Pulpit Crimes

Pulpit Crimes by Dr. James R. White. I have only read the Introduction and the first chapter (since I am in his channel, I have also read many excerpts while he was writing it), but I had to Blog about it. If the rest of this book follows the first chapter, then this is a must have book by anyone who desires to hear about the nature and scope of preaching. Not only is this book theologically driven and Biblically sound, it is very relevant for today.

I have personally experienced Pulpit crimes many times as we all probably have. The first chapter speaks about the nature of preaching the cross of Christ. On page 17 Dr. White writes about those who wish to hide the offensiveness of the Gospel:

“Or, I can distrust that very message, and likewise the Spirit that promises to make it come alive in the hearts of God’s elect. I can choose instead to add my ‘assistance’ through the use of speech marked by human wisdom and insight. I can protest loudly that I have the greatest motives in doing so. I can argue that ‘the old ways just won’t work anymore.’”

At a Deacon retreat that I attended, a woman pastor (yes I know, another pulpit crime) spoke to my church’s deaconate board and used key phrases from the Emergent Church movement. At one point she stated that Sunday school classes would have to change from a “teacher lecturing, to a group discussion…the old ways just won’t work anymore.” What I wanted to tell this female pastor was that my church already reduces Sunday school to group therapy time (for some classes that is).

Just as a side note, I asked a pointed question so that all of the pastors and Deacons would see that what was being promoted was Emergent church. Everyone in the room apparently missed the meaning of my question. The only one intelligent enough to see I was fully aware of the deception of the things being taught was the female speaker herself. Ironic isn’t it? (It was very clear to me she was not happy I asked the question.)

Dr. White finishes the chapter with a discussion on the meaning of a successful and blessed church. So many churches (including my own) see success in numbers. The idea of even thinking theologically and Biblically about the means of how we are to reach the lost seems distant to many a mind.

There are Pulpit crimes on both the theologically Liberal side as well as the conservative and fundamentalist side. My brother Blogged about a pulpit crime committed against him as a child in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church (read here).

The chapter’s emphasis is about whether God’s chosen pastors will preach the foolishness of the cross. That he will do so without cleverness of speech or manipulation. That he will proclaim the stumbling block to the Jews and the foolishness to the Gentiles and trust that God will do a mighty work as He sees fit, either in the condemnation of sinners or the great salvation of the Saints.

Soli Deo Gloria