re: “Disciples are made through His word, through the foolishness of preaching, not through magic, juggling, motorcycle riding, rodeo, comedy, feats of strength and all the other worldly things people purport to do for Jesus. None of those activities point a sinner to Christ. If people got back into the Bible and learned once and for all how God saves sinners a lot of silliness would stop.”
.45 Long Colt, I too am often put off by the outlandishness of some so-called “Christian” celebrities. On the other hand, I’m not sure it’s fair to claim that Christians who use certain talents they have in presenting their Christian witness are attempting to throw out “preaching” or supplant the “preaching of the Gospel”.
Presenting the Gospel doesn’t always come through preaching in a pulpit at church. When you talk with a friend of yours about your faith in Christ, you aren’t “preaching” from the pulpit, but you are witnessing/preaching to them, don’t you think?
Obviously you are not in a formal church service, but you are presenting the Gospel. You are giving reasons to them for why they should have faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior - isn’t that also preaching? Preaching on the individual level, is often called a “witness” or “giving a testimony”, but aren’t they pretty much attempting to accomplish the same thing?
If you were to give the same personal testimony in a crowd of people or as part of a worship service - would you be thwarting the ministry of preaching? No, you’re just giving your personal testimony in the unique way that is from your personal experience.
That’s what most of these Christian performers are doing. They are giving a witness through a very unique way of personal testimony.
I’m not condoning every one of these type of ministries because I have seen some where the individual giving the testimony is more concerned with promoting themselves than Christ.
I’m just saying, in general, I don’t have a problem with someone using a special talent they have to present the Gospel to non-believers. Christian films, radio programs, music, etc. can be wonderful assets in presenting the Gospel.
However, I totally agree with you that developing Christian discipleship must be done by encouraging people to become involved in good, solid Bible Study, as well as attend regular worship services where they hear good Bible preaching/teaching every Sunday. That’s the role of the Church.
But, that is generally not the purpose of these Christian performers, nor is it their role. Their object/purpose is evangelism - it’s getting a hearing for the Gospel - to present it in a way that may peak the interest of a lost person who would never darken a church to hear traditional preaching.
Evangelistic preaching can be done from the pulpit and it can be done in your living room. It can be done over the phone, on the radio, on TV. It can be done talking with co-workers at lunch. It can be done through singing a Christian song, telling humorous stories, doing illusions (with a Christian point to it), through skits, through movies, and on an on.
Evangelistic preaching can be accomplished in a variety of ways - not just from a pulpit. But, is every sermon your pastor or priest gives, is it strictly an “evangelistic” sermon? Probably not. Sometimes they are “teaching” sermons regarding specific passages of Scripture, or a specific “topic” from Scripture.
And, did Paul and the Apostles ALWAYS tell others about Christ from a pulpit? Did they only go to the synagogue? Paul witnessed to the Roman guard chained to watch him - was that NOT preaching? Paul and Silas, after being beaten and imprisoned in Phillipi, sang songs of praise to God - the Bible says the other prisoners, including the jailer, were listening. I think that was preaching as well.
We send missionaries to various countries and use points of contact and need to get a hearing - building water wells, medical facilities, education, etc. - all to get a hearing for the Gospel.
Anyway, I think that is what most of these Christian performers are trying to do: witness and preach the Gospel as Christ commanded us to do, but with our own unique gifts and abilities.
My biggest issue is the use of worldly entertainment as worship. I’m not saying a Christian shouldn’t be a rodeo rider or a juggler any more than a Christian shouldn’t be a plumber or doctor. There is honor in all work and all who have experienced the new birth are in ministry every single day. we are all on the mission field. Our transformed lives are a living testimony of what the Lord has done, whether we rope calves or dig ditches we should do it heartily and unto the glory of The Lord.
We have seen a real degredation in American Evangelical churches during my lifetime. We have churches presenting what Dr. Michael Horton refers to as “Christless Christianity.” We are seeker-sensitive, Purpose-Driven, and relevant, rather than Gospel-centered. Of course I’m talking about evangelicalism generally. There are still some wonderful churches, but Christians have to seek the out.
I recommend the John MacArthur’s book “Ashamed of the Gospel.” I read it when it first came out back in the early 90’s and it really challenged me. At the time I was attracted to some of the new things that were happening in other churches. My church seemed a bit “old fashioned.” Today I praise The Lord for that!
What Is Pragmatism & Why Is It Bad?
By: John MacArthur
In a column published some years ago in a popular Christian magazine, a well-known preacher was venting his own loathing for long sermons. January 1 was coming, so he resolved to do better in the coming year. “That means wasting less time listening to long sermons and spending much more time preparing short ones,” he wrote. “People, I’ve discovered, will forgive even poor theology as long as they get out before noon.”1
Unfortunately, that perfectly sums up the predominant attitude behind much of ministry today. Bad doctrine is tolerable; a long sermon most certainly is not. The timing of the benediction is of far more concern to the average churchgoer than the content of the sermon. Sunday dinner and the feeding of our mouths takes precedence over Sunday school and the nourishment of our souls. Long-windedness has become a greater sin than heresy. The church has imbibed the worldly philosophy of pragmatism, and we’re just beginning to taste the bitter results.
What Is Pragmatism?
Pragmatism is the notion that meaning or worth is determined by practical consequences. It is closely akin to utilitarianism, the belief that usefulness is the standard of what is good. To a pragmatist/utilitarian, if a technique or course of action has the desired effect, it is good. If it doesn’t seem to work, it must be wrong.
Pragmatism as a philosophy was developed and popularized at the end of the last century by philosopher William James, along with such other noted intellectuals as John Dewey and George Santayana. It was James who gave the new philosophy its name and shape. In 1907, he published a collection of lectures entitled Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, and thus defined a whole new approach to truth and life.
Pragmatism has roots in Darwinism and secular humanism. It is inherently relativistic, rejecting the notion of absolute right and wrong, good and evil, truth and error. Pragmatism ultimately defines truth as that which is useful, meaningful, helpful. Ideas that don’t seem workable or relevant are rejected as false.
What’s wrong with pragmatism?
After all, common sense involves a measure of legitimate pragmatism, doesn’t it? If a dripping faucet works fine after you replace the washers, for example, it is reasonable to assume that bad washers were the problem. If the medicine your doctor prescribes produces harmful side effects or has no effect at all, you need to ask if there’s a remedy that works. Such simple pragmatic realities are generally self-evident.
But when pragmatism is used to make judgments about right and wrong, or when it becomes a guiding philosophy of life and ministry, it inevitably clashes with Scripture. Spiritual and biblical truth is not determined by testing what “works” and what doesn’t. We know from Scripture, for example, that the gospel often does not produce a positive response (1 Cor. 1:22, 23; 2:14). On the other hand, Satanic lies and deception can be quite effective (Matt. 24:23, 24; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4). Majority reaction is no test of validity (cf. Matt. 7:13, 14), and prosperity is no measure of truthfulness (cf. Job 12:6). Pragmatism as a guiding philosophy of ministry is inherently flawed. Pragmatism as a test of truth is nothing short of satanic.
Nevertheless, an overpowering surge of ardent pragmatism is sweeping through evangelicalism. Traditional methodology—most notably preaching—is being discarded or downplayed in favor of newer means, such as drama, dance, comedy, variety, side-show histrionics, pop-psychology, and other entertainment forms. The new methods supposedly are more “effective”—that is, they draw a bigger crowd. And since the chief criterion for gauging the success of a church has become attendance figures, whatever pulls in the most people is accepted without further analysis as good. That is pragmatism.
Perhaps the most visible signs of pragmatism are seen in the convulsive changes that have revolutionized the church worship service in the past two decades. Some of evangelicalism’s largest and most influential churches now boast Sunday services that are designed purposely to be more rollicking than reverent.
Even worse, theology now takes a back seat to methodology. One author has written, “Formerly, a doctrinal statement represented the reason for a denomination’s existence. Today, methodology is the glue that holds churches together. A statement of ministry defines them and their denominational existence.”2 Incredibly, many believe this is a positive trend, a major advance for the contemporary church.
Some church leaders evidently think the four priorities of the early church—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42)—make a lame agenda for the church in this day and age. Churches are allowing drama, recreation, entertainment, self-help programs, and similar enterprises to eclipse the importance of traditional Sunday worship and fellowship. In fact, everything seems to be in fashion in the church today except biblical preaching. The new pragmatism sees preaching—particularly expository preaching—as pass‚. Plainly declaring the truth of God’s Word is regarded as offensive and utterly ineffective. We’re now told we can get better results by first amusing people or giving them pop-psychology and thus wooing them into the fold. Once they feel comfortable, they’ll be ready to receive biblical truth in small, diluted doses.
Pastors are turning to books on marketing methods in search of new techniques to help churches grow. Many seminaries have shifted their pastoral training emphasis from Bible curriculum and theology to counseling technique and church-growth theory. All these trends reflect the church’s growing commitment to pragmatism.
Notes: * This article is excerpted from Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World (Wheaton: Crossway, 1993).
1. Jamie Buckingham, “Wasted Time,” Charisma (Dec. 88), 98.
2. Elmer L. Towns, An Inside Look at 10 of today’s Most Innovative Churches (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990), 249.