One of my favorite posts on this blog, was one I did in March 2006 on fundamentalist preaching: Stomping Toes and Stomping Souls: The Moralistic Bent to Fundamentalist Preaching. The title might overstate my case a little, but the problem is all too real.
Recently, someone posted a smart comment on that post, lamenting that I hadn’t listened to the fundamentalist sermons I heard in college. That is not the first negative comment I’ve received from that post.
It is quite polarizing, in part, I believe, due to the subject matter. Anytime someone attempts to criticize preaching or preachers, he is sure to reap righteous indignation. To an extent, this is admirable.
I may not have come across as humble enough in my first critique on this subject. I do hold strongly to my opinion on this subject, as I believe much damage is being done in the name of “powerful preaching”. In this post, I hope to provide a case study to show what exactly I mean by “moralism”, and what exactly I find problematic with fundamentalist preaching. I would encourage you to read that first post, though, as background for this one.
Thesis
Here is my primary point: preaching that majors on heaping guilt on the hearers in an attempt to motivate them to do better is not “powerful”. It is possibly moralistic, and it is likely carnal. This preaching does more harm than good. Unfortunately it is quite common in fundamentalism, although it can be found in many other circles as well.
Case Study
Here is the passage for our case study: Mark 15:32-42. We will focus on Jesus’ admonition in vs. 38: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” You know the story, Jesus’ disciples had fallen asleep when they should have been praying. Jesus admonishes them to watch and pray. And yet when he returns from another prayer session, he finds the disciples asleep again.
Now let me develop 2 approaches to this passage, which might easily be found in a Sunday morning message. In comparing and contrasting these approaches, I hope my point about moralistic sermons will come home.
A Moralistic Approach
This message would major on the commands “watch and pray”. It would highlight the results of either obeying or disobeying the commands. It would imply that most or all of the listeners have failed miserably in this respect. Based on “the flesh is weak”, the message would set up the listeners to expect to have to struggle in this area. The message would end by calling the listeners to do better and pray more. People might be encouraged to come forward and make decisions to rededicate themselves to fervent prayer, or to confess their failures to pray and vow to change.
This kind of message might be labelled “toe-stomping” or “hard hitting”, as the preacher might very well drive his point home forcefully through screaming, theatrical antics, or tear-jerking illustrations. The listeners would leave the message acutely aware of their guilt and mindful of the preacher’s challenge that they watch and pray much better than they have before.
A Christ-Centered Approach
This message would again stress the commands “watch and pray”. Yet it would also give the fuller context of the passage. The disciples did not watch and pray, whereas Jesus did. Jesus would be shown to be absolutely faithful, whereas even heroes of the Christian faith, the disciples, are seen to be very weak and unfaithful. The message would stress that it is important to watch and pray, as a failure to do so leads to temptation, even as illustrated by the desertion of Christ by these very disciples. Yet the message would stress Christ’s kindhearted response to this lack of faithfulness on the disciples’ part. Rather than harshly rebuking them the second time He found them sleeping, he acknowledged their weakness. He had said the “flesh is weak”.
The message would go on to stress that our very weakness, what makes it so difficult to watch and pray, is that for which Christ died. Jesus knows we are weak, and so Jesus prays for us, even when we don’t. The ultimate victory over temptation is won because Jesus overcame the world, not because we have the innate ability to. We can win, when we depend on Christ and the victory He purchased. The message would end with a call to depend on Christ more in the area of prayer. It would encourage people to trust Jesus and His faithfulness, even as it would call on the hearers to excercise more faith in watching and praying more faithfully.
The message might not be very “hard hitting”, but it would be encouraging and uplifting. The preacher may well get excited as he proclaims Christ’s faithfulness and work on our behalf, but he would be unlikely to scream at or belittle the hearers for their lack of faithfulness in prayer. The listeners would leave the message in a thankful and worshipful state of mind, as they ponder how wonderful is Christ’s faithfulness and work on their behalf, weak and sinful though they be. They would determine to love Christ more and desire to be more faithful in their prayer lives.
I hope this case study proves helpful. I hope that preachers will aim to proclaim the glories and faithfulness of Christ more consistently. We need to realize that in every step of our Christian life we need to trust Jesus more fully. He can help us obey, and it is because of Him that we can. Believers need to be reminded of these truths. They need to be pointed to Christ and encouraged to trust in Him more. They don’t need to have guilt heaped upon them without an offer of hope. There is no hope if I have to depend on my own determination to do better. There is plenty of hope, inexhaustible hope, if I am encouraged to lean on the work Jesus has done for me.
Related Posts
Stomping Toes and Stomping Souls: The Moralistic Bent to Fundamentalist Preaching
Good post. I’ve been pondering this very topic for a post of my own, but instead of calling the first a moralistic approach I was going to call it a man-centered approach. I recently heard some sermons that were intended to help people find happiness – the preacher brought up many promises that God made and other points that were supposed to bring us happiness, but the sermons didn’t help to bring me happiness because they were man-centered. Later, I heard a message that exalted Christ and I came away from that one very happy. Christ-centered messages are indeed what we all need. Thanks for the post.
I’ve always been more impressed by the hard-hitting nature of sound doctrine proclaimed in a dignified manner, allowing the dunamis of the Word to do the hard hitting, rather than the volume of the preacher’s voice.
Great comparison, Bob! Notice that when a moralistic preacher focuses on the imperatives of the sample text, “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation–the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak” the preacher doesn’t spend much time telling the story, but majors on his prescription for their behavior, and minors on the story of redemption, the source of our salvation.
I listened to John MacArthur a couple of weeks ago talking about how one of the benefits of going DEEP in the exposition of a text is how it results in LIFTING the hearers to the heights of worship in response. That’s what a Christ-Centered Sermon can do! Even if no Greek tenses are parsed or theological terms are defined, or great theologians quoted.
God is right on time..thank you for your timely post. The former treatment on that passage is a carbon copy of our Sunday AM service 2 weeks ago. The Pastor commented to me the next day on how a “great moving of God” happened when the “altar” filled up. My reply was (respectfully) that when you preach on failure in prayer you will get that response every time. He just looked at me.
Wonderful post Bob. Have you ever heard of Bryan Chappell? President of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MS. Anyway, he wrote an outstanding book on the same subject entitled, “Christ-Centered Preaching.”
“https://www.monergismbooks.com/christcentered985.html
He also gave a lecture on the same topic recently at a conference on reformed theology in my neck of the woods. If you’re interested, it’s an outstanding lecture on this subject. In similar fashion to yours, he demonstrates the contrast of preaching passages with and without Christ as the “center” and solution. He refers to moralistic preaching as “sola bootstrapa.” If interested, I’ll gladly email you the mp3.
Steve,
Can I get a copy, too? I just bought Chappell’s book yesterday. Of course, I got a copy for my pastor two years ago first. I can’t wait to read the rest of it! My address is [email protected]. This isn’t bad form, is it, Bob?
Dear Secretly Reformed,
I know how you feel. You dare stick out your neck too far out of the Calvin closet, you fear it’ll be chopped off. Good point on preaching on failure in prayer. “I didn’t know lust, until the law said ‘Thou shalt not covet.'”
Or as Rod Rosenblatt once quoted C. S. Lewis as saying, (it’s probably a paraphrase), “The surest way to ensure that your congregation won’t be happy is to tell them they need to be happy.” Who’s Rod Rosenblatt, you ask? He’s one of the four hosts of the White Horse Inn radio show (www.whitehorseinn.org).
Bob, I fixed your link. I got you fundies confused. So sorry.
Capt. H, Thanks for the exhortation. It does feel a little lonely here, sometimes. The Lord won’t let me leave…yet. My Pastor has invested 7 years in my discipleship, he’s like a father to me…I couldn’t bear to hurt him, but things are really messed up. Please pray for us…bless you.
Great comments one and all. Thanks Steve for the mp3s. I don’t think you mind if others ask you for them. They can ask me and I’ll send the mp3s from my email too, if its better.
Thanks ThirstyDave for the link.
Secret Reformed,
Hang in there. Be teachable and loving, follow God’s direction. Your reformation might help many others too.
Blessings to you all.
Bob
I’m happy to share the mp3’s with anyone who requests them.
I’d love to hear the mp3’s as well. Email address is gordy @ voicecrying.com. Thank you.
Gordy,
I’m trying to email you the mp3, but it’s bouncing back and telling me your mail folder is full. : (
Steve, I got part 2, saved it, and emptied my inbox. Can you please try again?
There’s another aspect to these messages and that is fear. There was a time in my life when I did not want to meet the Lord out of fear that I did not live up to what He expected. This fear was inculcated by IFB preachers who used the guilt tactic and then followed it with messages about what will happen to you if you haven’t done enough such and such–praying, soulwinning, whatever.
Through subsequent involvement in churches with a more reformed view, I began to understand what it was that Christ had done for me. Out of appreciation, I began to desire to do things that were previously motivated by guilt. I also began to look forward to seeing the Lord, because He loved me and gave Himself for me.
I am not perfect, and I know that I can do better, but I no longer fear the One whom all believers should look forward to meeting one day.
I’m currently attending an IFB church because where I live there are few options. So, I’m having to manage in that environment, although it’s much more moderated than some of what I’ve experienced before. I can relate to Secretly Reformed.
Ralph, I think you’d also enjoy the lecture by Bryan Chappell that I referred to above.
Gordy, Still no go on Part 1- bounced again. The file is ~8.5 megs.
Ralph,
You make a great point. That fear which is so often cultivated by this kind of preaching, comes in part from the performance-based system. People are encouraged to perform, and only find value and worth when they perform. They relate to God on the basis of how well they have kept the standards and done the duties. When they perform well they feel good about God and themselves, when they have failed, they feel that God doesn’t love them, and they can’t worship Him.
This is very dangerous. We need to relate to God on the basis of Jesus’ righteousness and sacrifice alone. When people are constantly threatened with “you’re not right with God if you…”, they lose sight of the fact that NOTHING we can DO earns a standing of “right with God”. Only Jesus and Jesus alone gives us a standing of “right with God”.
Thanks again for stopping by Ralph. May God bless you and yours richly in Christ.
Bob Hayton
Thanks Steve for trying again. I have another mailbox if you would be so kind to try again. Send it to gordon @ go-concepts.com. That mailbox is empty and much larger than the other. Thank you.
At first I was confused by your title. I came here thinking I’d find an atheist website. As I looked further I couldn’t find anything I disagreed with. I now realize you’re defining fundamentalist differently than I would. The groups you’re labeling “fundamentalist” I would label “cults.” Personally, I consider myself a “fundamentalist,” i.e. someone who “emphasizes the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching.”
I think the KJV-only crowd exists only in America. I think it stems from so many people never having studied a foreign language.
As for Mike Huckabee, I hope Fred Thompson chooses him as his running mate.
Casey C,
I definitely consider myself a fundamentalist in that sense. I agree that word can be confusing!
The KJV Only crowd do flourish in America, but they have brought their issue to the four corners of the world. It is becoming problematic in missions circles in many places, sadly.
I’d settle for Huckabee as VP, but I’d love him as P even better.
Thanks for stopping by,
God bless,
Bob Hayton
Great comparison Bob. Very true…very true..
Gage Browning
Post Tenebras Lux
Amen and amen! Whatever it is that the Father requires, only can CHRIST fulfill. May He graciously fulfill it in us and through us.
Christ alone is truly faithful. To Him alone be the glory.
And if any of this causes anyone to ask, “Well, does this mean that it’s okay to sin (or okay to not pray or to give in to the flesh since we’re weak anyway)?” then as Paul said, their condemnation is deserved.
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