Harold Shank

When is the last time you heard a sermon about God?  Or, when was the last time you preached a sermon about God?

One of my habits is to keep an eye on what is being published in the religious press.  One of the largest areas being taken up right now is the subject of God.  Consider these recent book titles:

The Prodigal God–Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

There is A God

Trusting in the Names of God

Great is the Lord–Theology for the Praise of God

God–Seen Through the Eyes of the Greatest Minds

Knowing God the Father

Images of God

The Shack

Approaching God–Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God

How to Believe in God–Whether You Believe in Religion or Not

The Reason for God–Belief in an Age of Skepticism

That’s quite a list. 

Why all the books on God?   What do we make of what the publishers sense about contemporary culture?  I have three thoughts. You can add some more

1–Vacuum.   Many sense a blank when it comes to God.  They have not heard many sermons on God or studied about God in the Bible, so they have questions that they want answered.

2–Opposition.  Increasingly atheists have become more militant.  The anti-god propaganda raises questions and sends people on a search for a defense.

3–Misinformation.  Will Willimon tells of talking to a co-ed who did not believe in God.  He asked her to describe the God she did not believe in.   Then Willimon said, “I don’t believe in that God either.”   The world is filled with words about God, but not all of them describe the biblical Father.

My conclusion?   Take up some expository texts on our divine Father.  Schedule Sunday school classes on the topic of God.  Let’s fill the vacuum, take on the opposition and correct the misinformation.

Some time ago Churches of Christ began referring to their preachers as “pulpit ministers.”   I do not know the origin of that term or the history of it in our movement.  I have noticed that the use seems to be spreading.

Let me offer two thoughts on the use of the term “pulpit minister” and invite you to respond with your observations:

First, the Stone Campbell movement frequently pleaded with people to call Bible things by Bible names.  I believe that is good thinking.   Most could probably list several areas in which some have insisted on this feature.

Interestingly, there is Bible name for “pulpit minister.”  The Bible simply calls that person the “preacher.”   What made us drop an appropriate Biblical name for one that originated elsewhere?

Second, in the current debates about the nature of worship, it is often common to use “entertainment” as a trump card.   The reasoning is that if it is entertainment, then it could not possibly be worship.  

So it becomes even more interesting that we use the word “pulpit” which comes from the Latin word “pulpitum” which means “stage.”   So we replace Biblical “preachers” with “stage” ministers who speak in an “auditorium.” 

The word “auditorium” fits nicely with “stage ministers.”   “Auditorium” is a word which is usually used to describe a place where people gather to watch a show or the performers on the stage.  In fact, most auditoriums are places of entetainment.    Ironically we have used the word “auditorium”  replace the biblical word “assembly.”

I am not trying to quibble about words, but to raise the question of expectations.  Biblically the expectation of preachers is to share the Word of God with the assembled spiritual community.   That kind of language allows the preacher to stay focused and helps the community understand what God expects to happen.

My intent here is to build on the pieces below about inductive and expository preaching.  Inductive preaching engages the community in thinking about spiritual issues  Expository preaching basis the inductive work on the Bible itself.  Although this whole process can be made dry, the Bible has the potential of being quite interesting, challenging and probing. 

Perhaps we ought to return to the biblical language which keeps us focused on the Bible rather than on the pulpit minister, on God rather than the stage, on our relationship with the Father rather than rating worship like we might a new movie release. 

Harold, the preacher.