Hi, Petrus - Here's the problem I see with the anecdotal approach to preaching: everyone gets to give their own slant on the Gospel, and in most of the versions they come up with, Jesus is a reflection of their own views. Some guys tell stories about Pat and Mike. Others reduce the Gospel to their favorite issue, with bold claims about how Jesus was primarily concerned with abortion, same-sex marriage, or was really a king. Most folks cop on to the scam before long and lower their expectations for the homily, so they go home and forget about what was said -- probably because what was said didn't make any sense.
Unless we insist on preachers knowing and preaching the truth about Jesus, we have no way to confront those who reduce it to their favorite caricature. Maybe anecdotal preaching was necessary in the past, when many Catholics couldn't follow a critical argument. Today I suspect there are more people in the pews who understand scripture than there are in the pulpit. - Monica.