Vendetta Preaching

I am writing this not long after hearing a sermon about the marks of a Christian. It was a breakdown of what Christians should do and live by in order for people to see that they were Christians. A brief overview of it was that since only God sees the heart and man the outside then there must be something that can be done on the outside that will show people the presence of God on the inside. As soon as I heard that I thought, spot on lad, I like to call people lad every once in a while, you’ll get used to it. Two things happened after that throughout the course of the sermon that led to me writing this. The first was the preacher quoting other sources just as much as the bible and the second was the Vendetta.

Might as well be this guy doing the preaching with all the Vendetta's you got Mr. Preacher

First to the quoting of other sources. THE BIBLE IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY. I had to put that in caps because it is the only infallible word of God, all others may be looked at with scepticism but if what is said lines up with the whole bible, not just part of it, it must be true. I say the whole bible because a lot of preachers pull verses out of context and disfigure the truth. For example, Peter when confronted about being a follower of Jesus was, according to the sermon, recognized because of the way he spoke. This is true. Preacher guy went on to say, when he was confronted he tried to disprove them by beginning to curse, ergo believers should not curse. Both statements are true but that’s not what is gotten from the verse because the isolation of just that verse gives us a wrong understanding.

The correct way to phrase it in it’s context would be that Peter was recognized as follower of Jesus because of where he was from which was Galilee. A couple verses back he is actually asked the same. It could be argued that Peter’s cursing was for emphasis, swearing if you wish to call it. Disfiguring of the gospel in my example is the lite version of it but I think it stresses my point.

Verses without their context have as much use as this mess

In terms of quoting other sources, my problem lies in quoting other sources as often as you do the bible. This implies on some level put them on par with the bible, I don’t mind the occasional quote here and there but over reliance on other material is fundamentally wrong. The Bible is the foundation on which all preaching should be done, whether one on one or from a podium. The use of aids to help one understand but the aid must point one to the source not away from it. The aid must give one the reason to go to the source and either confirm or dive in for more.

The main thing that drove me up the wall was the vendetta preaching. Now this is across all denominations even my very own Baptists. Notice I have not mentioned the denomination of the preacher, not because it is obvious but because it is irrelevant, why you ask, because this happens across all denominations. Vendetta preaching is when a preacher targets a group of people or an action that he believes to be wrong but the “attack” is targeted at a pseudo-source and not the source/main problem. For example, if the preacher is preaching against homosexuality, the sermon should be about why homosexuality is a sin in Gods eyes and the redemption of the person found in it rather than the sermon being about how homosexuals are going to hell because they are sinning.

I firmly believe that as a Christian I am to hate the sin but love the sinner. This means that if I see that someone is living in sin I do not go head first into an accusation of the person and push to scare them into salvation but I am to tell them of the error of their ways in relation to it being displeasing to God. The vendetta preacher will speak against the use of makeup and jewellery amongst women, the loving preacher will speak about how beauty is not found in excessive outer adornment but a right relationship with God. The vendetta preacher will speak against the taking of alcohol and getting drunk, the loving preacher will speak of how true satisfaction is found in knowing God through the forgiveness of sins.

Loving the sinner but hating the sin must come together or else no help will be rendered

It must be said that there is a thin line between preaching and vendetta preaching and that is why it is a cross denominational issue. They both speak against sin except the source of the sin is where they part ways. The main problem with vendetta preaching is that it guides the sermon. Anyone who has ever been angry with someone else knows that no matter what the person does, you just see the wrong in it. You will see something wrong in any action however mundane. You will grasp at something as small as leaving the toilet seat up/down and the next world war will begin.

The world is out there looking for answers and if as a Christian you have them, is it not an injustice to them to focus on the wrong issues. So what if I eat pork, So what if I have a tattoo, So what if I listen to hip hop music, So what if I sag my pants, So what if I drink alcohol. These questions are not answered by an endless barrage of vendetta messages against them. They are answered by an endless barrage of messages addressing sin in relation to them with the bible as the foundation.

The truth is hard but it must be taught with love not with a vendetta

The message of the bible at heart is man’s reconciliation to God, back to front, front to back, in part or in whole you can’t miss it. The question is what does the bible have to say about my situation in relation to my reconciliation and if you are a Christian how does my situation get affected by my reconciliation to God. These two questions should be asked about all aspects of life, using the bible as foundation whether the situation be what should my attitude be towards school right down to what do I do with my free time