Hellfire and Brimstone preaching............

[Tater77]

As the title says, what do you guys and gals think about "hellfire and brimstone" sermons.

It needs to be done here and there. But I'm talking about when its done all the time. Growing up in 'southern' Baptist churches it seemed like every sermon always turned into this no matter what the original topic was.

Even a typical Easter or Christmas sermon would stick to the topic for maybe 10 minutes then change to the 134,573,452 ways to go to Hell.

I guess for me its just overload, when you hear the same things over and over and over again. No matter what the sermons about when I would hear the word hell I would zone out and start reading something else or just plain veg out.


So whats everyone opinion on 'hard preaching'

Needed every sermon?

Needed often but not all the time?

Needed some?

Needed little to none?

 

[Dale-c]

Ranting is never needed.
Most of what you are talking about sounds like ranting to me.

This is my idea of a good form of preaching:

http://www.edgewoodbaptistchurch.net/sermons?sermon_id=59

 

[Dale-c]

I should add that I never was in a church where there was hellfire type preaching all the time but I was around it at special meeting etc a lot.

 

[matt wade]

When I think of "Hellfire and Brimstone" preaching, I think of a guy yelling and screaming and wiping spittle from his mouth with a handkerchief. I don't like that kind of preaching, and think it is unnecessary.

Talking about hell, however, is very necessary. One needs to understand the punishment they they are condemned to in order to appreciate the free gift of salvation and be able to receive it. Without knowledge of sin and the penalty for sin, you can't understand the need for someone to save you from that.

 

[Dale-c]

well said Matt.

to put it another way, without the preaching of the law and the consequences for breaking it, there is no good news, there is no gospel.

Why do you need good news if there is no bad news?

Hellfire and brimstone though seems to be the focus on the punishment, rather than even on the sin directly and not usually on the gospel either.

 

[tinytim]

What do you do when a person walks up to you and says, "I really liked your sermon, I always like sermons on Hell."...???

The sermons are needed, but not all the time, we shouldn't camp out in Hell to drive home the point.

The church needs a well balanced diet... If not they will develop heart burn...


get it...

Heart burn!


oh.. ok.. i'll stop.


Seriously, Just like with everything else.. if we hear it over and over again, it loses it's effectiveness.... for instance look at the cross...

Does the cross effect you the same way it used too?
It should, but have we as Christians that have been raised in church look at the cross daily and does it break our hearts.. the way it did when you were first saved?

 

[Tom Butler]

In the southern culture in which I grew up, hellfire and brimstone preaching was less about hell than about the preaching style.

 

[rbell]

Well, Jesus preached on hell...figured I should too.

But I doubt Jesus preached as if He enjoyed the fact that people are heading there...nor should I.

I ask for forgiveness for what I'm about to do, but I cannot help myself:

 

[SBCPreacher]

Well, Jesus preached on hell...figured I should too.

But I doubt Jesus preached as if He enjoyed the fact that people are heading there...nor should I.

I ask for forgiveness for what I'm about to do, but I cannot help myself:

Now, that's funny.

 

[donnA]

isn't there a verse that says preaching/teaching is for equiping of the saints for the work of the gospel? preaching/teaching is supose to be to build up, encourage, teach christians. hell fire and brimstone preaching doesn't do it. plus no one likes to get yelled at by a guy spitting at them, jumping around, smacking his bible or throwing it in the floor, automatic turn off to anything they say, if they even hear anything he says because of the yelling and spitting. These guys are rarely bible anyway.
Is a more gnelte attitude, actually reading and teaching scriptural truths more like it's supose to be done, so people can actually learn. Doesn't mean a preacher shouldn't preach about sin and hell, but do it a little better then this.

 

[Revmitchell]

If the preacher does not preach on hell with a broken heart his credibility gets shot. If the preacher does not preach on heaven with great joy his credibility gets shot. If the preacher does not preach on sin and the condition of man without a Savior with great anguish his credibility gets shot. If the preacher does not preach the cross with with a sense of shame his credibility is shot. And if the preacher does not preach on the resurrection with all joy and great excitement his credibility is shot.

 

[donnA]

I'd agree with that, but without yelling, spitting, jumping, and smacking the bible or anything else. To me theres noreal emotion in that other then working himself up, but none of the things you've named.

 

[thegospelgeek]

I feel a preacher needs to preach what God has give him to preach in the style that God leads him to preach in. If it's hellfire and brimstone and yells, shouts, runs, etc that's OK if it's real. If he preaches on love and is quiet and soft spoken, that's OK too, as long as it's what God has for him. Style doesn't matter either way.

The question should be, "Does God give the preacher the same message every week?"

 

[preachinjesus]

Yeah, you've got to preach as God has gifted you. I completely agree with that.

I'm not a big fan of this style. Its a bit too over the top for me. But it has its place. So long as the preacher is rooted in the Bible and this isn't an excuse for yelling at people I'm fine with it.

It is hard to understand why some people try to do this when it isn't their natural speaking style. I'm a laid back, teaching style communicator. I don't like to raise my voice...ever.

I didn't grow up in a church that did this, our pastor was more a Dr. Stanley style communicator, but we would have occassional passers-through that would speak in this style. Its good every now and then I suppose.

 

[donnA]

it isn't anyone natural speaking style, how many of these preachers go around speaking like this day to day? It isn't their natural speaking then. Isn't it best when preaching the gospel the make sure people can understand what you say? Because this kind of preaching very few can understand it, and none can understand it all.
If people like getting yelled at and spit on, go ahead, but not me. I think yelling at people and spitting on them are rude and uncalled for, by anyone in any circumstance. I don't know about anyoen else but my mama taught me not to spit on people a long time ago.

 

[tinytim]

I've seen a preacher lose a vote for pastor because he tried to be something he wasn't...

One time a preacher tried out for pastor in our home church.. I LOVED HIM... Man, he could exegete!... but the old timers were used to spittle, and this guy didn't produce it...

The vote was coming, and a fellow pulled him to the side and said that unless he turns it up a notch he would not have the support of the old-timers...

Come Sunday.. he was ALL OVER the church... Jumpin, standing in pews.. shouting, hollaring.. and spittin!

It was like watching a whole different man!

He lost my vote. And when the vote was taken.. he lost the bid for the pastor...

IF he would have just been who God created him to be.. He would have gotten it for pastor.

Yeah, you've got to preach as God has gifted you. I completely agree with that.

I'm not a big fan of this style. Its a bit too over the top for me. But it has its place. So long as the preacher is rooted in the Bible and this isn't an excuse for yelling at people I'm fine with it.

It is hard to understand why some people try to do this when it isn't their natural speaking style. I'm a laid back, teaching style communicator. I don't like to raise my voice...ever.

I didn't grow up in a church that did this, our pastor was more a Dr. Stanley style communicator, but we would have occassional passers-through that would speak in this style. Its good every now and then I suppose.

 

[Revmitchell]

it isn't anyone natural speaking style, how many of these preachers go around speaking like this day to day? It isn't their natural speaking then. Isn't it best when preaching the gospel the make sure people can understand what you say? Because this kind of preaching very few can understand it, and none can understand it all.
If people like getting yelled at and spit on, go ahead, but not me. I think yelling at people and spitting on them are rude and uncalled for, by anyone in any circumstance. I don't know about anyoen else but my mama taught me not to spit on people a long time ago.

I see a lot of this on TV. People seem to like it. I see it as over the top most often and more of a show than a sermon. Spurgeon once wisely said you can either show them yourself or you can show them Christ, but you can never show them both.

 

[Tom Butler]

I'd agree with that, but without yelling, spitting, jumping, and smacking the bible or anything else. To me theres no real emotion in that other then working himself up, but none of the things you've named.

One of my former pastors was from the North Carolina mountains, and he said the type of preaching you described was lapped up by the folks there. They loved it.

 

[webdog]

I thank God for he spitting, red faced yelling pastors...I was saved listening to one. I think for each person, God knows what they need to hear, and growing up in a "Leave it to Beaver" home, was just the sermon I needed to hear. Now, the person that was physically or sexually abused probably needs to hear about God's immense love, and the emphasis placed there.

 

[Jedi Knight]

Spurgeon said he would "rather scare someone in to Heaven rather than lull them into Hell." I see Joe Osteen only wants to serve desert only than the full meal deal. Balance is the key but some are called and gifted "evangelist"and have their guns loaded and ready to fire. Jesus said "I didn't come to bring peace,but a sword." You have to sometimes put the fear of God in them so they realize they need a remedy to find peace with God. The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom. John MacArthur said once"soft preaching produces hard hearts."