12.03.2007

Sermon Stupidity

Yesterday I had the privilege of sitting in the choir behind a professor from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary while he preached on Philippians 4:6-7. His basic message: We should not worry, because worry is a sin. So to keep from the sin of worry, one should first remember that God said not to, and then one should pray using the three modes listed in the verse and making sure of course that you're praying God's will. That way, we avoid missing out on salvation ("there are some people in Hell who are there because they couldn't respond to the Word because they were worried about a roast burning at home"), and we avoid the worst damage a Christian can do to the Church's witness (his exact words).

This is a school of preaching that makes one wonder if the preacher has actually lived with human beings, or understands that there is more than one mode in Scripture than command, or is to dense to understand that telling a congregation that they could end up in Hell for worrying is hardly the way to encourage them not to worry!

I could go on, but suffice it to say that it was undoubtedly the worst sermon I've sat through in years. W's comment: and this is a man teaching others at a seminary. Geez.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh my son, I could have warned you about this but felt it better to let things develop as they may. How sad that there is so much of this kind of faulty exegesis coming from otherwise normal human beings. I understand your frustration and feel your pain. Remember that just because a man stands behind a pulpit does not mean he has a word from God. May God give you the grace to forgive such things and help others to see truth and real faith. How sad that such a preacher is teaching others! So sad! Sorry about that!