UP WITH PREACHING

The church is in grave danger of losing its pulpit. It will not be yanked away by the atheists. It will simply side off the sanctuary platform because of lack of proper use.

It has been giving way to entertainment. Over-head projectors, singing groups, gospel film showings, drama, choreographed prayers, children's ditties, mimes and the like have clogged up too many worship hours.

This has meant that there has been little time for a substantive message from the Word. Of course, the laity rarely complain because they are enamored by the change of pace. Further, some of them have been stuck with boredom for so long that they welcome a bit of life from the front of the church building.

It addition, sound preaching has been replaced in some quarters with a extra overlay of liturgy. It does not take too much thought to realize that one hour is made up of sixty minutes. With that a given, a "clergyperson" can figure how he can whittle away his message to eight or ten minutes if he only includes one more liturgical movement.

Again, laity may not notice the change. At first, they may be enthralled with the extra religious rite. However, what they are sacrificing in preaching is usually not worth the added show.

Even in evangelical churches where liturgy does not weigh that heavily, some "clergypersons" have stretched their rundown of the bulletin's announcements, hardly realizing that laity can read those details just as easily as they read the daily paper. Some pastors simply add an extra hymn to wedge in the time so as to cut short the sermon.

We are losing out on the anointed preaching. God has promised to bless His messenger with eternal truth to convey to believers when that messenger puts forth prayer and earnest study to come upon the Sunday sermon. When tidbits are incorporated into a worship hour in order to sidestep a meaty message, the pastor is reneging on His divine call. He is a disappointment both to the Lord and His people. Eventually he will have to answer for his negligence.

We are fostering a spiritually ignorant people. Recent surveys indicate that the younger generation is not knowledgeable concerning the Bible. No doubt this is due to the slack-off on Sunday school attendance. But it is also due to the diluted preaching in too many pulpits. biblical doctrine is not being put forth. Instead, trite stories and pious mumblings are more in fad.

We are emptying our own pews. There is no need to strike out at the secular forces attacking Christendom. Certainly they are having the impact so as to increasingly diminish spiritual fervor. But in too many instances the bland pulpit has called for its own demise. Intelligent persons will finally give up on getting dressed up to trot off to some church for nothing but some sing- song called a sermon.

We still have time before we close the church doors. Then what can we do with the time left?

We can determine that we will diligently prepare a Sunday sermon which will last at least twenty-five minutes. Time length in itself does not guarantee quality; nevertheless, it is a start.

We can spend more time studiously crafting the message and less time running about town. It is easier to be active than passive. It is more enticing to get behind the wheel of the car to gadabout than it is to work the brain with the Bible in prayer.

We can return to more doctrinal preaching. Instead of simply tickling ears we can start to build fires in the hearts of men and women. This takes more effort than simply giggling from the pulpit; nevertheless, it is what the Almighty has destined us to do as preachers of the inspired Word.

We can preach more authoritatively. Instead of merely giving forth sermons which sound like opinion-sharing, we can declare eternal verities. We are to pronounce the message of God. That takes more than smiling widely through a public relations stint on behalf of a local church institution.

We can shudder at what is actually happening today between the pulpit and pew. Then we can recoup our souls before God with the promise to do better. After all, we are the preachers for this generation; it is up to us. We cannot shift the responsibility to those who preceded us nor those who will follow. To the work in the name of the coming Christ. He stands at the door and waits. How will He judge us?

Editor's Note: Rev. Swank pastors the Church of the Nazarene in Windham, Maine. This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Dr. Rushdoony recently noted that the pulpit is the major media in America. Although the congregations across America each week outnumber the voters in any national election, we are failing to use the pulpit to educate our generation.

Dr. Rushdoony recently noted that the pulpit is the major media in America.

Hmmmmmm, maybe there is hope for our friend here. He is quoting a well known Reformed Preterist. Excellent article. We sure do need some good sermons on the Trinity and God's sovereignty.

IMHO, one of the problems with preaching today is that the average church is not functioning according to NT guidelines. Churches should have a plurality of leadership not just one pastor. There should be one at least "preaching/teaching" elder from that plurality who gives himself to the study of the Word. Nothing short of diligent prayer and study will improve preaching today. The average "pastor" spends so much time, visiting, administating, and other duitesc that he can only offer the "husks" and not the full kernal of Scripture. The sheep can only grow when they are properly fed.

The overwhelming majority of pastors are preaching canned sermons that are expositions on the text any careful student of the scripture could improve on with his own study. Canned sermons, and the few original thoughts of most pastors avoid direct confrontation with the clear issues faced by God's people in the world in which we live.

Jerry Falwell was excoriated for his warning that American stands in jeopardy of God's judgment for our sinful life style and national ethic in denial of God's Word. And where were the voices defending him?

Most of the professional preachers we confront are weak; not well educated in either the Word, the history, or other knowledge of the real world.

We are to not foresake the practice of assembly with others of like belief for the purpose of "exhorting one another" (Hebrews 10:25)--nothing here about listening to a weak irrelevant poorly prepared discussion sometimes founded on less that an accurate view of the Biblical text.

The responsibility and obligation is really that of the body of believers--for we are all priests of a new covenant; and we have a high priest who is Jesus Christ who sits at the hand of God. Nothing in here about some magical transformation that occurs as a result of ordination; the responsbility to communicate the Word to exhort believers and to communicate the Good News to non-believers is on us. The state of modern America is not testimony to the capability of our performance.

The state of preaching is indeed abysmal, even in the best of our churches. Sadly, the best educated of our clergy an be the weakest and most befuddled. Much of the blame must rest on our seminaries.

I think the main problem is the general misundertanding about the role of preaching, especially as opposed to teaching. Preaching ought to focus on proclaiming the gospel (Christ died for our sins!) and bringing hearts to a state of repentance. That's because repentance is the key to opening the door through which the Holy Spirit can begin to act in our lives.

Unfortunately, repentance is a term that has fallen into disfavor, along with the whole notion of sin. So our ministers jabber on with intellectual acrobatics, more to impress their hearers with their own sermonizing abilities than to actually drive home truth into human hearts.

Instead of being conduits for the Word of the Lord, our preachers are reduced to handing out emotional band-aids on Sunday. Mostly, they are trying to tell people "It's okay. God loves you. All will be well." Sadly, this is exactly the kind of message Jeremiah railed against as symptomatic of false prophecy (chapters 23-25).

Our self-anointed ministers have failed to do what God requires: to "stand in his council" and listen before speaking.

I come from the Calvary Chapel church. I benefit greatly from their style. 8 years ago my pastor started in Genesis and has gone verse by verse throught the Bible. We are now in the book of James. Without question many churches have catered to american emotionalism and shallowness. There is indeed a famine in the land, and many churches around where I live seem to be putting on a show rather than instuction in God's Word. God's word is rich and believers do well to really dig into it.

Great post, I might also add that preaching on sin and the TRUE, COMPLETE message of salvation has also been watered down in many of todays pulpits. Lets face it, sin is offensive, both to hear about it and to be convicted of it. Thats obviously the PC/tolerant attiude of the world seeping into church. Nobody likes to talk about or deal with sin...but you have to if you expect to produce strong Christians. If you don't understand sin, you won't understand salvation.

I'm confused about your statement. I understand there is a difference between teaching and preaching. As a memeber in a bible believing church the typical Sunday morning message is a sermon that has some teaching for believers and some preaching for any non-believers. Depending upon how the Pastor is led, it may be alot of one or the other or a pretty even mix. Sunday night and the prayer meetings are almost always teaching. I don't view a believer getting preached to in a negative light.

You said

Inside the church, preaching leads to touchy, feely liberalism.

When I asked you why,you said:

Christians who want to be preached to are either unwilling to learn, or are seeking emotional stimulation.

I don't get how there is a connection there.

I have been preached to, and taught by Bible believing Pastors and godly men of faith for many years. The Churchs I have attended do not maintain a sharp distinction between preaching and teaching. It is often intermixed. I can't think of one time the message ever got touchy, feely or liberal. (These are Fundamental churchs) And while in any church there will be individuals that are unwilling to learn, or seek emotional stimulation rather than meat, preaching has always been an integral part of the worship and I have not seen the problems you seem to be seeing.

The biggest problem in the church is preaching from the pulpit. Biblically, preaching is for unbelievers and teaching is for believers. Notice that in the list of qualifications for an elder, preaching is not included. In 1 Cor 14, where the elements are a church service are laid out, preaching is not included.

That is an interesting semantical difference you are making. I think the article however is really emphasizing the teaching/preaching of scripture. If you notice the other things noted, the Bible was left out. I believe from the pulpit you are going to be speaking to both believer and unbeliever and so both teaching and preaching should be in every message.

The essential issue from that article is let us get back to the Bible!

Inside the church, preaching leads to touchy, feely liberalism.

Could you explain this more? I do not see how 'preaching' would lead to 'touchy' 'feely' liberalism. -

Amen and Amen!

come from the Calvary Chapel church. I benefit greatly from their style. 8 years ago my pastor started in Genesis and has gone verse by verse throught the Bible. We are now in the book of James. Without question many churches have catered to american emotionalism and shallowness. There is indeed a famine in the land, and many churches around where I live seem to be putting on a show rather than instuction in God's Word. God's word is rich and believers do well to really dig into it.

Amen! One of the disciplines the Lord puts on a nation before its end is the famine of the words of God (Amos 8:11)

The state of preaching is indeed abysmal, even in the best of our churches. Sadly, the best educated of our clergy an be the weakest and most befuddled. Much of the blame must rest on our seminaries.

Amen! That is because most of them have been educated out of believing that the Bible is true.

I think the main problem is the general misundertanding about the role of preaching, especially as opposed to teaching. Preaching ought to focus on proclaiming the gospel (Christ died for our sins!) and bringing hearts to a state of repentance. That's because repentance is the key to opening the door through which the Holy Spirit can begin to act in our lives.

Amen. I think both 'teaching' and 'preaching' are needed in the Church since it is through 'preaching' you reach the lost (1Cor.1:18) and through 'teaching' edify the saved (Heb.5:12-13)

Amen!

Yes, and what Paul predicated would happen in the last days (2Tim 4:3-4)

Our self-anointed ministers have failed to do what God requires: to "stand in his council" and listen before speaking.

Amen!

That is because they have left The Book!

Amen

Most of the professional preachers we confront are weak; not well educated in either the Word, the history, or other knowledge of the real world.

They do not believe the word, they have been trained in psychology, not the words of God.

We are getting the ministers the 'people' want (2Tim.4:2)

Amen! We have neglected our own responsibilties as Priests and the Lord is sending a 'famine' into our land, a famine of hearing the words of God! (Amos 8:11)

Dr. Rushdoony recently noted that the pulpit is the major media in America. Hmmmmmm, maybe there is hope for our friend here. He is quoting a well known Reformed Preterist.

Well, Rushdoony did not write the article, but his views support it! I knew his name would grab your attention!

Excellent article. We sure do need some good sermons on the Trinity and God's sovereignty.

Amen to that, and I would add more on God's Love and man's responsibility to respond to that Love!

I do not think you need more then one Pastor. However, the Pastor should not be doing those tasks, but the deacons (Acts.6:2-6) and those espically given gifts by God to do so.

You are singing my song here FTD.The church has come to believe that if they are just be loving enough, clever enough, entertaining enough that the people will come. Once they come THEN we can "get them saved"

That is contrary to scripture ..It is contrary to the example set by Jesus and the disciples. He said GO ! They went out, they preached the gospel,then they returned rejoicing ! They presented the gospel, then returned with the new converts. The church's duty was to give the babes milk,then meat. The church bound up the wounds and sent them back out.The church is NOT the place of conversion..but the place for the converted. But somehow we now live in a time where men think they are the converters not the Word!

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

We will always have Sheep grazing with goats in the church..But if the church focuses on changing the goats into sheep the sheep will die of starvation.

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