Preachers preaching the whole counsel of God

In a May 2008 article in Your Church magazine, 55 percent of pastors asked reported they can identify one or more topics on which they would not preach at all or only sparingly, because the sermon could negatively affect their hearers' willingness to attend church in the future. What? Are you kidding me? What happened to the man of God with a backbone of steel unafraid to say, "Thus sayeth the Lord!"

Among the topics these "men of God" would preach sparingly include:
• Politics (38%) – God’s people Israel might still be worshipping Baal if Elijah had been afraid to preach on politics.

• Homosexuality (23%) – to avoid this we must ignore Genesis 1-3, Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, Ephesians 5-6, 1 Timothy 1:9-10 … well you get the idea.

• Abortion (18%) – we as preachers must affirm the sanctity of life. Proverbs 6:16-19 says there are “six things God hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him” and the third thing listed is “hands that shed innocent blood.” I ask you what is more innocent than a child in the safety of its mother’s womb? If we don’t speak out for the unborn who will?

• Same-sex marriage (17%) – the entirety of scripture affirms the home and establishes it between a man and a woman. How can these preachers look in the mirror if they are not willing to preach the counsel of God? The home between a man and woman did not originate in the heart and mind of man but in the heart and mind of God. God has uniquely made man and woman so that they might complement one another as they serve Him together.

• War (17%) – Romans 13 clearly affirms what we would refer to as a “just war.” Now I’m not saying that all wars are “just” but rather that scripture affirms there is a time for government to wage war as instruments of God and good.

• Women's role in church and home (13%) – I know Southern Baptists are viewed as Neanderthals when we affirm the biblical teachings 1 Timothy 3 and state that the offices of ministers and deacons God established for men. All other jobs in the church women do and do well. But for whatever reason God stated these two positions are to be held by men who are called to be spiritual leaders in their homes and the church. Now I know that some of my more liberal friends would point to Romans 16:1 and state that the Greek word for deacon is used in reference to Phoebe. While the word is used there are a few problems with saying Phoebe was a deacon. First, the word primarily means servant so Romans 16:1 could be translated that Phoebe was a servant of the Lord. Second, to use this text to prove she served as a deacon goes against the teachings of 1 Timothy 3 and scripture does not contradict scripture. Third, Romans 15:8 uses the same Greek word for deacon in reference to Jesus. So if we are going to say that Romans 16:1 proves Phoebe was a deacon, to be consistent we must say that Romans 15:8 proves Jesus was a deacon as well.

• The doctrine of election (13%) – I have a sneaky suspicion that those who would not preach on the doctrine of election lean toward a Calvinistic view of election and know that the masses in the church would not affirm that position so they “steer clear”.

• Hell (7%) – Jesus taught more on hell than He did heaven because He wanted us to understand the reality and terribleness of hell. Everyday thousands head to an eternity in hell separated from a God who loves them forever. How can we remain silent?

• Money (3%) – of all of these topics I guess this one surprises me the least. Nothing likely gets a preacher in more trouble than preaching on money. But I have found it’s those who are not practicing Christian stewardship that complain. After all as my adopted grandmother used to say while I was in college, “Son, when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one who yipes is the one who got hit.”

These are just my thoughts. What do you think? Are there topics preachers should avoid? Are there topics that we need to address even more?

Tom