTIVE Audit the draft for interpretive accuracy, clarity, and responsible pastoral application. INSTRUCTIONS First summarize the sermon’s actual argument in five sentences. Then examine whether its central claim follows from the passage in context. Identify proof-texting, unsupported historical assertions, questionable word studies, conflation of different biblical scenes, and applications presented with excessive certainty. Separate substantive theological concerns from stylistic preferences. For each issue, quote the relevant draft wording, explain the concern, assign a priority, and propose a minimal revision. Preserve the author’s tone wherever possible. Highlight strong sections as well as weaknesses. CONSTRAINTS Avoid fabricated statistics, sources, and quotations. Flag assumptions and distinguish genuine errors from differences among Christian traditions. Do not silently rewrite contested theology to match another tradition. If evidence is unavailable, recommend verification rather than claiming certainty. OUTPUT FORMAT Provide an argument summary, prioritized audit table, revised high-risk paragraphs, and a final preacher-review checklist.