ahavafriend

Do you pick a candy bar based on its packaging or the taste of its contents? Do you eat the candy bar or just lick the wrapper? You will get some chocolate regardless of which you choose, but whether you end up just looking at it, sampling it, or consuming it depends on your approach? These are simply analogies to much of today’s “Biblical” preaching. When it comes to preachers and the Bible, there are vast differences in what they provide, regardless of what they promise. In my career as a “church shopper” I have come to realize that there are about four ways preachers can handle the Bible within the Evangelical world. I categorize the four approaches as follows:

1) The Life Coach – This is the kind that sees every text as a key to a better life. It focuses more on living in the 9-5 world and balancing the many responsibilities of family, work, finances, etc. There are phrases and statements in Scripture that are plucked from their branches and offered as savory bites of refreshing nourishment for the weary soul. The structure and content of this sermon is based on either common sense or popular self-help principles, including positive thinking, crisis management, and achieving your personal potential for success. These may not be contrary to Scriptural teachings on the surface (since integrity, hard work, peace, and kindness are valuable characteristics in making life productive and enjoyable), but ultimately are disconnected from their roots. Difficult issues and explicitly theological/doctrinal themes are pushed to the side. It’s not as much about having a Christian worldview as having Christian tools to use. Ultimately, this approach would be beneficial regardless if the audience member is a Christian or not. This is a very “Seeker Sensitive” approach. To put it another way, this is like “Duct Tape” Christianity; meaning you can use it to fix almost any problem (or even as fashion accessories nowadays). It’s very practical and comes in a variety of colors. All you need is one roll and you’ll be set for life!

2) The Painter – This sermon addresses things that are widely “Christian”, making broad strokes to paint a pretty picture of a generalized Christian worldview, but doesn’t necessarily connect it directly to any specific text. The preacher uses broad themes and principles of Christianity that many people already understand and doesn’t give many details beyond the chosen truth he’s attempting to expound. Common themes are forgiveness, authenticity, loving others, being light in a dark world, etc. Here, there are discussions of doctrinal/theological truths presented in simple, if not vague, terms more designed for elementary school age children than adults of the faith (i.e. “hell is a place where God is absent”). The sermons are filled with catchy truisms and quaint folk wisdom that serve as spiritual sugar highs (they give you a rush of energy and optimism, but fade quickly when the complexities of life confront those fed a constant diet of such sweetness). This method settles for simplistic (not simple) solutions and avoids the substance of the Christian faith that many conclude are just messy details. This approach can be identified by the conclusion “Good sermon, wrong text.” It may even be a lot like a Chinese buffet – you’ll leave feeling stuffed, only to be hungry again in an hour.

3) The Philosopher – This is the kind of preacher that uses the Bible as a book removed from reality (containing real characters and real lives and real lessons in a very real history) in order to mine its deeper, overarching meanings. There is a lens overlaid on the text that finds a similar truth under every verse. It is a complex truth that is supported by a “deeper” reading of the text. Sometimes I would characterize John Piper in this camp. He sees his “Christian Hedonism” in every jot and tittle – even if it’s a stretch. He presents this as a revolutionary insight to the depth of God’s wisdom revealed in His Word. Everything is connected to it. There is one nail that the hammer of every book pounds on, so to speak. This method can be seen in the preachers of the “Health and Wealth Gospel” as well. The problem is that in its claim of presenting a complex truth simplified, they are doing the exact opposite – presenting a simple (singular) truth complexly (as if something so profound would never have been uttered by Jesus in a single sermon or comment to his disciples, but rather has only been discovered by such a thorough framework constructed by a particular theologian/ preacher). This approach definitely appeals to slices of the Christian population, like one-issue politicians can appeal to a very energized base. But its greatest hazard is a lack of balance.

4) The Baker – I would illustrate this approach with the image of a bread baker. Ultimately, you want someone to smell the aroma and hunger for a taste in order to walk away fed and satisfied. This will draw them to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Yes, there are eggs and flour and yeast and salt (all the essential components). But you don’t want the people to eat the raw eggs or dry flour. You must present it as a complete product with every element in place. This approach takes a text and breaks it down into its key ingredients, including the cultural, historical, and grammatical elements. It balances the weight of these components on the primary truth of the text and allows them all to rest on and compound the force of that truth in order to persuade the hearers of the original intent of the text. It starts with the final product, the primary truth, and then slices it and presents the “recipe” in order to seduce the audience to partake. There are many preachers who find delight in the theological “dirty work” of preparing a sermon, so much so that they bring their floured aprons to the pulpit. They show with explicit detail and great passion every sing ingredient, but fail to actually bake the bread and let me smell it, let alone taste the warm, soft, fresh “essence of life” that this bread truly is.

There is insight that study will reveal. There is practical help that God offers for everyday living. There are sweet nuggets of giddy relevance in the Word. It is witty, true, concise, profound, and all the things that preachers want to be. I get the sense today that most preachers want the focus to be on them and how they are doing their “job” or inspiring “their” people or growing “their” church. However, the greatest sermon I have ever heard is one in which I completely forgot about the preacher because I was so consumed by the text. God fed me because the preacher broke the Bread of Life and stepped aside for me to partake (Thanks, Chris McGarvey). O that there would be many more “Bakers” in the Kingdom!