The Negative Side of Positive Preaching (Part 2) by
Wayne Goforth
(Reprinted from the May, 1999 on-line issue of The Gospel Anchor,
http://www.gospelanchor.com/)
The Polemics:
Much of what we are hearing in pulpits today sound more like Dale Carnegie (Secular motivational speaker and author of How To Win friends And Influence People) instructors than gospel preachers. Robert Shuller has extolled the virtues of positive preaching for decades as well. In Dennis Voskuil's book, Mountains Into Goldmines, the author explains Shuller's theology saying he "Tells people exactly what they want to hear in the manner which pleases them most. He doesn't insult people by telling them they are sinners." (p. 68). He teaches that the church must create a "non-controversial image" to grow. "The possibility preacher must therefore be a positive preacher---inoffensive, uplifting, and affirming," (p. 43). Shuller believes Jesus was the greatest possibility thinker of the ages, "Positive and non-judgmental. Jesus never called any person a sinner!" Jesus would never preach, "You are sinners, Repent and be baptized" (p. 104). The truth, however, is more accurately found in Alexander Campbell's observation that "Jesus drew His sword at the Jordan and threw away its scabbard."
A part of the problem lies with the idol of reputation. The preacher finds his ego stroked and his wallet lined as he preaches what the crowds want to hear and is complimented as to "how sweet it is." And since he is not a "trouble maker" then he is deemed safe and sanitary for gospel meetings. Yes, Proverbs does teach us that we should seek to have a good name (Proverbs 22:1), but we want a reputation in the world's terms and not God's when we seek it thusly.
It is not all the preachers' fault, members and elders share in the blame. There is a cause and effect situation here....supply and demand. Sometimes elders want to fill the pews, pack the building and of course, you have to pay for that edifice somehow! And whenever there are itching ears to be found, there will be willing ticklers readily available (2 Timothy 4:3). Consider Balaam "the mercenary prophet." If there had been business cards then, his would surely have said "Balaam, prophet for hire...have divination fee, will travel." Notice how Peter describes him in 2 Peter 2:15, "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor who loved the wages of unrighteousness." Peter did not say Balaam loved unrighteousness, but rather the wages of it. He who serves God for wages will serve the devil for higher bid!
One of the by-products of the computer age is a new vocabulary. Phrases like "user friendly" and "DOS command line" is frequently used. We live in a "user friendly" day and age, and many think churches should be "user friendly" as well. People don't like that old "command line." And preachers are frequently asked to keep up with these user-friendly times. This type of attitude is reflected in a statement an elder once said to me, "We need more pep-rallies and less sermonizing, what we need are some feel good sermons." Now, we all like Twinkies once in a while, but a body cannot remain healthy on a steady diet of the sugary sweet stuff.
The denominations have already been there. In Newsweek, May of 1990, there was an article entitled A Child Shall lead Them. The article discussed the Church Growth Movement--- what to look for in a minister. Their "experts" judged a minister's success not in faithfulness to the gospel, but whether they could keep people coming and giving. Are we suffering from a trickle down of this type of performance driven thinking?
After all, that's the way secular employers rate their employees and salesmen. Then perhaps that is why so much preaching has turned into a performance! By such standards, Noah and Ezekiel would surely be considered as failures, while Absolam would be a success! Have you noticed it is often the case that a preacher either is continued to be supported or not supported financially based upon the numbers he puts into his monthly report? So the pay-check is kept dangling in front of him to "perform." Ads of churches looking for preachers sometimes state "This work has a potential for X number of conversions per year." Now, is the preacher not going to feel pressured to preach so as not to lose members and baptize people who may not be ready for baptism to "perform" in order to keep his job. Thus, we see the spirit of Balaam at work. Numbers do not necessarily show the whole picture as to how hard or how faithfully the preacher is doing his job. In one church, the preacher worked hard and no conversions resulted, while in another, conversions fell into his lap with no real effort on his part and baptized 18 in two years! Now, by that standard, where was the preacher working harder? The same Newsweek article then praised the new Mega-church movement. One such church was the Second Baptist Church of Houston which boasts of 17,000 members. The preacher said they have banished hellfire and damnation and that they are more for things, then they are against things.
Some think Christianity is the same as getting-alongness, but Christianity inheres controversy. It is a sad state of affairs when preachers are expected to have better manners than their Lord! Billy Sunday was once told "Brother Sunday, you need to lighten up. Your preaching rubs the cat the wrong way." To which Mr. Sunday replied, "Then let the cat turn around. The way he is facing now he is going to hell." To be sure, it is better to be called cruel for being kind, than to be called kind for being cruel, for it is not kind to fail to warn! Paul asked, "Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:10). Sometimes kindness DEMANDS that we do things that would not be considered as kind in other circumstances. To knock a child to the ground would seem unkind, but not if it is to prevent him from being run over. We are now being told that the preacher should be politically correct and preach to the change of the times, as if the Bible is not a relevant book. One preacher wrote, "From 100 years ago, until about 20 years ago, American society was basically religious...this being the case, what needed to be preached was doctrinal purity--a return to proper doctrine and worship. Today, the issues have changed...being correct about the worship of the corporate church and certain doctrinal matters is far from people's minds, and frankly, rightly so." Yet another bulletin stated that Jesus sought to make people comfortable, rather than confront them with their sins, and used the woman at the well as the example. The claim is that if Jesus had corrected her, that it would have created an "image problem" of being hard hearted and closed minded, and that it would have "been obnoxious" and "alienated the entire city." Amazing, considering Jesus said "You have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband" (John 4:18).
Books like Cogdill's The New Testament Church are frequently ridiculed today. Instead, humanistic and denominational self- help and motivational books such as those by Swindoll, Dobson, etc., are quoted from pulpits and recommended to members as "must reads".
"PMA" is a relatively new title for what is actually
an old problem. The Jews at the time of Isaiah asked for smooth
things to be taught (Isaiah 30:10). Years ago the term "soft
preaching" used instead. Frankly, I really don't even like
to hear the terms "positive preaching" or "negative
preaching" for it infers there can be two different types
of preaching that can be pleasing to God. The truth of the matter
is, there is only Gospel Preaching...and it must contain both
positive and negative aspects! The New Testament is replete with
examples of both positive and negative being emphasized. Paul
said: Let him that stole, steal no longer, but rather let him
labor...." (Ephesians 4:28) and again "Putting away
lying, let each one of you speak truth..." (4:25). A Christian
who once owned a battery factory told me "you cannot have
a positive flow without negative grounding." i.e., the law
said, "Thou shalt NOT commit adultery." Now, is that
positive or negative? BOTH, for while forbidding and naming sin,
the thrust is to Love your wife and keep to her, Positive. When
you turn OFF a light switch, you have also turned ON the dark!
So, it is not always enough simply to say what we should do, we
also must emphasize what we must not do.
[Editor's note: Bro. Goforth's lesson will conclude in next week's
issue.]
How Many Times? (contributed by B. Cain)
How Many Times did Adam and Eve have to eat the forbidden fruit
to surely die? (Genesis 3:3).
How Many Times did Cain have to kill Abel his brother to become
a murderer? (Genesis 4: 14).
How Many Times does a sow have to return to the mire to become
filthy?
(2 Peter 2:22).
How Many Times does one have to have a sexual affair with one
other than their spouse to become an adulterer? (Galatians 5:
19-21).
How Many Times did Moses have to disobey God in striking or speaking
to the rock to get water before God refused his entrance into
the promised land?
How Many Times do we have to put things, people, desires before
God, before we are displeasing in His sight? (Matthew 6:33).
How Many Times can a Christian forsake the assembly without sinning?
(Hebrews 10:25).
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