Since I stand

in the pulpit week after week, I think I can say a few things about the

pulpiteer. For your sake of identification, that's the man (or woman)

who stands in front on Sunday morning and either bores you to sleep or

barrels down on you unto an awakening.

Pulpiteers

today, standing in their pulpits, are in a serious hubbub of confusion.

With staggering budgets to support, they dare not tamper with the flow

of giving. Many preachers, in fact, have just decided to go with the flow

in the direction of man's ultimate desire: money.

Yes, I like

money like the next guy. But, the acquisition of money is not the telling

sign of faith. According to Hebrews 11, the sign of faith was "hanging

in there" even if it meant literally hanging for your faith sorta'

like the founder himself, Jesus of Nazareth.

But what do

people want to hear? They want to hear that greed is good and the love

of money is not the root of all evil. So, that's what many pulpits are

giving the gathered crowds.

But, there

is even more confusion in the pulpit. Thousands of preachers have adopted

the style of a few preachers and every Sunday tell their congregations

"how." "How to get up in the morning." Or, "How

to build a great family." Or, "How to live a prosperous life."

Not that I have not preached my share of "how" sermons, but

I deeply feel there is more to say that five ways to avoid emotional hiccups.

"How"

sermons often skip over the biggest points and they are sorrowful repentance

and unfailing faith. "How" sermons tend to overlook the place

of God in the wholeness and healing process. Many people's "how"

is an awesome deliverance from a mighty God.

"How"

sermons also promulgate the proof-text style of preparation. If I have

to come up with five "hows" to an abundant life, then I will

have to track down at least five choice Bible verses which will support

my five theses. In preacher talk, this is called a "context in search

of a text." The verses may be totally unrelated.

Many preachers

have gone so far as to mistake "how" preaching with the discipleship

of their people. I believe discipleship happens when we as preachers equip

our people to understand Godly values and truths that come from specific

texts. Because of the predominance of "how" sermons, we are

raising a whole generation who have never heard the story of Daniel in

the lion's den or Joseph and his dreams or Paul and the road to Damascus.

For the last

several months, I have been taking our people on a study of the early

church as presented in the Book of Acts. No "how" sermon could

ever be as powerful, church-changing as this journey through Acts, verse

Let me challenge

you to start listening to the prejudices of your preacher. Whose sermons

is he preaching? Is it a "how" sermon every week? Or, does he

plow into a Biblical text and let the chips fall where they may?

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor

of River's Edge

Community Church in Fayetteville.

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