What Preachers Won't Preach About

[stilllearning]

A friend told me about this.......
As reported in an article in Your Church magazine, 55 percent of pastors can identify one or more topics on which they would not preach at all or only sparingly, because the sermon could negatively affect their hearers' willingness to attend church in the future.

Among them are:
Politics - 38 percent
Homosexuality - 23 percent
Abortion - 18 percent
Same-sex marriage - 17 percent
War - 17 percent
Women's role in church and home - 13 percent
The doctrine of election - 13 percent
Hell - 7 percent
Money - 3 percent”

http://www.sermoncentral.com/pastor...dium=email&utm_campaign=BetterPreachingUpdate

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I think the real problem is, “preachers deciding what to preach” in the first place.

God’s man should preach God’s message; and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

IMO, these are the things they should be talking about. The tough subjects!

 

[JesusFan]

IMO, these are the things they should be talking about. The tough subjects!

Amen!

Just as long as they preach boldly and teach about 'spiritual" issues first!

be the Church, balanced, not "just" social club!

bring God word into ALL things daily faced in this World!

 

[preacher4truth]

How about unwed couples "living together?"

 

[JesusFan]

How about unwed couples "living together?"

reminds me of the time while in college that 2 Christian students living "in sin" said they both know Lord accepted their relationship, as both would confess and pray together in Tongues to God, and felt His love...

they were recently saved, Youth pastor show them that God expected the med to be undefiled!

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Why would anyone preach politics in the pulpit?

 

[JesusFan]

Why would anyone preach politics in the pulpit?

Well...

just ask the OT prophets , as they seem to have a lot to say about that from Gods viewpoint!

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Well...

just ask the OT prophets , as they seem to have a lot to say about that from Gods viewpoint!

They dealt with God's nation and God's people. No nation can claim that right today.

Far too many hours are spent dealing with politics in the pulpit. Let's just preach the word and let that affect people's votes.

 

[JesusFan]

They dealt with God's nation and God's people. No nation can claim that right today.

Far too many hours are spent dealing with politics in the pulpit. Let's just preach the word and let that affect people's votes.

Agree totally with you on this, just saying does NOT have to be seen as either/or though!

need to preach Christ and the doctrines primarily, but also need to bring light into the World system, by bringing Bible perspective into World politics/religions/ etc!

 

[glfredrick]

Would you like for me to post video links to sermons preached in our church on those issues? :laugh:

But, I agree, in many a smaller church, with a single pastor and no or little staff, preaching on divisive issues like that would probably mean a pastor change in short order. That, and in many congregations, most in the congregation would never admit to any of those issues being a problem in their congregation, so why bring up those "worldly" topics (even though they are ensconced solidly in the Word of God!).

 

[Tom Bryant]

I have preached on all those topics during my time here, but they are preached on as we go expositionally through a book of the Bible.

We don't do partisan political issues, but in going thru Romans, for example, you have to preach about a believer's responsibility to the country in which they live from Romans 13.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

We don't do partisan political issues, but in going thru Romans, for example, you have to preach about a believer's responsibility to the country in which they live from Romans 13.

Excellent - and the requirement in other places to pray for our leaders, to honour them, and not speak evil of them.

But that's not politics - that just Bible.

 

[percho]

I would say much, that is much of the word of God is a contrast of the government of God to the government of man. Just what is this kingdom of God that Jesus preached? Is it a government? All the prophecy that will say in that day, at that time that relates to how man lives. Government? Law written in the mind and heart. Government? Politics?

Think on this for a moment. Did God give laws and rules just because he wanted to be in charge and he could give them?

Do you think the world would be greatly different for the good if say the earth had, had her sabbath every seventh year?

Man's problem is he doesn't believe or trust God.

 

[Tom Bryant]

I would say much, that is much of the word of God is a contrast of the government of God to the government of man. Just what is this kingdom of God that Jesus preached? Is it a government? All the prophecy that will say in that day, at that time that relates to how man lives. Government? Law written in the mind and heart. Government? Politics?

Think on this for a moment. Did God give laws and rules just because he wanted to be in charge and he could give them?

Do you think the world would be greatly different for the good if say the earth had, had her sabbath every seventh year?

Man's problem is he doesn't believe or trust God.

While I would agree that man's problem is that he doesn't believe or trust God, the laws such as the sabbath for the earth were given to an earthly kingdom (Israel) and not for us.

I look forward to the time when God's kingdom will truly be on earth, but it seems that every time men have tried to establish God's kingdom on earth it was always a failure, because man can't keep God's laws whether for gov't or anything else for that matter.

 

[glfredrick]

I did a bit of web research before the last presidential election to see if it was possible to track the two parties and their involvement in churches.

As it turns out, the Democrat Party and their candidates (all categories) were mentioned about 20 or more times as often as speaking in some church, particularly on Sunday morning before the regular congregation, as opposed to a special event for the purpose of allowing a candidate to speak apart from normal church activities than were the Republicans. I also followed up with that search and looked back to the prior election (George W. Bush and John Kerry) and it was even more evident that the Democrats were using the pulpit while the news media was worrying about the Republicans and the "religious right."

That was a very curious response, especially in light of the fact that the liberal media was focused heavily (as has always been the case) with the "religious right" and their effect on the campaign (or lack thereof). One would think, from all the media pressure, that the Republicans were using the pulpit as a platform, but it seems that the Republicans shied away from the pulpit at almost all cost while the Democrats seized the opportunity to sway entire congregations, especially in large urban churches.

The one Republican that was most apt to come up in an article about candidates and church activity was Mike Huckabee, who is, of course, an ordained Baptist pastor and who has every right to preach before a congregation on any given Sunday, but even his references were sparse compared to the number of times that other Democrat candidates were in churches.


In our church, when the topic is politics, it is rarely ever partisan, much to the dismay of either of the two party's adherents. Our church staff does not take a position and our church is all over the map concerning political support, which is to be expected when there are so many young and newly born believers that come out of such an urban and eclectic background.

Our stance is what someone above mentioned -- that God and the gospel are more powerful than politics -- and if the gospel is both preached and lived, politics will fall into place according to God's design. Also accepted is that we should each participate in the political system as the law allows, and as our Founding Fathers encouraged when they made this a nation of, by, and for the people.

 

[mandym]

Excellent - and the requirement in other places to pray for our leaders, to honour them, and not speak evil of them.

Unless it is George Bush

 

[sag38]

Preaching through books of the Bible better allows God's word to set the agenda rather than the preacher setting it. Doing so I have addressed some very hard issues and it was hard but at least I could not be accused of bringing an agenda to the pulpit.

 

[Crucified in Christ]

They dealt with God's nation and God's people. No nation can claim that right today.

With all due respect, I cannot agree with what you are saying here. Every nation must answer to the Creator...is this not the Message of the Potter's house? God raises nations up and brings them low according to His sovereign will. According to Jeremiah, all nations follow this cycle based on God's estimation of their evil and their response to His message of repentence. If this is true, than all nations had better listen to the message of the prophets.

Far too many hours are spent dealing with politics in the pulpit. Let's just preach the word and let that affect people's votes.

Here we are very much in agreement. We are not to endorse pliticians or parties, but we are to preach the word when it deals with social, economic and political issues. To some on the right, when you preach Isaiah's message about God's care that the poor are fairly treated, you are being political. To some on the left, when you preach that Paul said if you are able to work and will not, you are not to be fed, you are being political.

 

[J.D.]

Why can't a preacher endorse a candidate or a political party?

 

[glfredrick]

Why can't a preacher endorse a candidate or a political party?

Because it is against the law in America... Really.