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Christianity Today, March (Web-only), 2008 |

Speaking Out

Our Ears Still Itch

That church down the street isn't the only one pandering to the congregation.

Trevin Wax | posted 3/14/2008 09:07AM

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Ironically, the very message that is supposed to cut us low, the message of the Cross, can be delivered in such a way that people walk out of the sanctuary patting themselves on the back. Thank God I'm not like those people!

Somewhere in the darkest places of our hearts, we take joy in preachers who put us on a pedestal, who remind us who all the bad guys are, and who assure us that we're okay. We sing and read and preach about grace, but too often, our talk about grace is simply another method of preserving our self-righteousness.

The preaching we listen to on Sundays may be truth-filled and Bible-centered, but if it only points out the problems of everyone else in the world, it misses its target. Our ears are tickled, but our hearts are unchanged. Ear-tickling preaching may step on toes, but they're never the toes of the people in the pews or the pastor in the pulpit.

Next time, your pastor preaches a challenging message that convicts you of sin, say "Amen." If your church is not of the Amen-shouting variety, meet your pastor at the door and offer a word of encouragement. Allow the Sword of God's Word to perform surgery on our own hearts before wielding the Sword in the faces of everyone else.

Trevin Wax is minister of education and missions at First Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee. An earlier version of this article originally appeared at his blog, Kingdom People.

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Anonymous

Posted: March 17, 2008 1:27 PM


Very good article.

Hal	Posted: March 17, 2008 8:24 AM

In response to the poll: my husband and I are currently suffering burn-out from a 2+-year-long search for a new church home. Visiting more than a dozen churches is very encouraging in that we realize all the great service and love ministries that are happening all over in the church. However, one of the things that exhausts us in this process is the way that each pastor seems to "warn" us about other "other churches" and "other pastors" who would lead us astray. The comments are always subtle: it's the way OTHER churches ask for money, or that liturgical churches are "on their way" to knowing God, or "now I don't know why OTHER churches aren't talking about this..." After a while, it's hard to listen to: how do I know he/she is not the pastor that the OTHER pastor was warning me about?? Perhaps the 54% of people who feel that their pastor "never" speaks ill of other Christian denominations or churches - even generally - should put themselves in the shoes of a visitor.

Derek

Posted: March 16, 2008 7:51 PM


I love it. I'm guilty of this -- it's safe and it puts me on the "right" side of the tracks. Richard Miller, how do you reconcile Romans 14:4? How do you think Paul reconciles it? (Hint on answer: Are you suggesting that the examples the author uses are equivalent to the teachings of false teachers?) Here's a thought... It's easy to critique the article, it's harder to do critical thinking.

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