Opus 2013-372: On Preachers and Judges

What do preachers and judges have in common?

Alistair Begg got my juices going with some comments on preachers.  He observed that many pulpits today are filled with preachers who are up there to tell people what they want to tell rather than what God has to say.  It is very easy to fall into that trap.  When I was preaching weekly it was very easy to start off with something that was on my mind, some pet peeve, and look for verses that backed what I wanted to say.  I am glad to report that usually the Holy Spirit was on the job and got me back to the word as my source, but the temptation and tendency was always there. 

Another pressures is to say what you think people want to hear.  That was never my problem  but I know how often it happens.  The pressure to pipe down or speak in a “seeker friendly” way is real.  I still laugh about the guy who said that the pastor’s sermons made him feel like a sinner.  He was complaining when he should have been complementing. 

Both of these tendencies are paralleled by our judges today.  We have activist judges who want to ignore the words and meaning of the Constitution and substitute their own opinions and preferences.  They really don’t care what 2000 years of law and wisdom has said.  They know better.  We are seeing this in regard to marriage and the right to bear arms. 

In other cases we see where people who were thought to be solid in their opinions and values stab us in the back with strange decisions like chief justice Roberts has done.  They seem to want people to like them rather than respect the law. 

In both cases the people compromising have a low view of the documents.  The errant preachers ignore the Bible.  The ego-centric judges seem to forget that there is a Constitution.  In both cases our culture and society receive body blows that are doing untold damage.

Pray for revival.  Vote for change.  Speak up for survival.

homo unius libri