'Best Practices' for Bible Teachers (Part II)
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News
Listening and Learning
vs.
Listening, Learning and Doing
When you were a child, did your teacher ever have the class sit in a circle around the room and then whisper a statement in the first child's ear and have that child whisper it to the person sitting next to them and continue this process until the last person told the class the statement that was just whispered in his ear? If so, you'll remember that the last person was surprised that his statement caused some giggles from some of the earlier classmates in the circle, and when the teacher had the first child repeat what she told him or her, then everyone got a big laugh because what the last person heard and repeated was not close to the original statement.
Something similar has been happening to the messages from our pulpits during the last 300 or so years. "Best Practices" for Bible Teachers "repeats" the original approach to the pulpit by the Protestant Reformers, (Puritans), and to some readers this "original approach" may sound so innovative that they will be tempted to dismiss it. The truth, however, is that what will be discussed in this series is completely old and proven. Indeed, it was this original way of pastors communicating with their members that helped to "Christianize" Western civilization. Unfortunately, pastors have gradually wandered far from the Puritan pulpit model, and as a result, the once solid Christian cultural principles of the West have been replaced by the pluralistic principles from every form of religion except Christianity. *
Since only God's Word is truth, it is only on the pages of His revealed and absolute truth that we find the correct ways to live and govern ourselves. And since He created an orderly universe, we see throughout the Bible that He blesses individuals and civilizations that are faithful to live according to His truths, and curses individuals and civilizations who consistently disobey them. Puritan pastors recognized that God used this process to rule over His creation and they approached their pulpits with what might be called a "Listening, Learning and Doing" paradigm. While their sermons were true to God's Word, they were also rich with a variety of practical examples of how to incorporate the biblical truths in each sermon into their world and life view for the week ahead. This resulted in their members coming to each sermon with the attitude of learning how to be a more consistent and faithful servant in Christ's Kingdom.
When the attitude of the typical Christian of the 17th century is compared to the attitude of current Christians, we can only conclude that there has been a colossal failure of American pastors in communicating to their members what exactly is required in living the Christian life. In some cases this failure has been intentional, as with the church growth advocates who imagine that the reason people attend their worship services is to be entertained. In other cases, this failure to communicate has come about unintentionally by pastors who sincerely want to serve God and their congregation by presenting an accurate biblical exegesis in their sermons, but neglect to explain how to incorporate it into one's lifestyle. Over the years this zeal to make certain that their members are correctly informed has resulted in a "Listening and Learning" paradigm among Christians, whereby they judge the value of a church according to how solid its teaching is. They are correct in concluding that the church-growth, entertainment-oriented churches are not biblical, and we can all praise God for providing churches that present solid, Christian teaching. However, as the 19th century American humorist, Mark Twain, states: "Actions speak louder than words," and many of these "good guy" pastors are neither teaching, nor encouraging 21st century Christians to live-out our faith by applying our knowledge of God to our daily actions.
As an ambassador of Christ, your listeners trust you to teach them about themselves (God's law), and to teach them how to repent and live so that they will bring honor to Christ in all they think, say and do (the Gospel). It is your duty to "take heed of your flock and to feed it,"[1] by paying close attention to their conduct and then
"warning those who are unruly,
comforting the fainthearted,
upholding the weak, [and]
being patient with all." 1 Thessalonians 5.14
The information and suggestions in "Best Practices for Bible Teachers is directed to this latter group of pastors, whom I'll refer to as the "good guys." These men are God-fearing and recognize they have been called by God to shepherd their congregation. The self-called, coin-operated preachers in the former group who fear their members' will more than they fear God's will are not my concern. This is not to say that the men (and women!) who are leading these moralistic social clubs don't need help, but unless and until they recognize their need of repenting, they will care less about any of the Bible-based truths discussed in this series. In one sense, these "bad guys" are in a similar position to many of our Christian brothers and sisters who faithfully attend the churches of the "good guys," in that they are assuming the current preaching paradigm with which they have grown up is correct, and therefore have no reason to question it, much less to change it.
Meanwhile, Christians in the "good guys" churches grow more and more frustrated that our culture continues to disintegrate while they learn more and more about God. Since they are not intentionally and explicitly instructed in how to incorporate the biblical truths in the sermons into their worldview and lifestyle, they do not recognize that the reason our culture is deteriorating is that we are not following God's revealed prescriptions to correct it! Sadly, the implication coming from most of the "good guys" pulpits is that God's Word is only worth thinking about. All the while, non-Christians continue to take ground in the culture war by default, because precious few pastors are urging their members to get themselves and their biblical doctrine off their couches and into the daily market place of ideas. While Christians continue to passively store up knowledge about God, non-Christians continue to actively de-Christianize more and more areas of our culture by actively applying their non-Christian ideas.
In the midst of this spiritual and mental malaise, well-intentioned pastors are apparently content to leave the application of the biblical truths they teach to para-church organizations, and/or to political action groups. This post-Puritan preaching paradigm of providing sound biblical exegesis, without also including practical ideas on how to incorporate biblical truths into their members' worldview and lifestyle has resulted in a pietistic paralyses of well-intentioned members, as far as knowing how to live-out their faith.
Note:
[1] Acts 20:28
* These teaching principles and concepts are addressed primarily to pastors, since they are our primary Bible teachers. However, they also apply to anyone, on any level, who is teaching the Bible.
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making.