Foolishness of Preaching or Preaching of Foolishness?
1 Corinthians 1:21
For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.
I have to say that I do miss teaching an attentive group of people who
simply want to know the truth of the matters placed before them.
Alas...it is what it is. In my earlier years I gave many a sincere sermon
that now makes me cringe knowing the information was less than accurate and the
truth of it all was less than true. But it's a journey, at least for me,
and the key is not in what one used to preach or teach but what one has learned
through the years and the personal growth in "grace and knowledge"
one has actually accomplished in life. "Growing in grace and
knowledge" is not actually one of the positive traits of most
churches most of us know. Grace is only extended when not really needed
or just needed for the self and knowledge....well forget that.
Ministers surely do say some incredibly stupid things in the name of
preaching. I suppose this could be easily illustrated by the last three
years of sermons given by Ronald Weinland, but I spare us. This should
end or get substantially worse in the next few weeks.
I was never personally comfortable giving sermons on such things as The
Place of Safety, British Israelism and tithing. The first two seemed
irrelevant to actual religious belief in the real world and all of the NT
message, and I hated reminded people of what we already knew. It takes
money to do "the Work." I don't recall many times where those
over me reminded the brethren to give as they were able.
The concept of the Place of Safety was not only annoying but at times
terrifying when I thought of how few thought HWA would die before the
time. I always hoped he would so that would end the idea of "HWA
says it's time to flee." Most of you know that the visits of Gerald
Waterhouse , to me, were exercises in the exact art of preaching
foolishness. I felt that back when I was in my 20's. I was right.
The COGs have many foolish teachings and they usually center around on
just how do we "do things," like putting leaven out or eating out on
Sabbath. Some groups become experts in foolish preaching and never get
around to the core message of the NT. Mixing the OT and the NT has been raised
to an art form by some. You know, old wine in new wine
skins...kaboom!
There are foolish preachings about "science falsely so
called." The facts of evolution and a 4.5 billion year old earth are
just too much handle. Human origins as opposed to the Adam and Eve myth
are way beyond their comprehension or the fact that those OT stories were never
written to advance true scientific discovery. They had meanings, but not
the ones foolish preaching assigns.
Somehow the tithing admonitions are dredged up from the Old Testament,
but the ones advocating stoning rebellious children or sabbath breakers are
listed as "the old ways." Men can't have long hair because Paul
aid nature tells us it is wrong, but far as I know, lions have the best manes
in town and the lioness seems rather bald. I have never figured out just
how Paul's foolish comments about that were to be understood. "Time
is short," was also one of Paul's more foolish preaching concepts.
I am sure the more recent "foolishness of preaching" topics are
endless in the COGs.
Some include:
- Me and my wife are the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
- Jesus is coming back in a couple weeks
- Revelation 11 is about the WCG apostasy
- Man is still 6000 years old
- Send it in
- "And yes brethren, I am an Apostle..."
- God needs a new college
- God needs a new house
- God needs us to give him money (He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Can't He sell some?)
- Fatima is somehow relevant to us today
- Revelations and the Mayans are right!
- The Mayans and the Wiffenpoof Indian prophecies are meaningful
- Women are still less important than men
- Men are the leaders (wow...pretty well proven false by those with eyes to see)
- There is a place of safety still (Resurrection avoidance?)
- God's puzzle has been solved!
- Noah's flood accounts for all world geology
- The story of Noah is really really true and it could happen
- All language started at Babel
- If I came from a monkey, how come we still have monkeys around today!
- We are not to wear sunglasses because the eye is the light of the body... (one of my personal favorites I was personally told.)
and so on...
What foolish preaching have you heard over the years? What nutcase
personal opinions are stuck in your mind to this day? Why do people
listen to such stupid and ignorant teachings from the pulpit and never speak
up? Will the congregants or followers of the lone wolf preacher of foolish
things ever stand up for themselves and call the man out on it.
Foolishness of Preaching...or Preaching foolishness?
Dennis C. Diehl
DenniscDiehl@aol.com
DenniscDiehl@aol.com
