In 1970, Sidney Greidanus wrote a dissertation on the Dutch controversy "exemplary versus redemptive-historical preaching". This controversy started in the 1930s, when a number of men in the Reformed Churches raised objections to the usual practice of preaching, in which the preachers would display the person mentioned in historical texts as models to be imitated, drawing parallels between the experiences of the Bible saints and the struggles of believers today. This so called exemplary approach was set over against the redemptive-historical approach, in which the preacher interprets the meaning of every character and event in the Bible in connection to the one redemptive history and its central character, Jesus Christ. The controversy over preaching brought to light at least six dilemmas, which Greidanus in his dissertation sought to overcome.

 1. Overcoming the relevance-truth divide

The motive of proponents of the exemplary approach was a concern for relevance, while the motive of proponents of the redemptive historical-approach was a concern for sola Scriptura, the desire to preach the Word of God and that only. The objections raised by the exemplary side to redemptive-historical preaching is that it tends to lack relevance. The redemptive-historical side objected that, in his laudable attempt to be relevant, the exemplary preacher tends to be more about the man in the book and the man in the pew than about Christ. 

To overcome the divide, Greidanus asserts that historical texts are texts. Sermons must seek their point of departure not in the man in the pew nor in the history of redemption but in the historical text. One cannot detail the meaning of a particular text until one has listened attentively to that text. Because the exemplary method views the biblical stories as recorded to illustrate and depict concretely certain timeless "truths" that must be believed or certain timeless "ethics" which must be lived, it does not really need a preaching text form the Bible. But the redemptive-historical approach is liable to similar consequences in that it seeks to reach the facts behind the text to the detriment of the preaching-text. The text becomes a window through which to view the panorama of the upholding redemptive history. The text itself is no longer taken seriously.   

2. Overcoming the objective-subjective divide

The redemptive-historical side objected that the exemplary side is subjective in that the preaching tends to be more about the man in the pew than about Christ. The exemplary approach, on its turn, criticizes the redemptive-historical approach for turning every sermon into a lecture about the history of redemption and the objective work of Christ. Again, Greidanus observes that are wrong. The subjective preacher speaks about only one dogma: the order of salvation, the application of redemption to the individual; and so does the objective preacher, speaking only of the dogma of Christ. The way toward overcoming the objective-subjective dilemma is sought in the view that historical text are proclamation.   

We can overcome the defect of the objective-subjective scheme only when we fully recognize that preaching is a moment of living intercourse between the Lord and his people. Scripture is address, appeal, kerugma. Seen in this light, the sermon is not a piece of objective dogmatic or ethical truth, nor a subjective sketch of the condition of my soul, but a living word of the God who comes to his people in speaking his Word to them. Preaching is not merely a lecture about redemptive history, nor a lecture about the order of salvation, it's the presentation of the gospel, the making-present of Christ. It's not merely a narration of historical events, nor a description of what one has experienced, but a powerful happening which gains effect for good or ill. Whenever preaching takes place in accord with God's command, it becomes a redemptive event and the Kingdom of God moves forges ahead.

 3. Overcoming the explication-application divide

The redemptive-historical side objects to the exemplary side that it neglects the historical context in the interest of preaching in an applicatory way. The exemplary side objects that redemptive-historical preaching lacks application. The historical context of text is not to be neglected in the interest of preaching in an applicatory way. As a matter of fact, it is usually through the perception of a text's relevance in the past that it begins to speak all the more relevant in the present. Even the presentation of the past relevance of the text aims at disclosing its present relevance. In that sense the whole sermon is applicatory explication.  Besides, preaching is not just reproducing. Theocentric explication is the first step op application. The preacher's task is not to add application to the Word, but to proclaim that Word today in all its relevance - a relevance which is already contained in the theocentric application.

 4. Overcoming the believer-unbeliever divide

In trait preaching, a sub-form of exemplary preaching, the preacher focuses on the distinguishing marks by which a person may know whether or not he is in Christ. while the purpose of this form of preaching is to provide assurance for the child of God and to unmask the hypocrite in the congregation, the redemptive-historical side objects that, in fact, it may have just the opposite effect: the hypocrite may come to false assurance and the true believer may become disquieted. On a similar note, discerning preaching - preaching with separate applications for each of the different categories of people in the congregation - seeks to cause the objective truth to be subjectively appropriated by each of the different varieties of spiritual life present. Again the divide may be overcome by viewing the historical text as proclamation. Holwerda says, "Let the preacher preach the gospel to all! Only then does he swing the ax of Christ. Woe the preacher who presupposes divisions in the church and directs the word of the text to only one group. He must preach it to all and by that means Christ shall make the divisions... The stumbling block lies in the Gospel itself." (p. 100)

 5. Overcoming the head-heart divide

Another division is made between the faculties of man, the intellectual, the volitional and the emotional moment in the sermon. Through the proclamation of the gospel, God grip the heart of man. The Word of God that is preached is directed at the heart of man. The word is not addressed to a part of man. It calls man to serve the Lord with his heart. Preachers are not learned people who must convince others with their knowledge. They are not moralists who must try to elevate the virtues of man. They are heralds. They bring a message that does not call for a reflection, and "I'll think about it", it calls for the total man to respond at once. (p. 167)

 6. Overcoming the private-public divide

Through the proclamation of the gospel, God lays hold of life. It calls man to serve the Lord with his whole life. Preaching is not merely concerned with some internal sector of a person's life; on the contrary, through the heart the whole of a person's life comes into view. From the heart, rooted in Christ, reborn through the Spirit, our whole life is being renewed and the communion with God is extended into all the relationships and functions of life. The church is not in politics, it is not a clinic for marital problems. The preacher is not the expert on social and economic problems, but he preaches the Word and that Word has implications for all of life. Preaching does not mean that one can busy himself with spiritual things only. Preaching the gospel discloses to us the meaning of all things. The preacher who holds this broad view of preaching need not worry about relevance. Because God speaks to us in all our relationships and functions, the relevance of the Word is as broad as life itself. The relevance of the Word can come to expression in any area of life, for no area is off-limits to the renewing Word. (pp. 231-232)