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There's an ongoing debate about what is appropriate in terms of a preacher's use of other people's sermons. Several pastors have been forced to resign when their congregations learned they were preaching the sermons of others as their own, yet some prominent leaders are encouraging their fellow preachers to do exactly that. In my blog this weekend, I responded to an article in which the author suggests we "stop all of this nonsense of spending 25 or 30 hours a week preparing to speak on the weekend. The guys I draw encouragement from -- the best communicators in the United States -- confess they spend a total of about 15 hours preparing for their message. As I have already said, they get 70 percent of their material from someone else." Responding to that article, I wrote: "You can dress it up in all the rationalizations you like, but when I take something someone else has done and present it as my own work, I am stealing -- compounded by the fact that I am also deceiving a congregation, giving them the impression I have done something I really didn't do. Would we look kindly on a staff member who told us he had made several pastoral calls, only to find out he got someone else to go on his behalf? "The reality is that in adopting the practice of regularly preaching others' sermons as my own, I'm also stealing from myself. Part of the passion and power that comes through the preaching of God's Word is generated by the challenging work of praying over a biblical text, studying it, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me toward a message. It's the old illustration of the butterfly and the cocoon -- the struggle to escape the cocoon is what ultimately gives the butterfly the strength to fly. Take away the struggle and you take away the power." (Click here to read the full commentary.) Do we draw on the work of others as we preach? Of course we do -- there wouldn't be a need for resources like Preaching magazine and PreachingNow if we didn't help one another. And is there a place for an untrained third-world pastor to preach the sermons of others? Maybe so, much as untrained medieval priests often preached the homilies provided to them by the bishop. But for most of us, if we simply preach sermons written by others as if they were our own, we are not only attempting to deceive our listeners -- we are abdicating the anointing that comes when God's messenger prays through and studies up to preach a message designed for a particular congregation. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael’s blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: Stealing Sermons; The Long Struggle.
Is It Enough to Preach Grace? In a recent article for PreachingTodaySermons.com, Bryan Chapell argues that a renewed emphasis on preaching grace is valuable but must not neglect the importance of obedience. "Concern about lifestyle issues is necessary for biblical Christianity. Early leaders among the North American evangelicals rightly insisted that the Bible has commands that God's people must obey in order to honor him. Problems came, however, when patterns of personal conduct became almost as much an emphasis in evangelical preaching and teaching as the message of God's grace. As a consequence, people began to think of their conduct as a qualification for God's acceptance. "The result of the strong emphasis on lifestyle issues was the creation of codes of conduct that supposedly distinguished real Christians from the secular world and nominal believers. Strict adherence to the codes became the mark of serious Christianity in many churches . . . "Part of the concern about a renewed emphasis on grace is simply a fear of the loss of evangelical identity as interest wanes in adherence to the codes that have distinguished Bible-believing Christians over the past century. The fear has some merit. The codes have, in fact, kept many Christians from dallying with cultural practices and adopting societal patterns wherein lie great spiritual danger. Those who become strong advocates of a grace emphasis must acknowledge the legitimacy of this concern and show how their teaching will provide protection from secular dangers when the codes of conduct are undermined. "Admittedly, strong advocates of the new grace emphasis may not feel that it is their responsibility to deal with the behavior issues that concern advocates of the codes. Preachers of grace typically see the old evangelical codes as destructive forms of legalism that need to be dismantled. Many of us have been personally wounded by legalistic attitudes in the church and resonate with the need to fight their spiritually corrosive influences. "Still, it is not enough for the advocates of grace simply to react against legalism. We must also respond to the license that always tempts Christians when preachers say, "God will love you no matter what." Legalism makes believers think that God accepts them on the basis of what they do. Licentiousness makes believers think that God does not care what they do. Both errors have terrible spiritual consequences." (Click here to read the full article.) http://pttranscripts.stores.yahoo.net/grlitowa.html
Story Teaches In an article in the Spring 2006 issue of The Journal for Preachers, evangelist Leighton Ford talks about the power of story to teach: "I have a friend who is the son of two immigrants, a Jewish father and Ukrainian mother. When he was growing up in Cleveland, he was sent both to synagogue and an Orthodox school. One taught in Hebrew, the other in Ukrainian. So he could understand virtually nothing of what was said. Dick is a highly ethical person, so I asked him how he developed his sense of morals and ethics with no religious basis. "Through the radio," he said, to my astonishment. As a boy he listened to the daily serial programs on radio -- and in hearing stories about Jack Armstrong, the All-American boy, or the Long Ranger and Tonto fighting fight the bad guys, he learned courage, honesty, the difference between right and wrong, and a lifetime virtue of doing right. The director of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, told me the center's research shows that corporate values are most effectively taught not through slogans or policies put on a wall but through what he called 'value parables,' stories of people in the company whose principled actions, undertaken perhaps at risk to their careers, made a difference." (Click here to read the full article -- Adobe Acrobat PDF file*.) *Click here to download the free Acrobat Reader from www.adobe.com http://www.ctsnet.edu/JournalforPreachers/Pentecost_2006_Ford.pdf
The Bible and the Global South One of the most fascinating books of recent years was Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom. (Click here to learn more.) That volume demonstrated that the center of gravity for the Christian faith has moved south to Africa and South America, and that those regions will soon vastly outnumber the Christian populations of their northern neighbors. Now Jenkins has produced a volume titled The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South (Oxford Univ. Press). In this book, he helps us better understand those believers in the Global South, and how their views and approach to scripture may change the church everywhere. He opens the book with an intriguing story: "In recent years, gatherings of the worldwide Anglican Communion have been contentious events. On one occasion, two bishops were participating in a Bible study, one an African Anglican, the other a U.S. Episcopalian. As the hours went by, tempers frayed as the African expressed his confidence in the clear words of scripture, while the American stressed the need to interpret the Bible in the light of modern scholarship and contemporary mores. Eventually, the African bishop asked in exasperation, 'If you don't believe the scripture, why did you bring it to us in the first place?'" (Click here to learn more about The New Faces of Christianity)
Atlanta & Memphis 'Preaching Truth' conferences coming soon A new series of Preaching Truth in a Whatever World events are planned for Fall 2006. These one-day preaching conferences explore strategies for effective biblical preaching in a postmodern world. Led by Preaching editor Michael Duduit and a variety of guest speakers, these conferences offer a valuable time of insight and refreshment for those who proclaim the Word. Preaching Truth conferences will be held in the following cities: Atlanta,
GA -- Sept 28 For more information or to register, call (800) 288-9673, or visit the website at www.preaching.com/truth
ILLUSTRATION: Culture, Influence You know the scene in the movies where the desperate young man crawls out onto the ledge of the building, preparing to end it all. The police are leaning out of a nearby window trying to talk the young man off the ledge, rescue workers are spreading out the nets below in an attempt to catch the young man if he does indeed jump. The media unloads their vans hoping to get the best shot as a crowd begins to gather in the streets . . . And then someone in the crowd yells up to the young man, "Jump." Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone intentionally encourage anyone to hurt themselves? I guess there are lots of reasons -- people feel badly about themselves so they try to build up their own lives by destroying the lives of others. There is an underlying current of despair in our culture, a deep anxiety that, in the end, nothing really matters. So, whether you jump off a building or give your life to feed the hungry -- in the end it's all pretty much the same. If you pay attention, our culture yells "jump" to us all of the time -- in countless ways. Our young people are encouraged to become sexually active before they are married. Why? Well, because everyone is doing it and it's just something that happens -- and everyone knows how destructive this kind of behavior is to our young people. Alcohol companies target college campuses. They want to encourage life long drinking even when we know the alcohol related accidents are the number one killer of young people. And those are just the obvious choices. I haven't said anything about how our culture worships money -- you can lie, steal, and cheat with open disdain and be celebrated as a tough and ruthless person of business. Can you hear them? Gathering in the street below and yelling "Jump!" This celebration of destruction and evil is the final proof of a culture that has abandoned God. When we as a people can no longer distinguish good from bad, right from wrong, up from down -- we are suffering the ultimate consequence of refusing to worship God. Our punishment is that we end up worshipping anything, aiming our lives toward our final destruction. (Mike Glenn, Brentwood Daily Devotional, 2-24-06)
ILLUSTRATION: Weakness, Struggle Mike Ruffin writes, "We shouldn't deny those places where God in his grace has wounded us, because it in those places that we can experience and see the grace of God. The music video based on Reba McIntryre's song "Is There Life Out There?" tells a story about a woman who had married young, had a few children, and then started wondering if she should be doing more -- so she went to college. "As the story unfolds, the woman struggles with balancing everything that she is trying to do. She is having conflicts with her husband and her children. An important paper is on her kitchen table and one of her children spills something on it. It's too late to do anything but turn the paper in. "When the professor returns the paper to her, he has given her a good grade, but he tells her, 'Next time, try to leave off the stains.' She replies, 'I learned more from the stains than I did from the paper.' God teaches us a lot through the stains. He shows his strength through our weakness."
ILLUSTRATION: Lord's Supper, Communion Sam O'Neal recalls the first time his entire family took communion together in a Baptist church where they were visiting: "After receiving the elements, we children tried our best to sit patiently and listen as the pastor described the meaning behind the ceremony. However, my younger brother always had a more difficult time sitting still, and so he began to play with his cube of bread. He rolled it around on his palm for a little bit, then tossed it back and forth between his hands. Soon, he started pinching it between his thumb and forefinger like a very small piece of Playdough. "It was about this time that the pastor began to read from 1 Corinthians 11: 'This is my body, broken for you.' He then explained how the bread was actually the body of Jesus, and that we were to partake of this body in order to remember his sacrifice on the cross. "My brother's face went white. He became very still. With a horrified expression, he held out his hand toward my mother. On top of it was a very thin, very flattened piece of Communion bread. Whispering fearfully, he told her, 'I . . . I squished him!' "My
brother's experience notwithstanding, I am afraid that many Christians
have become desensitized to the Communion experience."
ILLUSTRATION: Creation, Wife In Sunday School, they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, "Johnny what is the matter?" Little Johnny responded, "I have a pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."
Save
$100 if you register by October 1 The third International Congress on Preaching will be April 17-19, 2007, in Cambridge, England. The theme is "For Such a Time as This: Preaching Truth in an Age of Idolatry." In this historic setting you'll enjoy addresses, sermons and practical workshops led by a remarkable team of preachers and teachers, including David
Jeremiah and many more! Registration is now available at a big discount -- register by October 1 and save $100 off the normal rate. (Enough to buy a bunch of fish and chips!) To learn more visit the website at www.preaching.com/icop or call (800) 288-9673 (outside the US, call 615-312-4245.)
"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." (Henry Van Dyke)
ILLUSTRATION: Deadlines, Urgency Without realizing it, Bob walked right into a police stakeout at his local video rental store. When a young man stepped out the door, a group of officers pounced, cuffing him and hustling him into a squad car. Seeing Bob's astonished frozen expression, one cop came over and said, "When they say the movie is due by noon the next day . . . they mean it!"
"Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them." (J. I. Packer)
Insults with style "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." (Winston Churchill) "A modest little person, with much to be modest about." (Winston Churchill) "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." (Clarence Darrow) "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." (William Faulkner, about Ernest Hemingway) "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" (Ernest Hemingway, about William Faulkner) "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." (Moses Hadas) "He
can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I
know." (Abraham Lincoln) "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." (Mark Twain) "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." (Oscar Wilde) "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play. Bring a friend . . . if you have one." (George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill) "Cannot possibly attend first night. Will attend second . . . if there is one." (Winston Churchill, in reply)
And finally . . . Paul Lewis had the ultimate bad hair day. The Milford, CT man insists that the hairpiece he recently bought is the wrong color and wrong size, so he stopped payment on the check to Paula's Wig Boutique. And when Paula filed a small claims lawsuit to collect the $1200 tab, Paul claims he had a heart attack. Now he's filed a lawsuit against the wig shop for $15,000, according to a Sept. 15 AP story. Paul says he bought the toupee in a darkened room and didn't realize until later that it was the wrong size and color. Paula, on the other hand, says the store is well-lit and he bought it during the day. She insists "he was so happy with the hairpiece when he left the shop that he "hugged me and thanked me." Which just goes to show: hair today, gone tomorrow.
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