MORE IGNORANCE GONE TO SEED — IN THE WORST PLACE
Democrats, AKA Marxicrats, seem to stay busy pooling their ignorance and trying to peddle and push it off on everybody they can. In a recent post I noted that these people and their policies present a perfect picture of what was once commonly referred to as “Ignorance gone to seed.” “Ignorance gone to seed” is found commonly among politicians today, and that’s tragic. But it is indescribably tragic when it is manifested by preachers.
Preachers should be especially careful that what they say is Scriptural and sound, and that it doesn’t fall into the category of “Ignorance gone to seed.” What they say on some subjects may be said with an air of authority and bluster, but it still may constitute nothing more than a crackpot opinion that’s been generated in an undisciplined mind and allowed expression through an undisciplined mouth. One area where this is seen concerns the place that politics has in the pulpit. A case in point concerns the pastor of a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church in Richmond, Virginia and his pontifications relative to whether or not pastors should address anything from their pulpits that could be interpreted as being political. Here’s what this pastor, quoted in a Wall Street Journal article, said:
“Practically speaking, churches with any diversity in the congregation need
to stay away from this business—it’s just dangerous to church fellowship,”
said Daniel Glaze, a pastor at River Road Church, “Building a church
is hard enough these days. This is adding a whole ‘nother can of worms.”
Should preachers address anything from their pulpits that might be considered by someone outside their pulpit to be of a political nature? Once considered a non-issue, this has become a new issue today. The answer is, that biblically and historically it can be categorically proven that preachers have a solemn duty before God and man to address any and all matters that pertain to sin and righteousness. And, this includes politics. The Bible is replete, with examples of preachers, under divine direction, who addressed rulers and the rank and file population of a nation about governmental affairs, social mores and the culture in general.
The Pastor revealed a lot of “ignorance gone to seed” in his statement to the Wall Street Journal interviewer. As a man of God he should have been more concerned with speaking biblically than with speaking “practically” according to his own humanistic idea of what constituted practicality or expedience. By what authority does he admonish other preachers “to stay away from this business” based on the possibility of their being “any diversity in the congregation”? There’s all kinds of diversity in a church. There’s all kinds of “diversity” where sin and lost sinners are concerned. If a preacher is going to shy away from preaching because of the diversity of opinion or lifestyle that may exist in a congregation, he’s not going to be able to do much preaching. And, what kind of “fellowship” would be endangered by Holy Spirit, biblically precedented preaching of the truth regarding any subject? Furthermore, his concern that “Building a church is hard enough these days” is misplaced. Jesus has made it plain that He is building His church (Matt. 16:18). A preacher’s focus is to keep himself faithful to truth (1 Cor. 4:1, 2).
Preachers shouldn’t, but they can, make a hobbyhorse of certain subjects if they follow the dictates of their flesh instead of the directions of the Holy Spirit. Hobbyhorse preaching occurs when preachers are overcome by their own interest in or fascination with a subject. This might involve an incessant over-emphasis on soul winning, prophesy, politics or any number of other things. But the fact remains that the Bible is replete with examples of preachers, under divine direction, who addressed rulers and the rank and file population of nations about governmental affairs, social mores and the culture in general.
The real question isn’t whether or not preachers should address things that others might consider to be of a political nature. Of course they should. The real question concerns whether or not they are following the direction of the Holy Spirit when they do it.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
—John 8:32