I Don't Like Your Preaching
BibleA little while ago someone said to me that the thing they like least about our church is my preaching. And interestingly they said it in a generous tone. Kind of "I don't like it, I would like to tell you about it, so that maybe you can make some changes and I can relate to it better in future." I am always up for that kind of conversation in that kind of critical-but-not tone so we had a good conversation. I was grateful they wanted to chat.
The person hasn't been coming to us very long and the thing they objected to was when I say things like "as a result of this passage we must do x or y." In other words the pointed application. I asked why the objection and they said "there is no compulsion in the Bible. We are all adults listening to your Bible advice, we are free to interpret how we like. It is inappropriate for a preacher to tell grown ups that there are imperatives and commands to be obeyed."
Straight up!
It made me appreciate that there are people in all our congregations who have yet to figure out what the Bible is and yet to figure out that believers entirely and exactly think that it is authoritative and commanding. I asked "do you think there are facts and absolutes in life? For example in medicine or jurisprudence?" Clearly they did. "But you don't think there are facts and absolutes in the Bible?" Clearly they didn't. It was a book of wisdom from which to pick and choose.
Several things interest me here:
1. I suspect this person has attended other churches where they have never been helped to understand the Bible. I have to realise that and deal gently with it
2. There are clearly people in our congregation who have yet to submit to God's word as the authority over their lives, and I have to bear this in mind. I think I will start to say things like "you may not be a believer yet, but I think you will see here is how the Bible says Christians must live. And how you must live if you become one. In other words I mustn't assume a Christian doctrine of scripture from non-Christians
3. Rather alarmingly I am not sure it is always simple to assume a Christian doctrine of scripture from Christians either. If I want to teach the scriptures for obedience then it is essential that we regularly state what the scriptures ARE as well as what they say. Otherwise there is no epistemelogical basis for obedience (or for listening to preaching). Let all preachers nail this for the benefit of believers and non-believers in the congregation: the Bible is not "advice" and neither is preaching
4. Lastly when someone says something like "I don't like your preaching", it is all too easy to assume that the fault lies with them and not with me. It has really made me think "Are they wrong, or are there times when I am bolshy, too direct and in your face, or insistent beyond where people yet have faith to go." Its been a good spur to examine myself and make sure what I do is full of grace and truth, seasoned with salt
Reader Comments (4)
Thanks for another great post! I would like to query one thing;
"Are they wrong, or are there times when I am bolshy, too direct and in your face, or insistent beyond where people yet have faith to go"
If you take bolshy too one side, Jesus was all of the others, pretty much all the time surely? I struggle to think of when i've grown through mild recommendations from the pulpit that don't bring me out of my comfort zone.
I may have mis-read your meaning in the quote, if so - my bad!
Thanks Larry
Yep, Jesus was all those other things. But Jesus was perfect and sinless, and I am not. Therefore I think it behoves me to at least ask the question. I am not really likely to to tone things down (or worse, water them down) for the sake of an audience who doesn't like it, but I do want to find ways to get under their skin, so that the message is heard rather than dismissed out of hand.
I suppose you might say that what this person told me indicated that I had indeed got right under their skin!
At the end of the day if someone is going to take offence at biblical preaching, I want to make very sure that it is the offence of the gospel, the offence of the cross, the offence of a message that sinners need to humbly repent, the offence of a saviour who society hates. And not the offence of me being too bullish or arrogant.
I completely agree, I was trusting you to listen to your critic, but just wanted to encourage you in what you are doing at the same time.
Btw I love hearing Christian Hedonism coming from British preachers (not just from America!): the audio files you have linked don't just bless people in Chessington, Eden etc but also me in Germany!
How encouraging! Thanks Larry.
I avoided the term Christian Hedonist for a lot of years, being a cautious chap when it comes to labels. But then thought what the hey? These are the folk theologically I am most keenly in tune with (along with Keller/World Harvest Mission/Sonship emphasis) so why not come out and say it? Its not like I am not happy to defend a strong emphasis on grace and the love of God and joy of God. Its rather thrilling to find more and more people in the UK (and Germany) prepared to say with us that they think that these things lie right at the heart of Bible-centred gospel living and understanding.